Arghavan Safavi-Naini

A hundred violinists in an orchestra all play from the same score. As long as the conductor keeps a steady tempo, the music sounds predictable. But once the players begin to hear one another, each adds their own tiny inaccuracies, and within a few bars the coordinated melody gives way to an improvisation no one could have foreseen.

In an orchestra, one musician plays so quietly that their sound is almost inaudible in the overall chorus. In the quantum world, such 'quiet' states are called dark: their energy barely escapes, like light in a darkened room. But if there are many musicians, their mutual influence can unexpectedly awaken even the most silent one.