Ring Orbitals by Florian Loder were calculated and visualizied in the framework of his PHD thesis.

About:

[These] images each show the orbital of an electron in a square shaped metallic loop. The edge of the square is 208 atoms long, the orbital thus extends over approx. 100nm. The images show different eigenstates of the Hamilton operator.

(h/t Alyson Swimm)

One Hundred Nanoseconds by Todd Johnson

About the piece:

These pieces are created with the help of a particle accelerator. The accelerator produces up to five million volts and is used to accelerate a beam of electrons. The electrons are fired at pieces of acrylic plastic and penetrate deep within the slabs, resulting in a pool of electrons trapped under tremendous electrical potential.

The trapped charge is then carefully released by applying mechanical shock with a sharp insulated tool, and the electrons escape with a bright flash and loud pop. As the charges leave the plastic, they gather into channels following fractal branching rules just like river deltas, plants, and capillaries.

Controlling the energy and placement of the beam determines the final shape and character of the resulting figure.

Eric J. Heller aims to make the unseen world of quantum physics visible through his art.

Heller on his work:

My digital abstract art is inspired by a world we cannot directly see; the quantum realm of electrons, atoms, and molecules. The strange, often chaotic quantum domain yields forms, which I use as a medium, creating images which convey the mystery of quantum physics.

His philosophy on a new medium:

When a water colorist puts a wet brush to paper, physics rules the result: wetting and fluid flow on paper, scattering and absorption of light by pigment on fibers, evaporation and drying hold sway. These physical phenomena mimic other aspects of the natural world and with experience can be harnessed to wonderful effect. Similar statements hold for pastels, egg tempera, oils, photographs, etc. To date, digital painting tools have tried to emulate traditional media and effects.

Digital artists need no longer emulate traditional media only! The computer allows us to create new media, with new rules, more naturally suited to the new tool. But such rules are best when they too follow physical phenomena, instead of arbitrary mathematical constructs. I have learned to paint with electrons moving over a potential landscape, quantum waves trapped between walls, chaotic dynamics, and with colliding molecules. Nature often mimics herself, and so these new media, exposing the beauty and mystery of the atomic world, yield a variety of effects that recall familiar aspects of our macroscopic experience.

Find out more about his method and what each of these images represent here