Of the five electric guitars owned by experimental quantum physicist David Reilly, he likes this one the best. The mustard-yellow Fender Telecaster has two pickups, a maple fretboard and country-rock twang. When he's not in the laboratory pondering the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, he likes to lay down tracks on his axe at home, alone. "It's a fantastic way of switching off."

Electric guitar and quantum science are surprisingly similar, he says. To start with, neither pursuit presents an inherently stable career path. "There are many scientists I know who drive taxis because it's not easy to get a job, like musicians," he says.

Rock star scientist: Professor of quantum physics David Reilly checks the sound in the City Recital Hall. Credit:James Brickwood

Professor Reilly directs the quantum nanoscience laboratory at the University of Sydney and spends time cogitating "spooky" questions, such as: "What does the world look like when I am not observing it?" and "What is the '80s sound?" He's into John Mayer and quantum entanglement. Steely Dan and cryogenic electronics.

Music and quantum physics are quite alike mathematically, he says. "The physics of sound and the construction of tonal systems, such as the way in which a guitar is laid out, captures a lot of the essence of what quantum physics is," he says. "Quantum physics tells us the world is made up of vibrations or waves, just like the waves when you pluck a guitar string."