Science in the city center: Experiments and short lectures on Hugenottenplatz

Between 12:00 and 4:00 p.m., Hugenottenplatz in the heart of Erlangen will be transformed into a walk-in research laboratory. In a science tent, scientists from the MPL and the Museum of the Future will present interactive experiments on various topics:

• Dancing with Photons: Quantum Transitions in Action
• Smaller than a millionth of a millimetre – how can you make that visible?
• Single ion you can touch
• How much tea is in your iced tea? The photometer will tell you
• “Out of the box” – experience linearly polarized light
• Who’s who: telescope and microscope.

The hands-on program is complemented by compact Science-to-go lectures: In ten-minute short formats, researchers present current projects and applications from quantum science.

• 12:00 p.m. & 12:30 p.m. – Making the world a little more safer with quantum keys (Prof. Christoph Marquardt)
• 1:00 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. – Conquering artificial intelligence through quantum physics (Prof. Florian Marquardt)
• 2:00 & 2:30 p.m. – Light Storage on Chips and Optical Clocks (Dr. Pascal Del'Haye)
• 3:00 & 3:30 p.m. – Quantum of Sound – What sound has to do with quanta and neural networks (Prof. Birgit Stiller)

Researching the fundamentals for tomorrow’s knowledge: Evening event at the Max Planck Institute

The MPL will open its doors to the interested public at 5:00 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to attend scientific lectures and laboratory tours.

• 5:00 p.m. – 100 Years of Quantum Science (Prof. Florian Marquardt)
• 5:40 p.m. – Quantum Optoacoustics – How sound controls optical quantum and classical information (Prof. Birgit Stiller)
• 6:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. – Laboratory tours

The program will be accompanied by a film screening: The documentary film ›Tracing Light‹ was shot at the MPL, among other locations. In it, filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer explores one of the most impressive phenomena in nature – light.

Event locations and times

Part 1: Science in the City
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Hugenottenplatz, 91054 Erlangen
(In case of bad weather: Stadtbibliothek, Marktplatz 1, 91054 Erlangen)

Part 2: Science at the Institute
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Leuchs-Russell-Auditorium, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen

About International Day of Light:

International Day of Light is celebrated every year on May 16, the anniversary of the first successful use of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman. This day is a call to strengthen scientific cooperation and harness its potential for promoting peace and sustainable development. For more information visit: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/light.

About the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology:

The formulation of quantum mechanics in 1925 laid a lasting foundation for our physical understanding of nature. 100 years later, quantum mechanics is impacting all areas of our culture, science, technology, and art. The year 2025 has been declared the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the UN. More than 57 countries around the world will celebrate quantum physics. In Germany, the German Physical Society is taking the lead and implementing the Quantum Year under the motto “Quantum2025 – 100 years are just the beginning...”. All events can be found here: https://www.quantum2025.de/en/events.