The world is made up of quanta, the smallest building blocks of light and energy, which are subject to their own physical laws and principles. Whether solar cells, computer chips, broadband internet or imaging processes such as magnetic resonance imaging - such modern technologies would be unthinkable without quantum mechanics. First formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1925, the German physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932 for establishing quantum mechanics.
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.
Such as a groundbreaking development from the TU Ilmenau: the Planck balance. Since 2019, the international definition of the kilogram is no longer based on a physical original kilogram, but on Planck’s quantum of action - a fundamental quantity of quantum mechanics. At the Institute of Process Measurement and Sensor Technology at TU Ilmenau - an international leader in force measurement and weighing technology and nanometer-precise laser measurement technology - scientists led by Prof. Thomas Fröhlich, together with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, developed the world’s first industrial-grade scale for the "new kilogram". It can now be used to carry out mass measurements with unprecedented accuracy. In his lecture at the start of the new "Quantum in Ilmenau" series, Prof. Thomas Fröhlich, Head of the Institute of Process Measurement and Sensor Technology, provides insights into the development of the Planck balance and explains how it works.
Lecture series "Quantum in Ilmenau":
TU Ilmenau, Faradaybau (new building), Faradayhörsaal (access and parking lot from Prof.-Schmidt-Straße)- 29.04.2025 - Prof. Thomas Fröhlich: "Small forces - big effect: realization of the new kilogram definition with the Planck balance"
- 06.05.2025 - Prof. Hannes Töpfer: "Energy-efficient microelectronics with superconductors"
- 27.05.2025 - Prof. Jörg Kröger: Topic "Matter waves"
- 10.06.2025 - Prof. Thomas Hannappel: Topic "Solar energy"
- 24.06.2025 - Prof. Siegfried Stapf: Topic "Nuclear magnetic resonance"
- 08.07.2025 - Prof. Stefan Krischok: Topic "Photoelectric effect"
Admission to all’events is free
Dr. Wichard Beenken
Chairman of the Friends and Sponsors of Natural Sciences in Ilmenau e. V.
+49 3677 69-3258
wichard.beenken@tu-ilmenau.de
