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Bengaluru’s Science Gallery opens doors to mysteries of quantum physics
From a cat to a sealed suitcase with a quantum light source, the ‘QUANTUM’ exhibit at the Science Gallery showcases several explanatory and interactive displays.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India, were among the dignitaries present at the QUANTUM exhibit inauguration on August 7. (Photo: Special arrangement)
Picture a closed box with a cat inside, along with poison that could be released if radiation is detected. Since no one can see inside until the box is opened, the cat can be considered both dead and alive at the same time. This famous thought experiment on quantum superposition, called Schrödinger’s cat, is one of the concepts being explored at ‘QUANTUM’, a new exhibit at the Science Gallery in Bengaluru.
“Karnataka is building towards the quantum future we will need, through Q-City and the state Quantum Mission. With the QUANTUM exhibition, Science Gallery Bengaluru is building the curiosity that the future will run on…,” Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said during the exhibit inauguration on August 7. Shivakumar and Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India, were among the dignitaries present.
According to guides at the Science Gallery, ‘QUANTUM’ does not just aim to explain aspects of quantum physics but to spark conversations and discussion around the subject. The exhibit features a mix of artistic pieces and explanatory and interactive displays, with contributors from around the world.
One such artistic take on quantum mechanics is Mr Tompkins, a cat that appears dead from one angle and alive from another, even as a set of booklets accompanying the artwork gives it a different fate each time.
Artwork depicting the concept of Schrodinger’s cat at the Science Gallery in Bengaluru. (Photo: Special arrangement)
Another unique display is a sealed suitcase with a quantum light source capable of emitting one photon at a time. A part of QuanTour, an international science outreach project touring the world, the suitcase has already been exhibited at Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science and will leave the Science Gallery in a month for its next destination, Australia.
The exhibit also includes correspondence between theoretical physicists Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose and the contributions of female scientists whose work went largely unnoticed. It also includes interactive exhibits such as video games and virtual reality displays for visitors keen to engage directly.
Those interested in ‘QUANTUM’ can visit the gallery free of charge on all days, except Monday and Tuesday. Curatorial walkthroughs are scheduled for the Independence Day weekend, with one in Kannada on August 15 and English on August 16.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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