Arts and Science exhibition in the city hall lobbyImages from the Microscopic World

Photo: UHH/Mukherjee

This pattern emerged from a computer simulation. Researchers wanted to find out the probability of finding an excited electron distributed between 2 positive atomic nuclei.

They look like fossils, braided patterns, or wave-like structures and some images even have something sacred about them. There is a lot of room for interpretation and observers can choose to immerse themselves in the beauty or read the accompanying texts to understand the underlying physics and chemistry. “We would like to invite visitors to discover the artistic and aesthetic in the natural sciences,” says Prof. Dr. Peter Schmelcher, board member of the cluster of excellence and co-founder of the arts and science initiative that kicked off with its first exhibition in 2017.

Since then, the research focus in the cluster has evolved. Researchers initially concentrated on the ultrafast movements of molecules and electrons, but now study their functions: the larger and more complex systems become, the more they develop new features. Take, for example, superconductivity, which is the ability to conduct electricity without energy loss.

The large-scale visualizations in the exhibition provide insight into the natural science phenomena being studied in the cluster. There are also photos of state-of-the-art laboratories and the light sources being used there. QR codes lead to videos in which researchers explain their work.

In the Cluster of Excellence CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter, researchers at Universität Hamburg cooperate with teams from DESY, the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, and the European XFEL.

Opening hours at city hall:

• Mon–Fri, 8 am–6 pm
• Sat, 10 am–6 pm
• Sun, 10 am–5 pm
• City hall is closed on many holidays but open on Easter Monday.

Members of the press are welcome to attend the exhibition’s opening. This will take place on Thursday, 6 April 2023 at 5 pm in the city hall lobby. Please register beforehand at cui.office@uni-hamburg.de.(cui.office"AT"uni-hamburg.de.)

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This pattern emerged from a computer simulation. Researchers wanted to find out the probability of finding an excited electron distributed between 2 positive atomic nuclei.

Picture: UHH/Mukherjee

for screen display (JPG)for print purposes (JPG)

This image from the scanning electron microscope shows a mix of tiny magnetic beads and polystyrene beads. They help in the study of biological samples.

Picture: UHH/Esmek, Fernandez-Cuesta