Entangled States
A Life According to Quantum Physics
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Entangled States
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About this listen
“I see physics everywhere,” Karmela Padavic-Callaghan writes. “It offers itself to me when I try to make sense of all the paths my life did and did not take, it reassures me when I try to reconcile all the identities that I feel describe me.” Born in Croatia in 1991, Karmela grew up against the backdrop of the Yugoslav wars. They grew to love science and hair metal, and they began longing to see more of the world. At age 16, they received an offer to study at a boarding school in New York, setting them on a path to a physics PhD.
Now a science writer in New York, Karmela uses physics to meditate on building a life in a new country, on being nonbinary in a field dominated by cishet men, and on cause, effect, future, and destiny. Each chapter examines a moment in Karmela's life through the lens of a physics concept. Knot theory becomes a lens for the story of Karmela visiting a Croatian healer. Ultracold atom labs lead to a meditation on societal expectations that women be unfailingly warm and nurturing. And the workings of an electron microscope become a framework for Karmela's evolving relationship with cosmetics as they realized they are nonbinary.
Taking us from Croatia to New York, from quantum computing to Queen, Entangled States offers readers a unique and unforgettable journey—and shows how the world of physics and the world of humanity illuminate one another.
Critic Reviews
“Entangled States is a stunning and invigorating memoir at the intersections of science, gender, place, and wonder. I was awed by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan’s ability to engage elevated physics theory alongside such gorgeous and thoughtful prose, and to meditate so intimately on the particularities of a human life alongside explanations for our universal atomic experiences. A truly remarkable debut.”
—Raechel Anne Jolie, author of Rust Belt Femme
“With Entangled States, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan offers readers an utterly unique journey into the quantum life—one where a love of quantum physics helps a queer immigrant make sense of who they are and make meaning of the cosmos. Come for the analysis of Freddie Mercury’s farewell album, stay for the clear, accessible explanations of next-generation quantum information science. Padavic-Callaghan has written an inspiring book about physics that beautifully centers the importance of being true to yourself.”
—Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred
—Raechel Anne Jolie, author of Rust Belt Femme
“With Entangled States, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan offers readers an utterly unique journey into the quantum life—one where a love of quantum physics helps a queer immigrant make sense of who they are and make meaning of the cosmos. Come for the analysis of Freddie Mercury’s farewell album, stay for the clear, accessible explanations of next-generation quantum information science. Padavic-Callaghan has written an inspiring book about physics that beautifully centers the importance of being true to yourself.”
—Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred
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