Painting the unseen: visualizing the quantum world

What does quantum physics have to do with vibrant oil paintings and the ghostly grin of a disappearing cat? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this month’s Physics World Stories podcast, host Andrew Glester takes a colourful look at how we visualize – and try to make sense of – the curious world of quantum mechanics.

First up is Felicity Inkpen, a Scotland-based artist who began her career in physics and neuroscience before turning to art full-time. Her painting Qubits, Duality appears on the cover of a Physics World Quantum Briefing published to celebrate the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ).

Felicity shares her journey from academia to art, and how her experience of number-colour synaesthesia – where numbers are associated with colours in her mind – shapes her creative process as she explores the elusive nature of quantum reality.

Later, Physics World features editor Tushna Commissariat introduces the Physics World Quantum Briefing and delves into one of its stories, ‘The curious case of quantum Cheshire cats’. It explores the strange phenomenon where a particle’s properties seem to be in a different place from the particle itself – reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s famous feline in Alice in Wonderland, whose grin lingers even after he’s gone.

You’ll find plenty more on the history, mystery and industry of quantum mechanics in the free-to-read Quantum Briefing. Stay tuned to the Physics World quantum channel for more IYQ content throughout the year. You can already enjoy a blog series from Matin Durrani, reporting from the tiny North Sea archipelago Helgoland, where Heisenberg made his breakthrough in quantum mechanics 100 years ago.