Data captured from microwave signals firing at an electron every five milliseconds form the basis of this vibrant, spinning image that expresses the beauty at the heart of quantum physics.
Data captured from microwave signals firing at an electron every 5 milliseconds form the basis of this vibrant, spinning image created by UNSW Art & Design’s Associate Professor Paul Thomas.The artistic interpretation of quantum computing graced the cover of the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology.
“Rather than creating an exact illustration of the science, my aim was to parallel the idea of neurons firing and ideas evolving,” says the artist, who manipulated the data using interactive software to incorporate fragments of random photos.
Thomas worked with Professor Andrea Morello, Program Manager in the Centre for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology (CQC2T), whose scientific research informed the artwork and was also featured in the journal.
In another unusual melding of science and art, local scientist-turned-artist Steve Durbach has been working with researchers at the UNSW headquarters of the CQC2T to “express the beauty at the heart of quantum physics and quantum computing”.
His exhibition, Schrödinger’s Bird, explores some of the counterintuitive concepts of the quantum world, including the dual wave-particle nature of matter at the atomic scale.
See more at newsroom.unsw.edu.au