Measuring in Reflection blog banner image: a mirror in a physics lab reflecting another mirror and some other bits of scientific apparatus

Why Busy Beaver Hunters Fear the Antihydra

Oct 22, 2025
In which I explore the biggest barrier in the busy beaver game. What is Antihydra, what is the Collatz conjecture, how are they connected, and what makes them so daunting?

Toward the Ideal Elevator Display

Feb 5, 2025
Imagine a world where every moment gazing at an elevator display is as sublime as the transition from 2 to 3.

Why Build a Quantum Transducer?

Jun 23, 2022
A deep dive into the motivation for my postdoc research. What do microwaves and lasers have to do with communication? And what changes when I add the word “quantum” twice to every sentence?

On Error

Apr 1, 2022
Say the answer you get is 3 when you’re supposed to get 4. Did you do something wrong? And how does that make you feel?

Of Lifetimes and Linewidths

Jan 26, 2022
Resonance can help us understand a deep connection between time and frequency that applies to all waves, from light to sound to quantum physics.

Frequency Shifts Do Not Imply Quantum Entanglement

Jan 3, 2022
Demystifying the tardigrade-induced frequency shift with a mass, a spring, and a trip to Singapore in the year 8022.

Putting the Mechanics in Quantum Mechanics

Oct 19, 2021
How the tools of quantum optomechanics could one day be used to put a macroscopic object into a quantum superposition.

How Does an Axion Detector Work?

Mar 14, 2021
In which I unpack the inner workings of an axion dark matter detector, and explain why you shouldn’t hold your breath for the discovery of dark matter.

How Big is a Billion?

Dec 27, 2020
A billion is a thousand million? Why wasn’t I informed of this?

The Uses of Natural Units

Dec 15, 2020
As a grad student TA for a freshman physics lab, I occasionally encountered statements like “the mass of the ball was ten.”

About Measuring in Reflection

Dec 6, 2020
Measuring in Reflection is a blog about the tools, experimental techniques, and concepts that physicists use to understand the world.