State of light

State of Light is a permanent installation at the Yale Quantum Institute, inspired by Schrödinger’s cat states. It highlights the quantum phenomenon of superposition—where particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously, such as being in different positions or having distinct momenta at once.

Superposition gives rise to intricate interference patterns, which Serena draws in their ideal equilibrium before exploring how these patterns fade through interactions with the environment, and how information, once lost, remains physically encoded in the rest of the universe.

Thanks to software developed in collaboration with researchers at the Yale Quantum Institute, and through dialogue with Sterling Professor of Physics and Applied Physics Steven Girvin and Harshvardhan Babla, a PhD researcher in Applied Physics at Yale University, Serena worked on the quantum states of light used to encode information.

The panels of paper are arranged following superposition patterns, as a physical three-dimensional representation of a state of light, evoking infinite possibilities before wavefunction collapse.