Nobel Laureate Collaborator Prof. Philippe Grangier to Deliver Open Lecture during the XVII KCIK-ICTQT Symposium
The organisers of the XVII KCIK-ICTQT Symposium on Quantum Information are pleased to invite all interested participants to a special open lecture by Prof. Philippe Grangier — one of the world’s leading experimental physicists working in quantum optics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.
The lecture, entitled “Quantum Mechanics: from Fundamental Principles to Technological Revolutions”, will take place on 15 May 2026 at 17:00 as part of the symposium held in Sopot and Gdańsk.
Prof. Grangier is a French physicist internationally renowned for his pioneering contributions to quantum optics, single-photon physics, and the experimental foundations of quantum theory. For many years he has been associated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and with leading research environments developing photonic quantum technologies. His work focuses on the controlled generation, manipulation, and measurement of single photons and entangled quantum states — the essential physical resources underlying quantum communication, quantum computing, and future quantum networks.
Particularly notable is his participation in the historic experiments conducted together with Prof. Alain Aspect in the early 1980s on Bell inequalities and quantum entanglement — experiments that fundamentally transformed our understanding of physical reality and became one of the cornerstones of the modern quantum revolution. These pioneering measurements demonstrated that the predictions of quantum mechanics, including entanglement, could not be reproduced by simple local hidden-variable theories.
The groundbreaking achievements of Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger were recognized with the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments with entangled photons and for establishing the foundations of quantum information science. Prof. Grangier belongs to the important circle of experimental physicists whose early collaborative work helped shape this Nobel-recognized field.
Beyond their profound conceptual and philosophical significance, the Bell-test experiments opened the path toward practical quantum technologies such as quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and photonic quantum communication networks. Remarkably, the famous 1982 Aspect experiment also entered contemporary culture and was referenced in Michel Houellebecq’s novel The Elementary Particles.
Over the following decades, Prof. Grangier continued to advance experimental quantum optics through the development of increasingly sophisticated single-photon sources and ultra-sensitive quantum measurement techniques. His research has consistently bridged deep foundational questions of quantum mechanics with emerging technological applications.
The lecture will offer a unique opportunity to hear firsthand reflections from a scientist who contributed directly to some of the most influential experiments in the history of modern physics.
More information about the symposium is available on the official website of the XVII KCIK-ICTQT Symposium on Quantum Information.
Venue
Faculty of Mathematics, Phsyics and Informatics of University of Gdańsk
57 Wita Stwosza Street, Gdańsk
Organisers
