MPI for the Science of Light

2 fundamental questions in #QuantumScience. 2 panel discussions. 1 #Symposium.

To mark the 75th (+1) birthday of MPL's founding director Gerd Leuchs, leading researchers will gather in June to explore current frontiers in quantum sciences, technologies, & modern #optics.

There will be two panel discussions:

⚛️ How far do we understand the quantum mechanical measurement process?

⚛️ The mode definition of quantum states and its information content

Register here 👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/events/event/symposium-celebrating-the-75th-birthday-of-professor-gerd-leuchs

🎥 MPL

A Network for Artificial Intelligence: ELLIS Unit Franconia established – a collaboration between @FAU@mastodon.social, the University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN) and Universität Würzburg (JMU). The Unit is part of ELLIS, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, founded in 2018 to keep Europe at the AI forefront.

🎉 Congrats to Unit Directors Prof @FMarquardtGroup@fediscience.org, Prof Radu Timofte and Prof Wolfram Burgard!

More 👉 https://ellis.eu/news/seven-new-units-join-the-ellis-network-czechia-denmark-franconia-grenoble-nrw-slovenia-sweden

#research #science #ai #physics

Save the date for the next event in our Distinguished Lecturer Series #DLS 📅 ✍️
 
👤 Klaus Ensslin, Professor of #Physics at ETH Zürich
▶️ Bilayer graphene: rich in physics and good for devices
🕒 Thursday, May 21, at 2 pm CET
📍 Leuchs-Russell Auditorium at MPL, Staudtstraße 2, Erlangen
👉 Zoom access: https://eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/61245265377?pwd=xD5pyjvV6B80H2siVXoptd6juhH0Ez.1
Meeting-ID: 612 4526 5377
Kenncode: 431516
 
#talk #quantum #science #quantumscience

HAPPY DAY OF LIGHT!

The @unesco@mastodon.social #InternationalDayOfLight is celebrated every year on May 16, the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960.

The basic #research conducted by our scientists at MPL focuses on the interaction between light and matter, with the use and study of #laser #light playing a particularly important role.

Do you want to see what inpires us?

🎥 MPL & Tanya Chekhova
🔊 pixabay

#lightday2026 #PowerofLight #science

Technology Development and Service Unit “Micro- and Nanostructuring” & #Research Group Maria Chekhova “Quantum Radiation”

This metasurface, designed as a source of entangled photons, features T-shaped silicon nitride nanoresonators generating quasi-BIC resonance. This enhances the vacuum field and thus boosts spontaneous four-wave mixing.

👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/research-at-mpl/independent-research-groups/chekhova-research-group & https://mpl.mpg.de/research-at-mpl/technology-development-service-units/tdsu-micro-nanostructuring

👤 C. Son, K. Ludwig, I. Harder
📸 E. Butzen

#Science #QuantumPhotonics #Nanophotonics #QuantumTechnology

#MayThe4thBeWithYou – Happy #StarWarsDay!

While lightsabers remain firmly rooted in the realm of science fiction, MPL’s scientists are researching light and its interaction with matter. In this context, light serves as both a tool and a subject of #research. Our basic research ranges from individual photons over application and development of super-resolution microscopes to experiments involving high-intensity #laser pulses.

May the (laser) force be with you!

📸 MPL

#Photonics #QuantumOptics

Single-photon sources, which emit exactly one photon, are an indispensable tool in modern quantum technology—both for the transmission of quantum information and for optical quantum computers. In an article published in Applied Physics Reviews, Prof. Stephan Götzinger and Dr. Alexey Shkarin, both research group leaders at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, provide a comprehensive overview of molecular #quantum emitters and the underlying photophysics.

📄 https://pubs.aip.org/aip/apr/article/13/2/021312/3387395/Organic-molecules-as-single-photon-sources

The Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung has awarded its annual publication prizes – among the laureates is Prof. Leonhard Möckl, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. He is honored for his publication "Ångström-resolution imaging of cell-surface glycans", which appeared in Nature Nanotechnology in 2025.
📄 Publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-01966-5

 👉Research group: https://mpl.mpg.de/research-at-mpl/independent-research-groups/moeckl
📸 Stephan Spangenberg
#research #biophysics #super-resolution #glycobiology
 

Don’t miss out on this #talk part of our Lectures on Physics and #Medicine series #LPM at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM)! 📅 ✍️
 
Andreas Bausch, professor of Cellular #Biophysics at @tu_muenchen@wisskomm.social, will give his fascinating lecture “Structure Formation in Organoid Systems” on April 30, 2026 at 2 pm CET.
 
