21 September 2021

Podcast Episode: Shaping the Future with Quantum

Monika Aidelsburger Featured on the Podcast of Bavarian Science Minister Bernd Sibler

Quantum phenomena are effects in quantum physics that cannot be explained by theories of classical physics. Most quantum phenomena show up only under special conditions and when measured with high accuracy. What is special about quantum physics is that it is possible to inscribe not only the number zero or one in a single atom, but both simultaneously. This opens up completely new possibilities for science in the field of quantum computers, among other things.

Monika Aidelsburger is a quantum physicist who researches these very phenomena. She studied physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and worked part-time at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. The 33-year-old has been Professor of Artificial Quantum Matter at the Faculty of Physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) since 2019, making her the university's youngest professor. At LMU, she leads four different research groups. In 2018, she won one of the prestigious ERC grants for the development of her research and most recently received the Alfried Krupp Förderpreis, one of the most highly endowed awards in the German scientific scene.

At the moment, Aidelsburger is working on the development of a new platform that will extend quantum simulation with ultracold atoms to phenomena from the fields of quantum electrodynamics and particle physics.

In a conversation with Science Minister Bernd Sibler, Monika Aidelsburger takes us into the fascinating world of quanta and the new possibilities that her research can open up for the world.

About the Podcast

As a society within Bavaria, Germany and Europe, we are confronted with numerous challenges such as digitalization, global warming and also the risk of pandemics. These can only be met successfully if the necessary prerequisites in science and research are created. Excellent basic research is therefore crucial and represents the indispensable basis for necessary innovations. The Bavarian Minister of Science, Bernd Sibler, together with experts will present the latest findings from science and research in Bavaria.