Comics and physics: Quantum is fantastic!
You can’t change a winning team! NCCR SPIN and the Lausanne comic festival BDFIL partnered again to bring quantum physics to the public! This time, we prepared an event centered around the two comic books “Mysteries of the Quantum Universe” by Mathieu Burniat, and “Quantix” by Laurent Schafer, and the discussion was joined by Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, professor and head of the Laboratory of semiconductor materials at EPFL. The event took place during BDFIL on the 27th April 2024, in the Auditorium of the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts.
In his book “Mysteries of the Quantum Universe”, Mathieu Burniat takes his main character on a quest in a quantum world after the death of his dog. Through meeting the most famous physicists of their time, our character wonders if his dog is, in fact truly dead. “Quantix” by Laurent Schafer playfully explains quantum physics and relativity concepts by putting an ordinary family in quantum-like situations.
The first half of the event was centered around discussing key concepts of quantum physics, such as how atoms are represented, superposition, entanglement, and the measurement’s collapse. Anna, Laurent and Mathieu, described those concepts, giving their unique points of view and sharing what they know and have learned. They were illustrated by pages taken from the books of the two authors. The discussion took a philosophical turn at times, questioning our reality and its very existence, particularly reflected in the public’s interrogations.
The second half of the event gave the stage to Mathieu and Laurent, who answered (puzzling) questions in live drawings. From imagining scientists getting in the lab without their morning coffee, to staging a fictious encounter between Picasso and Einstein, no holds were barred! But the two authors skillfully navigated the waters, not failing to make the audience laugh as well.
The event was successful and fun, with great conversations with the public, animated by talented artists and scientists. NCCR SPIN thanks once again Mathieu Burniat, Laurent Schafer and Anna Fontcuberta i Morral for making this event fun and engaging, as well as the festival BDFIL and our outreach officer for organizing it!
Photos:© Alex Troesch / BDFIL 2024, Carmen Pietropaolo
