Vision / Society and communities / Quantum physics, metal and me

Society and communities

Quantum physics, metal and me

Iron has been a very heavy influence throughout my academic career. Not in its raw elemental form, but as part of the ‘Iron Maiden’ compound – an especially energetic form of the metal that has been the backdrop to many hours slaving over a scanning probe microscope and/or a synchrotron beamline.

I am not alone in this appreciation of the heavier things in life – a Venn diagram of physicists and metal music fans has quite some overlap.

That’s one of the reasons I wrote When The Uncertainty Principle Goes To 11 (or How To Explain Quantum Physics With Heavy Metal) (Ben Bella Books, 2018). I wanted to bring together two of my favourite things – metal and physics – and explore just how heavy-as-le(a)d riffs and, um, spandex pants could explain quantum mechanics. The juxtaposition also appeals: one has a fearsome reputation for being intellectually challenging. The other hasn’t.

"I am not alone in this appreciation of the heavier things in life – a Venn diagram of physicists and metal music fans has quite some overlap."
Professor Philip Moriarty

By bridging the divide between art and science – and yes, heavy metal is an art form – we can engage a wider audience. Joshua Wood, over at Metal-Rules.com, put it like this: “So what on earth would possess me to read a book about quantum physics, something I’m not really interested in and know little about? Well, the answer is simple; that natural desire to improve myself coupled with the power of metal!”

Philip Moriarty

Philip Moriarty is a Professor of Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy.

More impact case studies

A year on: working class women and work during the Covid-19 pandemic

Read More

An academic working in government: reflections from a Chief Scientific Adviser

Read More

Cities and communities after the pandemic

Read More