▶️ Structure Formation in Organoid Systems
🕒 Thursday, April 30 at 2 pm CET
📍 Seminar Room 0.125 at MPZPM, Kussmaulallee 2, Erlangen
 
#Science #Research

Light, Lasers & Quanta – A Birthday Symposium for Gerd Leuchs

To mark the 75th (+1) birthday of Gerd Leuchs – founding director of MPL – leading researchers from around the world will gather on June 25–26 to explore current frontiers in #QuantumScience, technologies, and modern #Optics.

Gerd Leuchs has shaped the science of light through decades of #research and collaboration. This #symposium both his remarkable career and the community he helped build.

📸 MPL

👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/events/event/symposium-celebrating-the-75th-birthday-of-professor-gerd-leuchs

#Malaria remains one of the most devastating #InfectiousDiseases worldwide with over 610,000 deaths in 2024. Today's #WorldMalariaDay is held to raise a#MalariaAwareness.
At the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Dr. ViolaIntroini, leader of Introini Lab - Vascular Infection Research, approaches malaria from a unique perspective: she and her team study the biophysical mechanisms that shape disease progression.
More 👉 https://mpzpm.mpg.de/research/viola-introini
 
#MalariaBiophysics
#WorldHealthOrganization

That was #GirlsDay2026 at our two locations

Yesterday, at MPL and MPZPM, we saw what happens when young curiosity meets research. A total of around 30 girls visited us as part of #GirlsDay to try their hand at being scientists for a day.

The personal conversations will likely be especially memorable: our female researchers and the equal opportunities officer spoke openly about how they found their way into #science. Thank you to everyone who made this day so special!

👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/news/article/explore-marvel-understand-highlights-from-girls-day-2026-at-the-mpl-and-mpzpm

🎂 Happy Birthday, Max Planck! 🎂
 
168 years ago, #MaxPlanck was born. He is the namesake of the @maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social, to which our MPL and MPZPM belong.
 
Awarded the Nobel Prize in #Physics in 1918 for his discovery of energy quanta, he fundamentally changed how we understand the nature of light and matter. Inspired by his legacy of curiosity and discovery, we carry his name and spirit forward. With that in mind, we wish him a very happy birthday!
 
#Science #Research #QuantumScience

#GirlsDay 2026 at MPL and MPZPM – experience science up close!

With our participation we want to get more girls excited about #science. We show them that #physics, #technology and #research offer diverse and thrilling career opportunities.

They get the opportunity to step into the role of scientist, engineer and lab technician for a day. MPL and MPZPM open their doors on April 23 – offering hands-on experiments, lab tours and real insights into cutting-edge research.

👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/de/news/artikel/wissenschaft-hautnah-erleben-girlsday-2026-am-mpl-und-mpzpm

Don’t miss out on this #talk part of our Lectures on #Physics and #Medicine series #LPM at MPZPM! 📅 ✍️
 
👤 Dagmar Iber, associate professor at ETH Zurich
▶️ Mechanics across scales: how physical forces shape epithelial form in development and disease
🕒 Wednesday, April 22 at 3 pm CET
📍 Seminar Room 0.125 at MPZPM, Kussmaulallee 2, Erlangen
👉 Zoom: https://eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/63437134467?pwd=WFLcOIHxGdwvDj3btcWtSRuGiq69ro.1
Meeting-ID: 634 3713 4467
Kenncode: 737354

#science

Save the date for the next event in our Distinguished Lecturer Series #DLS 📅 ✍️

👤 Prof. Scott A. Diddams, University of Colorado Boulder
▶️ Squeezing and #Quantum Metrology with Optical Frequency Combs
🕒 Thursday, April 16, at 2 pm CET
📍 Leuchs-Russell Auditorium at MPL, Staudtstraße 2, Erlangen
👉 Zoom access: https://eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/61905632263?pwd=UTaAc2pFW307E79oqzW3OWVN67lRb4.1
Meeting-ID: 619 0563 2263
Kenncode: 885456
 
