New Center of Excellence at Chapman University will study quantum theory and the nature of reality

Chapman University

An interdisciplinary team of scholars have received a $2.43 million dollar grant from the John Templeton Foundation to create a “Southern California Quantum Foundations Hub” at Chapman University. This unique collaboration includes theoretical physicists, experimental physicists and philosophers, who will apply the methods of their respective disciplines to provide deeper insights into the nature of reality that quantum theory is silent about. The Templeton Foundation has identified the area of quantum foundations as one of their key funding priorities.

Researchers Andrew Jordan (physics), Matt Leifer (physics), Emily Adlam (philosophy and physics), and Kelvin McQueen (philosophy) at Chapman will seek answers to some of the most pressing and confounding questions in their fields. Three research themes will be explored: (1) The Nature of the Quantum State, (2) Past and Future Boundary Conditions, and (3) Agency in Quantum Observers. Each theme has contributions planned for theory, experiment, and philosophy. The grant will also support experiments by Aephraim Steinberg (University of Toronto, physics) and Eddy Chen (UCSD, philosophy).

Andrew Jordan, professor, Schmid College of Science and Technology said, “Chapman university has invested strongly to make one of the best quantum foundations groups in the world. I’m very excited by the John Templeton foundation’s decision to choose our faculty to lead their research hub on this topic in the United States. Our activities will provide a center to attract experts from around the world to come and work with us.”

“We plan to work on topics that will expand our understanding of the quantum state and in what sense it is reflective of external reality and/or our degree of knowledge. The nature of time is also fundamental to integrating past and future events into a new theory we are developing of continuously monitored quantum systems.  We will also explore our freedom as agents acting on quantum systems and explore the idea of if an agent itself can be a quantum system.”

Topics in quantum foundations, as well as breaking discoveries and insights will also be taught to the wider scientific community and public through regular seminars posted on their YouTube channel, annual conferences, and public lectures. 

“The John Templeton Foundation grant establishing the Southern California Quantum Foundations Hub at Chapman University is a testament to the game-changing impact of our faculty’s interdisciplinary research–past and future,” said Chapman President Daniele Struppa, Ph.D. “With this grant, our university will become the primary center of excellence in the United States for the field of quantum foundations, an emerging field ripe with potential for major scientific discoveries and a greater understanding of the nature of reality.”

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About Chapman University

Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 "high research activity" institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 60 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.