Around 12 million euros for research: Top research achievements at RPTU in quantum physics confirmed

The University Kaiserslautern-Landau will conduct cutting-edge research for another four years as part of the "OSCAR" Transregio program. As part of the OPTIMAS state research center, this collaborative research center is working on a toolbox that makes open quantum systems usable. On Friday, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that this program will be extended once again and that research funds amounting to several million euros will be made available to RPTU.

The OSCAR research team is breaking with a widespread paradigm in physics: quantum effects, which can lead to completely new properties, do not only occur when microscopic systems are isolated from their environment as much as possible. Rather, they can also be generated and stabilized when the systems are coupled to reservoirs, i.e. "open". OSCAR's novel concept for controlling quantum systems thus represents a fundamentally new approach to quantum technologies.

"In recent years, we have been working on tools for quantum technologies that enable open quantum systems to be used reliably and reproducibly in research and development. In the coming funding period, we will be tackling more complex challenges. We are continuing our basic research, but we want to point the way towards possible applications," explains physics professor Michael Fleischhauer, spokesperson of the Transregional Collaborative Research Center at RPTU.

The research team focuses on application areas such as energy and information transport and nanomachines that could serve as catalysts for more efficient data processing and storage. OSCAR combines the research expertise of the RPTU, which leads the program, and the University of Bonn.

Professor Dr. Werner R. Thiel, Vice President for Research at RPTU in Kaiserslautern, is delighted with this confirmation of the excellent research achievements in quantum physics: "I would like to congratulate our participating scientists on this success, which is the result of many years of pioneering work".

Questions answered:
Prof. Dr. Michael Fleischhauer
field of study: quantum optics / RPTU in Kaiserslautern
T: 0631 205-3206
E: mfleisch(at)rptu.de