#science #quantumscience #talk

MPL celebrates today's World Quantum Day
At MPL, ~300 scientists from 50+ countries explore the interaction between light and matter – including the science of #quantumoptics and #quantumtechnologies
This year, we have extra reason to celebrate: our founding director, Prof. Gerd Leuchs, is celebrating his 75th (+1) birthday! We honor his extraordinary contributions with an international symposium on June 25–26
Register here 👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/events/event/symposium-celebrating-the-75th-birthday-of-professor-gerd-leuchs
#QuantumScience #Research

#Research Group Birgit Stiller “#Quantum Optoacoustics”
 
Light and sound can interact in optical fibers, enabling applications ranging from photonic machine learning to #QuantumTechnologies.
A prerequisite for interactions in the quantum regime is the so-called strong coupling regime. MPL scientists have predicted and measured it in an optical fiber. This paves the way for in-line quantum signal processing.
 
👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/research-at-mpl/independent-research-groups/quantum-optoacoustics
 
📸 Laura Blázquez Martínez
 
#science #photonics

Meet Dr. Michael Frosz & Susanne Viezens – making #science visible and advancing it

Michael heads the TDSU “Fibre Fabrication & Glass Studio” and aims to better understand the “mystery of light”.

Susanne is a graphic designer. Apart from #design, she photographs researchers at work and translates complex content into visual language.

They are connected by the joy of understanding things and creating something new together with others.
 
👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/research-at-mpl/tdsu-fibre-fabrication-glass-studio
 
📸 MPL, M. Rinke
 
#photonics

Making Quantum Research Visible: MPL as a “#Quantum Hub”

To mark the #IYQ2025, the @DPGPhysik@wisskomm.social has invited institutions dedicated to #quantumphysics to register as “quantum hubs” to highlight its dynamism and diversity.

Our research also addresses central questions in #quantum science and technology. We frequently work in an interdisciplinary manner, for example at the interfaces of optics, nanophysics, and information processing.

#Quantum2025

Scientists involving the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light are investigating changes in field oscillations that occur when light interacts with indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals. This enables a better understanding of the time dependence of the characteristic interaction between light and the nanocrystals.

More 👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/news/article/new-insights-into-optical-switching-processes-through-extremely-rapid-light-matter-interactions

#science #research #optics #physics

International experts evaluate research at MPL

We had the honor of welcoming members of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). They reviewed our #research activities, discussed ongoing projects, and provided feedback on future research directions. Evaluations are an important part of how the @maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social ensures the quality and development of its research.

Thank you to our SAB members for their time, insights, and the exchange!

👉 https://mpl.mpg.de/news/article/international-experts-evaluate-research-at-mpl
 
#Science #Evaluation

Diversity makes us strong – women as role models at MPL and MPZPM!

On #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026, we honor the women who shape our institutions. Around 36% of our staff are women. This female power is represented in many areas. Numerous management positions, both in our research groups and in the infrastructure departments, are held by women.

The @maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social promotes female scientists in their careers. Several programs support them in achieving leadership positions.

📸 MPL

Save the date for the next event in our Distinguished Lecturer Series #DLS! 📅 ✍️

👤 Keren Bergman, Charles Batchelor Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University
▶️ Scaling Energy-Efficient #AI Systems Performance with Photonic Connectivity
🕒 March 6, at 11 am CET
📍 Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstraße 2, Erlangen
👉 Zoom access: https://eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/61775060598?pwd=pDuCes1BRcNhQ4bZbofgbCERx1lFaF.1
Meeting-ID: 617 7506 0598
Kenncode: 703028

#Talk

Don’t miss out on this #talk part of our Lectures on #Physics and #Medicine series #LPM at MPZPM! 📅 ✍️

👤 Prof. Joachim Spatz, director at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
▶️ Matter to Life: Bottom-Up Assembly of Synthetic Cells
🕒 Thursday, March 5 at 3 pm CET
📍 Seminar Room 0.125 at MPZPM, Kussmaulallee 2, Erlangen
👉 Zoom: https://eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/64228364093?pwd=ZpEjavWqnUTHCa42JGkZUaSpeMyUB2.1
Meeting-ID: 642 2836 4093
Kenncode: 112406