LIGHT a Multifaceted Phenomenon

​​The MPL celebrates the International Day of Light ​

The International Day of Light will be held again this year on 16 May. For this reason, we want to celebrate light and its various talents with an illuminating program for all science enthusiasts, light fans, employees, colleagues and friends.

Time: Our talks start at 11:00 a.m.
Location: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstrasse 2, 91058 Erlangen

Leonhard Möckl:
Synesthesia – When sound and colour interact

Synaesthesia refers to a perceptual phenomenon in which a person experiences a second sensory impression during a stimulus (such as hearing a sound while seeing a color). It is a fascinating phenomenon in many respects, especially from the point of view of epistemology and neuroscience. This talk will give a brief introduction to theories of synaesthesia and will focus on its relevance to art – a considerable number of musicians and visual artists were/are synaesthetes.

Hanieh Fattahi:
Solar lasers – highly energetic and sustainably produced

The sun is projected to last for another 4–5 billion years. Our planet receives more energy from the Sun in one hour than all humankind's energy consumption in a year. This positions solar energy as arguably the most substantial and harnessable renewable energy resource available to us, making it a recommended long-term energy alternative solution. Nonetheless, its contribution to our energy needs remains surprisingly minimal. This talk is devoted to a brief overview of the current research at MPL in harvesting the solar light.”