If the Milky Way could talk, what would it tell us about its long existence? That is the premise of The Milky Way: an Autobiography of our Galaxy, by the astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, McTier talks about how she developed the idea for the book and how she captured the mindset of an entity that has been around for billions of years and stretches across 100,000 light-years.

Also featured in this episode is David McDade, who is head of ebooks at IOP Publishing. He talks about how the physics publisher’s book programme has developed in the decade since it was launched. He also chats about challenges and opportunities in scholarly publishing and looks to the future of scientific books publishing.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features an interview with Chris Schnabel, who talks about the threats and opportunities that quantum technologies pose to organizations that rely on cryptographic systems.

Schnabel is vice president of product at Qrypt, a US-based company that uses quantum technology to generate random numbers for cryptography and other applications. He explains how modern cryptography systems could be compromised by quantum computers of the future – and how quantum technologies can be used to achieve secure communications.

Friday 14 April is World Quantum Day and to celebrate I am in conversation with two physicists working at the forefront of quantum science and technology.

First up in this episode is Fermilab’s Anna Grassellino, who is director of the US Department of Energy’s Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS). She explains how the SQMS brings together people with a broad range of expertise – including materials science, microwave systems and particle physics – to create new quantum technologies. Grassellino also talks about how quantum sensors can be used to look for physics beyond the Standard Model.

Also in the podcast is Yasser Omar, who is co-ordinator of the Physics of Information and Quantum Technologies Group at the University of Lisbon and the president of the Portuguese Quantum Institute. He was also a founder of World Quantum Day and he describes some of the many events that are being held worldwide. Omar also explains why 14 April was chosen as World Quantum Day and talks about his own quantum research.

In the past decade or so, quantum technologies have gone from lab curiosities to commercial products with practical applications. This had led to a growing number of business opportunities in the sector – as well as opportunities for people with the right skills.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features an interview with Mackenzie Van Camp – who is quantum and photonics chief scientist at BAE Systems FastLabs – the research and development branch of the defence contractor BAE Systems.

Based in New Hampshire, Van Camp did a PhD in physics before joining the company. She explains why BAE Systems is developing quantum technologies and talks about some of the projects that she has worked on. She also offers career advice for people who are interested in working in the quantum and defence sectors.

Quantum science and technology have been developing by leaps and bounds over the past few decades, so it is not surprising that quantum experiments are now being done in space. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast Lisa Wörner and Jan-Michael Mol of the Institute of Quantum Technologies of the German Aerospace Center in Ulm explain why physicists are launching quantum memories and other devices into space and talk about the challenges of doing experiments in Earth orbit.

If this podcast has piqued your interest in quantum technologies in space there is much more in an open-access paper by Mol, Wörner and colleagues. It is called “Quantum memories for fundamental science in space” and is published in Quantum Science and Technology.

This episode is sponsored by Pfeiffer Vacuum. The company provides all types of vacuum equipment, including hybrid and magnetically-levitated turbopumps, leak detectors and analysis equipment, as well as vacuum chambers and systems. You can find about Pfeiffer Vacuum’s impact in space research in this video, and explore all its products on the Pfeiffer Vacuum website.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features an in-depth interview with the engineer and pilot Maya Ghazal, who fled from the war in Syria and arrived in the UK in 2016. Despite facing prejudice when she first tried to resume her education, Ghazal gained a degree in aviation engineering and pilot studies and is now a graduate research engineer at the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. There, she works on aeronautics for space in support of the UK’s national space strategy.

Ghazal is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). She speaks to science journalist Anna Demming about her journey from war-torn Damascus to the UK, how she overcame barriers faced by refugees and how she found an unexpected passion for all things aeronautical.

The burgeoning field of nonlinear optics is explored in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast. It features Nathalie Vermeulen of Brussels Photonics at the Free University of Brussels and Eric Van Stryland of the College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida. They talk about the science of nonlinear optics and the wide range of applications – from astronomy to quantum computing – that have emerged.

The duo also looks to the future of nonlinear optics and chat about a recent paper in that they have co-authored with 20 other experts in the field. That paper is called “Post-2000 nonlinear optical materials and measurements: Data tables and best practices” and it can be read free of charge in the Journal of Physics: Photonics, where it has been accepted for publication.

A physics degree gives graduates an enviable set of skills that can prove useful in a wide range of jobs. But could physics courses be improved to make students even more prepared for the future of work?

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, Andrew Mizumori Hirst and William Wakeham explain how graduates would benefit from a greater emphasis on the teaching of translational skills such as effective communication; team working; creativity; and the ability to find cross-disciplinary solutions to complex problems.

Mizumori Hirst is director of White Rose Industrial Physics Academy and Wakeham is chair of the South East Physics Network – both in England. They address a wide range of issues facing university educators including technology, assessment, diverse learning styles and teaching students how to tackle open-ended problems.

Wakeham and Mizumori Hirst have also teamed up with Veronica Benson – formerly of the South East Physics Network – to write an article for Physics World called “Building a physics degree for the future: five key questions we need to answer”.

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast we meet three scientists who are trying to answer a question that humanity has long pondered: does intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe?

Peter Ma and Leandro Rizk of the University of Toronto and Cherry Ng of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Orleans are part of a team that has used machine learning to identify eight potential “technosignatures” in data from the Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope. The trio explain how they look for signs of intelligent life in radio-telescope data and how machine learning gives a helping hand.

Ng also talks about her research on how signals from pulsars could be used to detect gravitational waves.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Dennis Sherwood, a consultant and author who helps individuals and organizations boost their creativity.

Sherwood has drawn on his experiences to write the book Creativity for Scientists and Engineers: a Practical Guide and in a wide ranging interview he gives examples of creativity in physics ranging from Archimedes’ work on density to a more recent breakthrough in optical imaging. Sherwood also looks at the barriers to creativity and gives tips on how these can be overcome by scientists.

Also in this podcast, Physics World editors chat about a curious star system that could someday enrich the Milky Way with gold and platinum; and a new artificial skin that is designed to be bitten by mosquitoes.