Partnering with Creative Scholars to Combine Quantum and the Arts

Researchers associated with the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS) are partnering with creative scholars in the College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) and others on projects that explore novel ways to engage people in thinking about the counterintuitive aspects of quantum physics.

The RQS researchers—Nicole Yunger Halpern, Christopher Jarzynski, William Phillips, Michael Gullans, Mohamed Hafezi and Andrew Childs—are involved in a series of interdisciplinary projects funded by the Division of Research and ARHU’s Arts for All initiative.

“We are putting people in the room together who normally don’t have an opportunity to explore how their disciplines can be linked,” said Craig Kier, director of Arts for All. Kier worked with John Sawyer, director of the Mid Atlantic Quantum Institute, to evaluate and select a total of seven projects for funding.

Projects that involve RQS researchers are:

The Quantum-Steampunk Engine will be a 3D-printed, interactive sculpture that makes quantum science approachable and exciting. Quantum science will be rendered visually, explained in online educational materials, and explored in creative writing to enable people to grasp the implications of quantum physics on security, communications, policy and more. RQS senior investigators Nicole Yunger Halpern, Christopher Jarzynski and William Phillips are part of this project.

Common Accord will combine concepts from quantum computing with immersive media design and musical composition, creating a joyful experience drawing inspiration from the latest advances in qubit entanglement and quantum algorithms. RQS senior investigators Michael Gullans and Mohammad Hafezi are part of this project.

Science and Music of the Bloch Sphere is a science-music performance that incorporates music as an added dimension to a scientific presentation. Musicians interpret the presentation, helping the audience relate to the scientific concepts being discussed, culminating in a novel, cohesive and immersive experience. RQS director Andrew Childs is part of this project.

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