Argonne National Laboratory--the art of physics

BUOYANCY-DRIVEN TURBULENT NUCLEAR COMBUSTION TOTAL VELOCITY (3RD)

Computer simulations illustrate star explosions and shed light on concepts like dark matter. Brad Gallagher and Mike Papka, SM’02, PhD’09, show the thermonuclear-powered combustion of a Type Ia supernova.

NANOROSES

Subjected to high temperatures and pressure, the chemical compound europium oxycarbonate forms tiny crystalline buds and may emit bright red light. Its luminescence could make it useful in lasers and optical-storage devices. Photographed by nanoscientist Vilas G. Pol.

LAGOON

Captured by Paul Podsiadlo and Elena Shevchenko, this vibrant pattern shows lead-sulfide nanocrystals evaporated on top of silicon. The circular islands represent larger, 3D “supercrystals.” The colors are natural, untouched by photo-editing tools.

POLYMER ART GLASS (1ST)

This blue-hued design, photographed by Darling and Muruganathan Ramanathan, is a thin, smooth film made up of polymers, or molecule chains, that have formed into circular configurations. The film’s uses range from energy-conversion technologies to data storage.

NATURAL PALETTE

Created from a polymer film of both organic and inorganic materials, this image shows microscale structures etched in silicon nitride. The pattern was captured by Darling and Ramanathan, who are working to better understand the forces behind polymers.

ROUGH WATERS

Darling and Chicago’s Steven Sibener, the Carl William Eisendrath professor of chemistry, show a layer of two materials on a gold surface. Made up of short and long molecules, the rippled substance lets scientists adjust properties such as how the surface interacts with water.

FIELD OF FLOWERS

Each petaled blossom represents a compact assembly of lead-sulfide nanoparticles interacting. These configurations, photographed by Podsiadlo and Shevchenko, may have uses for solar cells, thermoelectricity, and other energy technologies.

VAN GOGH AT PLAY WITH NANOCRYSTALS

The psychedelic pattern, captured by Podsiadlo and Shevchenko, comes from a thin layer of lead-sulfide nanocrystals evaporated atop a silicon surface. The black branch is a deliberate scratch on the smooth area and creates a rough patch where crystals are more likely to form.

SEM OF CARBON SPHERES

Pol used an electron microscope to photograph these balls of pure carbon, formed in a closed reactor with high pressure and heat. Their conducting properties make the particles useful for lithium-ion batteries and as components for printer and toner ink.

METHANE-DIGESTING ENZYME (2ND)

Using Argonne X-rays, Northwestern biochemists A. C. Rosenzweig and R. L. Lieberman chart bacteria’s first step in converting methane to methanol, a process that could make natural gas a viable energy alternative. The ribbon-like figure is the enzyme that kicks off the process.

"pARTicles"

The beauty of science catches the eye and engages the mind.

by

Brooke O’Neill

May-June 2010

University of Chicago Magazine

Whether watching polymers self-assemble or simulating the explosion of a white dwarf star, researchers often capture images as visually stunning as they are scientifically insightful. “I’ve always found great beauty in the forms and symmetries seen in materials,” says Seth Darling, PhD’02, of Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Nanoscale Materials. Using optical and atomic-force microscopes, he has photographed molecules contorting themselves into intricate designs that might be taken for contemporary art.

Blown-up samples of Darling’s work are on display as part of Argonne’s Art of Science photo contest. Fifteen winning submissions spanning nanotechnology, astronomy, and biochemistry were announced in January, made into posters, and are being sold as postcards at the lab. The top three received nominal cash prizes.

Exploring the art-science nexus is a goal that reaches beyond the contest. In March Julie Marie Lemon, MLA’07, was named project manager for the University’s Arts and Science initiative. The campus-wide effort encourages collaboration among physics, biology, chemistry, visual arts, and other disciplines. A March 11 panel of Argonne, Fermilab, and University researchers included astrophysicist Nick Gnedin, nanoscientist Elena Shevchenko, and art historian Barbara Stafford, PhD’72. The topic: how to strengthen public understanding of science and technology through artistic expression.

“Both artists and scientists are operating at the edges of possibility,” said panelist Jason Salavon, a visual-arts and Computation Institute assistant professor who uses custom-designed software to make artwork. The “shared spaces” of exploration between disciplines, he said, create a similar “sense of wonder” between the two camps.

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