IUPAP Photo Contest: Celebrating Quantum Imagination—Magherlly Denisse Daviran Carrasco

Beyond Our Eyes: 2nd place photo, Beyond Crystals: The Icosahedral Symmetry of an Al64Cu23Fe13 Quasicrystal, by Magherlly Denisse Daviran Carrasco

To celebrate the 100 years since the formulation of quantum mechanics, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) launched an international photo contest to capture the beauty of quantum research and technology developed worldwide, as well as the presence of quantum science and technology in our daily lives. 

The competition, part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ2025) global events, opened submissions on June 9 in two categories:  

Beyond Our Eyes

“Dedicated to images captured using scientific instruments or produced through simulations of quantum processes, bringing to life phenomena we can’t usually see.”

At a Glance

Welcomed photos “that revealed the aesthetic beauty of scientific instruments, visible quantum effects in nature, such as light patterns, or creative interpretations inspired by quantum concepts.”

Through these categories, IUPAP encouraged scientists, students, and enthusiasts to look beyond technical boundaries and explore the poetry within science. 

The IUPAP–IYQ2025 Photo Contest received submissions from around the world until August 31. After rigorous review, the jury selected winning photographs for their scientific relevance and artistic quality. The IUPAP announced the six winners (three for each category) on October 24. In this series of IYQ blog posts, we intend to feature each winning photograph and the artist who created it, one for each post. 

Beyond Crystals: The Icosahedral Symmetry of an Al64Cu23Fe13 Quasicrystal, photo by Magherlly Denisse Daviran Carrasco, 2nd place in the category Beyond Our Eyes

Magherlly Denisse Daviran Carrasco is a rising diploma student in the Condensed Matter Physics section at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), with research experience in thin-film growth techniques and transport phenomena in two-dimensional materials.

Morty created her winning photo using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image. She captured it during her undergraduate research on quasicrystalline systems at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) in Peru.

“What fascinated me most about these non-conventional materials is that, although they lack translational symmetry, they still reveal a remarkable order, ” she emphasizes. “As I continue to grow as a research scientist in condensed matter physics, I feel genuinely enthusiastic about the future of quantum technology and the possibilities we can unlock by exploring more complex and exotic materials such as quasicrystals and their impact on quantum transport phenomena.”