To mark the centenary of quantum mechanics, the TU Ilmenau is inviting all’interested parties to the lecture "Matter waves - from ’old’ quantum mechanics to modern quantum simulations" on Tuesday, May 27, at 5:15 pm as part of the "Quantum in Ilmenau" lecture series. In his lecture, Professor Jörg Kröger from TU Ilmenau, winner of the Thuringia Research Prize 2023, will describe how high-performance scanning tunneling microscopes enable the experimental simulation of quantum properties today. The generally understandable lecture will take place in the lecture hall of the Faradaybau at TU Ilmenau, Weimarer Straße 32, admission is free.
The world consists of quanta, the smallest building blocks of light and energy, which are subject to their own physical laws and principles. Modern technologies such as solar cells or computer chips would not be possible without quantum mechanics, first formulated in 1925 by German Nobel Prize winner Werner Heisenberg.
In his lecture on May 27, Professor Jörg Kröger, Head of Group of Surface Physics at TU Ilmenau, will present the hypothesis of French Nobel Prize winner in Physics Louis de Broglies on the wave character of matter. Professor Kröger, who was himself awarded the Thuringian Research Prize in the basic research category in 2023 for his research work on the quantum physics of matter, then described how de Broglies waves from electrons in solids are now imaged using state-of-the-art scanning probe methods, above all the scanning tunneling microscope. Tiny artificial structures consisting of individual atoms on surfaces allow researchers to control the matter wave and open up experimental simulations of quantum properties, for example.
Scientists from TU Ilmenau will be presenting current research and fascinating applications from the world of quantum physics in six lectures until July. The lecture series "Quantum in Ilmenau" organized by the TU Ilmenau and the Association of Friends and Sponsors of Natural Sciences in Ilmenau is one of the numerous worldwide activities in the United Nations’ "International Year of Quantum Science and Quantum Technologies". The aim of the Year of the Quantum is to make the findings of quantum physics and their profound impact on our lives more visible - not only to experts, but also to the general public. After all, what began as an abstract theory 100 years ago is now the foundation of numerous technologies and applications that have a lasting impact on our economy and our everyday lives.
