Quantum mechanics is an extraordinary branch of science. It’s a field where the boundary between fantasy and reality can start to blur. Imagine, for instance, a device that makes modern supercomputers look obsolete. It’s called a quantum computer. Quantum computers aren’t with us yet. But if and when they arrive, the impact could be colossal, reaching into every corner of our lives. From totally secure communication to new medical sensors that revolutionise healthcare and complex modelling that could engineer powerful new drugs to defeat pandemics – the possibilities are endless. This research is helping the U K stay at the forefront of the race to develop these remarkable machines. That means comprehending quantum mechanics’ most fundamental properties – and exploring the possibility of parallel universes that they imply.

Intimidating or liberating? Or both? To explore the impact this mind-blowing science could have on our sense of place and purpose in the universe, The 5th Dimensional Camera is a fictional device that captures glimpses of parallel universes suggested by quantum physics. How might we seek to interact with these other worlds? Would we become jealous of our parallel selves? What would happen to our sense of morality if we knew that we had committed inconceivable acts in another world?

Science Partners:
Prof. Andrew Briggs, Director, Quantum Information Processing IRC, University of Oxford. Prof. John Rarity, Head of Photonics Group, QIPIRC, University of Bristol. Dr. Simon Benjamin, Senior Fellow in Quantum Materials, QIPIRC, University of Oxford. Prof. David Deutsch, Fellow, Royal Society