Photowalk

2025 Fermilab Photowalk submissions

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Fermilab Photowalk!

The gallery below (alphabetical by photographer last name) features one photo from each of the 21 photographers who submitted images from the 2025 Fermilab Photowalk, each capturing a unique perspective of the lab's science, environment and spirit.

Untitled Photo by Chris Ashbrooks, Park Forest, IL This was a close-up of one of the quantum computers in the SQMS lab. I feel that it looks interesting how the color changes as the system moves to colder and colder temperatures. The braided copper cables were especially interesting here.	Precision Photo by Rex Babiera, Chicago, IL Magnets are used to direct or focus the particle beam at Fermilab's Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA). IOTA was built not to find new kinds of subatomic particles nor to provide evidence to support understanding the fundamental structure of the universe. Rather, it was built to improve the quality of the particle beams-a test bed for understanding the science and engineering of accelerators themselves. Walking around the facility, I had encountered many heavy-looking quadrupole magnets when I found this string of smaller octupole magnets. This set of much more delicate looking magnets made me think about the precision required to engineer these beams. I am in awe because IOTA researchers can observe a single electron moving at nearly the speed of light.	FAST Superconducting RF Linac Photo by Eileen Berman, Geneva, IL This is a section of the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology (FAST) Superconducting RF (SRF) Linac, which feeds 150 MeV electrons into the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA). Together, these machines and their associated hardware and controls-part of Fermilab's research and development of advanced accelerator technologies-are being used to perform research for future particle accelerators as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) High Energy Physics program.
Quantum Chill Photo by Erik Burch, Carpentersville, IL An assembly for the cryogenic dilution refrigerator sits half built on the technician's desk. Wrench, set aside from her hand, ready for work to be resumed. The tangle of connections weave a story of hard won knowledge and material constraints.	Symbiosis Photo by Eric Dynowski, Evanston, IL On one side, you have gas lines, warning labels, and pressure gauges. On the other, a wall of living plants. The two don't compete-they coexist. It's a quiet statement that life and control, routine and growth, can share space. Someone decided to make this area not just functional, but respirating, softened, greened. That decision says something about what's valued-not just safety and precision, but the desire to flourish.	Top Lighted Cables Photo by Gary Eckstein, Kenosha, WI Functionality doesn't preclude the fact that much of the equipment and even the cables at Fermilab have very pleasing visual qualities.
Quantum Gold Photo by Michael Galindo, Chicago, IL An upclose photo of one of the super cooled dilution refrigerators at the Quantum Garage. The SQMS Quantum Garage is a facility tackling the challenge of understanding and mitigating the physical processes that cause decoherence limiting the performance of superconducting qubits. The facility contains five large dilution refrigerators capable of producing temperatures down to 8 mK. The fridges host platforms developed for quantum computing, sensing, metrology and communications research. The Quantum Garage was developed at Fermilab by SQMS and is one of the largest research laboratories nationwide. The platforms enable the scientific community and industry to advance quantum technology and science.	Keeping Cool Photo by Stephen Hanafin, Aurora, IL The inside of a PIP-II cryomodule at ICB	Flow under control Photo by David E. Johnson, Joliet, IL Within the architecture of Fermilab's Short-Baseline Near Detector, cryogenic systems like this one maintain ultra-cold conditions for liquid argon. Tightly packed valves and sensors orchestrate the flow, allowing for quiet precision that keeps neutrino detection on track.
The Underside of Quantum Computing Photo by Mark Kaletka, Batavia, IL Looking up into the belly of a quantum computer at the SQMS Garage at Fermilab. The cryostat insulating jacket has been removed, revealing the golden interior. One of the winners of the 2025 Fermilab Photowalk	Untitled Photo by Laura Krasnow, Pittsburgh, PA No caption provided.	Quantum Connections Photo by Michael J. Linden, Aurora, IL High-frequency cables and components being used in the research of quantum computers and sensors. These high-frequency cables and components are somewhat reminiscent of Fermilab's accelerator and collider rings and associated buildings when viewed from above. Fermilab Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) in the Quantum Garage located in the IARC building. Fermilab Photowalk 2025. Fermilab, Batavia, IL.
Where Beams Begin: Magnetic Structure of the FAST Accelerator Photo by Santiago Martinez de Septien, Malaga, Spain The image depicts a section of the superconducting linear accelerator (SRF linac) at Fermilab's FAST facility, where electron beams are accelerated up to 300 MeV before being injected into the IOTA ring. In the foreground, a copper coil is visible an essential component of the magnetic systems used to stabilize and focus the beam along its trajectory. This facility, unique in the United States, is the result of a collaborative effort involving over 30 national and international institutions committed to advancing accelerator technology for the next generation of high intensity particle accelerators.	Christmas for Science Photo by CeCee Nedrow, Montgomery, IL This photo made me think of Christmas with the bright colors. The yellow objects on the top looked like holiday bows. The silver and green areas reminded me of ornaments. Possible thought of Santa's sled using it as a super charger to really make it around the world in one night.	Untitled Photo by Lauri Novak, Elgin, IL Looking through two areas of plastic room partitions, black and white
Untitled Photo by Joseph Paleczny, Plainfield, IL A macro photo of a chip on display in the Quantum Garage at SQMS	Margins of control Photo by Banibrato Sinha, Evanston, IL A wall of modules blinks in quiet rhythm - an unseen orchestra of control and feedback. Each LED, each socketed card, plays a role in orchestrating the motion of beams and cryogenics beyond this frame. Handwritten tags dangle like passing thoughts - temporary notations in a system built for permanence.	SSR1 Photo by Krsto Sitar, Lombard, IL Single Spoke Resonator 1 in Ferrari Red One of the winners of the 2025 Fermilab Photowalk
QUANTUM COMPUTING Photo by Perry Slade, Aurora, IL Black and white image of the unsheathe quantum computer apparatus, photograph taken 07.26.2025 during the Fermilab Photowalk, 1/90 sec / f4.8 / iso 800 / 20mm One of the winners of the 2025 Fermilab Photowalk	Entanglement Photo by Carolyn Topper, Hammond, IN This image is of a cryostat open for repair in the SQMS Quantum Garage. It is a cosmology of shapes, color, and movement. The delineation between the various metal plates is not always clear, drifting in and out of focus and playing with the eye's movement through sequence and space. Laced throughout the image are cables which wind through the plates, flitting in and out of view towards their origin. The motion of the eye mimics the hands of the technician who is working on the repair by systematically tracing the cables through a complex web of components, serving as an apt metaphor for the practice of science. The image as a whole at first appears overwhelmingly chaotic, but through careful attention it can be pieced apart to understand its true nature.	It takes 4 to focus Photo by Vassilis Triantis, Amsterdam, Netherlands Quadruple Magnet that is used to accelerate protons that will eventually get thrown onto different targets in high speeds to create a neutrino beam; such magnets will be creating a focused photon beam for the PIP-II accelerator of the DUNE experiment. Shot on medium format Kodak Portra 800 film and scanned