The illustration was created for the September 2016 issue of Nature Photonics. The cover image needed to present single-atom imaging through a custom lens array as a clear optical object rather than a dense apparatus view.

The final image combines a researcher-provided photograph of the ion trap with lenses modeled in 3D and composited into the scene. I color-edited the full image into a blue, pink, and purple palette so the cover would feel coherent rather than like separate source materials.

The composition emphasizes the stacked lenses, the small bright atom, and the optical paths through the device. The image keeps the setup centered and graphic so it reads quickly as a journal cover.