05
September
2019
|
22:13
Asia/Singapore

The world of quantum technology

The exhibition includes a new installation on Singapore's quantum history

It survived — and remained fully functional — after the rocket it was in exploded when launching from the International Space Station in 2014. Now, the GOMX-2 nanosatellite — containing a quantum light source built by the Centre for Quantum Technologies at NUS (CQT) — is on display at QUANTUM: The Exhibition at the Science Centre Singapore. This is the world’s first travelling exhibition focusing on quantum science and technology.

QUANTUM: The Exhibition was developed by one of CQT’s research partners — the Institute of Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in Canada. The installation in Singapore was initiated by CQT and includes brand new exhibits that showcase local research in the field of quantum science and technology. CQT — together with the Agency for Science Technology and Research, Nanyang Technological University, the National Research Foundation Singapore and National Supercomputing Centre Singapore — helped develop and sponsor these new displays.

“We hope that Singapore’s young people will visit, be excited and be thoughtful about how they will experience quantum technologies in their lifetime. Scientists of my generation are providing the tools to build quantum technologies. It is up to the next generation to discover everything that we can do with them,” said CQT Director Professor Artur Ekert.

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A laser art installation by KL-based artist and architect Jun Ong, which was commissioned by the Art Science Museum and CQT last year, illustrates the quantum phenomenon known as entanglement

The interactive exhibition brings scientific concepts to life through a mix of creative storytelling and gamified experiences. Visitors will be introduced to quantum concepts, and the history of computing, and take a deep dive into the potential of quantum technologies.

Visitors will also get to meet six inspiring young quantum scientists in Singapore, profiled in video interviews. They include CQT Fellows Assistant Professor Charles Lim and Associate Professor Ng Hui Khoon, and CQT Principal Investigator Assistant Professor Manas Mukherjee. These researchers also have affiliations with NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yale-NUS College and NUS Physics, respectively.

Other exhibits contributed by CQT include a source of entangled photon pairs that visitors can operate and an animation about atomic clocks that introduces both the work of the National Metrology Centre and CQT’s research on next-generation clocks.

QUANTUM: The Exhibition will run until 2 January 2020.