Democritus looks around (Face without Mouth), then decides that it’s not that bad here, after all (Smile).

ATOMICONS are created by numerically solving the Schrödinger equation for surface electrons in the presence of scattering atoms positioned by us. The artworks result from a 3D rendering of the obtained data.

Ed Miranda, the composer, programmed a quantum computer to make thousands of tunes in superposition. Upon observation, the composer retrieved a few to compose this piece. Many more versions exist in the multiverse.

In the end each of us is made of elementary particles. The reality and the emotions that we perceive result from their interactions. ATOMICONS have been brought to life to let us sense this deep truth.

Each ATOMICON can be realized and observed by using a scanning tunnel microscope (STM), a device based on quantum tunnelling. The STM can also be used to deliberately move atoms on the surface, allowing to create at the nanoscale.