One hundred years of the black sheep that has traveled around the world from the Pyrenees

Barcelona"I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics," said Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. And the notion that this discipline is too complex, counterintuitive, mysterious, almost mystical, persists to this day. The study of the behavior of matter and energy in the microscopic world—atoms, electrons, and photons—celebrates its centenary this year, and the UN has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. There is no doubt that it has revolutionized the way we understand research, the world, and geopolitics, but until twenty years ago, there was still reluctance and misunderstanding toward quantum physics within the scientific community itself.

The beginnings, current state, and future aspirations of quantum physics were the focus of the conversation this Thursday at El Born Museum of History in Barcelona, on the occasion of the City and Science Biennial, which runs until November 23 in Barcelona. The round table, moderated by ARA journalist Cristina Sáez, featured four distinguished speakers: Rolf Tarrach, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Barcelona and former president of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Jose Ignacio Latorre, director of the Center for Quantum Technologies in Singapore and founding partner of Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech; Anna Sanpere, ICREA professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the European Quantum Flagship and the Max Planck Institute of Light; and Antonio Acín, ICREA professor at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), where he leads the Quantum Information Theory Group. All of them took a risk and opted for a less common path within physics; something that for many researchers resulted in rejections when it came to publishing studies, as well as being labeled as marginal and almost eccentric. But later, that black sheep of physics has gained the recognition it deserves for having facilitated the arrival of electronics—lasers, GPS, and magnetic resonance imaging—and for driving a second revolution: that of information and quantum technologies.

When the first theses on quantum information began to take shape, the discipline was perceived as a curiosity, not as a fundamental science. However, some noticed something more than just its complexity. "We were convinced it was interesting," explains Latorre. But Acín admits that, when he was working on his own research, trying to generate an interaction between information theory and traditional quantum physics, the discipline was still dominated by particle and force theory. "In 2000, those of us working in an area less valued than the traditional approach weren't very welcome. Now we've been gaining ground," he says.

In 1998, one of the most important forums for fundamental physics research, even today, began in the heart of the Pyrenees: the Benasque meetings. These are summer schools, workshops, and conferences where researchers from around the world (theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians) work and discuss with the aim of fostering scientific collaboration and training young researchers. Some compare it to the Aspen Center for Physics in the US. "When you give a smart mind freedom, magic happens," says Latorre. "In Brazil, they told me they had copied us too," adds Sanpere. Many of the best ideas in modern physics have emerged outside of major universities, in environments like this.

"We don't have any Catalan Nobel laureates... yet."

The creation of ICFO, Sanpere emphasizes, also marked a turning point in the country's pursuit of this field. "Powerful structures like this have existed for a long time in other places, such as Germany. It's impressive that it has so much talent and excellence," he admits. "And, after the Max Planck Institute, it's the best. Objectively, we have one of the best centers in Catalonia," Latorre agrees. But for Tarrach, there's still a long way to go. "We don't have a single Catalan or Spanish Nobel laureate in physics," he said. "Yet," Sanpere replied.

And what do these four leading figures think of the European Union's commitment to supercomputing and quantum physics? "To research quantum physics, we need three things: talent, funding, and governance. Here, we're still stuck with very outdated systems, a lot of bureaucracy, and flawed decision-making processes," Latorre criticized. "But European policy has done very well in selecting projects and awarding grants to individuals, not to institutions," Tarrach pointed out. The room for improvement, according to both experts, lies in gaining the courage, like the Americans and Asians, to transfer research into technological products and then reap economic benefits. "We're not doing it well here. We want to be more cautious and do papers "It's less risky than transferring knowledge," he adds.

The challenge to gaining sovereignty in Europe in the technological field, according to Acín, is to overcome international tensions and the need to bring quantum physics closer to a wider population—through the education system, for example—and also to other disciplines. "We will succeed if we stop letting things slide. Sanpere, success will come if the world changes: "We are cowards when it comes to investing, but perhaps we need to do science and live life differently. In geopolitics, besides money, we need women," he concluded.