Poetry Takes on Quantum Physics

The quantum world seems to defy logic. For example, a quantum object arriving at a fork in its path does not have to choose between veering left or right but travels both routes simultaneously instead—an action that is impossible for classical objects, like baseballs and humans. Physicists have a rigorous mathematical language for characterizing quantum behavior, but translating that mathematics into everyday words is tricky. Poet Amy Catanzano thinks that poetry could offer a solution by providing a means to create a new language that might more accurately describe the seemingly indescribable quantum world. She put this idea into practice in her recent poem called “World Lines: A Quantum Supercomputer Poem,” which was inspired by, and incorporates, the physics of a topological quantum computer.