Campus

Experience the quantum world in the auditorium

The opening of a pop-up exhibition on quantum physics in the entrance of the TU Delft auditorium marked the kick-off of new research initiatives in quantum nanotechnology.

Students explore an interactive item in the exhibition Quantum. (Photo's: Marieke de Lorijn / TU Delft)

All the quantum classics are there: superposition, logical circuits, and the double-slit experiment. Students of Waterloo University in Canada have built a dozen interactive exhibits that introduce visitors to the weird world of quantum physics. Their work is now on display in Delft.


“I studied physics,” said TU Delft’s chairman of the Board, Professor Tim van der Hagen. “But I can’t say I understand quantum physics. I have learned to accept it at best.”


Van der Hagen opened the pop-up exhibition, Quantum, as an interlude to the kick-off day of the quantum/nano revolution branch of the national science agenda (NWA). Researchers from the Universities of Twente, Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Leiden, and Wageningen were present, as were representatives from TNO, KNP and from the Ministries of Education, Economic Affairs, and Defence.


The Canadian Ambassador, Sabine Eva Nolke, recalled that before becoming one of the world’s leading centres in quantum technology, Waterloo in Canada was best known for its Oktoberfests. Now they make quantum exhibits.


QuTech’s Professor Ronald Hanson was quite charmed by the exhibition. He even considered having a similar set-up made in Delft for what is nowadays called outreach.


The Quantum exhibition is open to the public up to and including Friday 17 November 2017.

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Science editor Jos Wassink

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j.w.wassink@tudelft.nl

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