Professor Hans Bachor of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics at ANU. Photo by Connie Bachor.
Professor Hans Bachor is on a mission to make the quantum world come alive for students and the public, and his work has recently been recognised with a rare 'trifecta' of awards. By BEN VILLANI. Here's a question that might not come up while playing Trivial Pursuit: how do you pop a small purple balloon that is blown up inside a large clear balloon? The answer, as Professor Hans Bachor can demonstrate for you, is with a green laser. The energy in the green light passes through the clear rubber and is then absorbed by the purple balloon - which heats up and pops. Bachor used this surprising phenomenon to show how lasers can be used in eye surgery. The demonstration was one of many he performed at an event held at Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre - in November last year to mark the 50th anniversary of the laser's invention. The demonstration - part performance science, part understanding and passion for quantum physics - is an excellent example of Bachor's efforts to engage the public with physics.
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