Build/Behold: The Qubit

The quantum chip, its fabrication process, and its unique architecture (soon to replace our binary understandings of computing and the internet) is a science, but it is also art. Quantum computing is also a very abstract subject, so this communication of science project also tells the story of the labs, materials, and processes used in building quantum chips on TU Delft campus.

This exhibition is composed of curated nanoart from lab research at QuTech. “NanoArt is a novel art discipline related to science and technology. It depicts natural or synthetic structures with features sized at the nanometer scale, which are observed by electron or scanning probe microscopy techniques in scientific laboratories”.

Graduate researchers working in QuTech’s labs noticed there were many aesthetically pleasing images associated with their research. Some researchers even had personal collections of them. These color images, due to interference patterns, can be considered art and tell the story of quantum computing research on the campus of TU Delft. The exhibition image titled, “Dutch Heritage,” marked the beginning of QuTech’s NanoArt project. A failed attempt to create a new mask resulted in a folded piece of metal on a chip during fabrication. Under the microscope, this folded piece, resembled a miniature windmill, and sparked the inspiration that led to this quantum exhibition.

Quantum is not just science, it is also art