PHYS 485 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Additional Materials
Occasional postings about quantum physics in the news and at Illinois. Suggestions welcome!
Carruthers Geocorona Observatory: a New View of Earth and an Illinois Legacy
Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (PI Lara Waldrop, ECE), scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral on September 23, 2025, is the first NASA mission led by the University of Illinois. The Carruthers mission will travel to L1, a gravitational balance point 1.5 million km from Earth. There it will look back toward Earth to observe the exosphere, the very outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere, as it is buffeted by the solar wind. Such "space weather" has important impacts on communications, spacecraft, aurora, and more. Carruthers will observe the changing exosphere with specialized ultraviolet cameras targeting the Lyman alpha spectral emission line of hydrogen gas (we will calculate the origin and wavelength of this emission in class!). For more information, see this video (YouTube) by Prof. Waldrop.
Carruthers is named after Illinois alum George Carruthers, who developed the ultraviolet camera that flew to the Moon in 1972 on Apollo 16 and took the first picture of the geocorona. The new mission that bears his name will take exquisite pictures of the geocorona every few hours.
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IQUIST and IQMP: Building Toward a Quantum Future
Founded in 2018, IQUIST is a campus center that brings together a wide array of quantum research and technology development at the University of Illinois (YouTube).
Off campus, the University of Illinois leads the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a new campus on Chicago's South Side to bring together researchers and investment to develop quantum technologies. Illinois Physics Professor Brian DeMarco is IQMP's Director and Chief Technology Officer.
Illinois is also a partner institution in the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
LabEscape: a Quantum Escape Room
LabEscape is a local escape room themed around quantum physics, but accessible to to the general public. Founded by Illinois Physics professor Paul Kwiat and run by a team of students and scientists, it opened its doors in 2017.
Quantum Voyages: Physics on the Stage
Quantum Voyages is a science-based performance piece that explores key topics in the realms of quantum physics foundations, condensed matter, and ultracold atomic gases. Its fantastical plotline is designed to make the content accessible to audience inclusive of ages 5 to 105 and to instill awe and wonder for the mysterious world within us. It involves two voyagers journeying many quantum realms guided by the spirit of wisdom and accompanied by a quantum ensemble. The confront terrifying prospects of being Dead and Alive at once, encounter electrons acting as waves, are pelleted by photons, glide through diaphanous orbitals of atoms, precess in Magnetic Resonant Imaging machines, levitate above superconducting surfaces, and navigate disordered quantum terrains within complex materials. In moments of strife, physicists make guest appearances as quantum sages who save the day with their insights. The two voyagers emerge awakened to the miniscule scapes within us and the affirmation that things are never what they seem.
The piece was created by Physics professor Smitha Vishveshwara and theater-maker Latrelle Bright, both based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Featuring a diverse a cast of artists, physicists and students, it is a true confluence of the sciences and the arts. It premiered in 2018 at Nobel Laureate Anthony Leggett’s 80th celebration and the Beckman Institute,UIUC. In 2019, it featured as a public event at the American Physical Society March meeting in Boston. In its third iteration, the production was set for a live performance at the QualComm Institute, UC San Diego and at UC Santa Barbara at the end of May 2020. But the team has had to creatively adapt to a virtual platform due to the challenges of COVID-19, transforming the performance to a unique film-based genre that is a testimony to the enduring power of the arts and sciences.
