On 21 April 2023, QuantumBW — a major innovation initiative for quantum technologies of the state of Baden-Württemberg — has been launched in the Centre for Applied Quantum Technology at the University of Stuttgart by Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, Minister of Science Petra Olschowski and Minister of Economics Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, together with partners from science and industry, many of them members of or associated with IQST. QuantumBW will bundle activities and initiatives, with the aim of further strengthening existing activities and clusters, and increasing their international visibility even more.
IQST is delighted to be an integral part of this exciting initiative. We will actively support, drive and help to shape the mission of QuantumBW. This includes in particular enabling close collaboration between industry and academia with flexible access to research infrastructure, and the continued build-up of a quantum ecosystem in the state of Baden-Württemberg, so that academic institutions, global industrial players and start-ups can join forces efficiently.
The QuantumBW office, which coordinates the activities of the innovation initiative and serves as the first point of contact, is managed by IQST, together with the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) and for Industrial Engineering (IAO), and is jointly funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministries of Science, Research and the Arts and Economics, Labour and Tourism.
Photos: University of Stuttgart / Uli Regenscheit
Doctoral students from the IQST community will meet from 14 to 16 June 2023 for their annual IQST PhD Retreat at the Reisensburg Castle Science Centre, located on an idyllic hill near Günzburg. The programme includes science lectures, an industry talk, PhD tutorials, soft-skill training and poster sessions — together with plenty of opportunity for exchange and networking.
It is our great pleasure to welcome Dr. Aparajita Singha (Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany), Prof. Dr. Anke Krüger (Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart) and Dr. Tim Langen (5th Institute of Physics, University of Stuttgart) as new IQST fellows of the IQST.
The research of Aparajita Singha is dedicated to advanced imaging techniques, with a particular focus on magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond. With her group she addresses intriguing questions in the field of nano-scale magnetism, quantum control, and nano-scale transport phenomena.
The research of Anke Krüger is focused on nanocarbon materials. Her group produces and characterizes new carbonaceous materials and works on their controlled surface modification for a wide range of applications.
The group of Tim Langen uses ultracold atoms and molecules for applications in quantum simulation and precision measurements. His interest includes in particular exotic new states of matter, such as supersolids, which display both superfluid and crystalline properties at the same time.
We look forward to continued fruitful interactions with our newest fellows and their groups.
Congratulations to IQST Early Career Researcher Tim Langen from the University of Stuttgart, who has been awarded a prestigious Proof of Concept (PoC) grant by the European Research Council (ERC) for his research project MiniAtomQ.
For Langen, the PoC grant will enable the exploration of miniaturized devices for single-atom quantum technologies. The scientific and technological basis for this work is laid in Langen’s ERC Starting project NEWMAT, in which he and his team work establish a new experimental platform to study the properties of supersolids.
Langen is one 90 grantees of the final ERC PoC funding round of 2022. Only holders of ERC main grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy) are eligible to compete for PoC grants, which provide a lump sum of 150.000 Euro to help researchers to bridge the gap between the discoveries stemming from their frontier research and the practical application of the findings.
Today, the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and Minister of Science Petra Olschowski visited the University of Stuttgart. During their two-hour tour, they were presented various highlights in quantum research and aero-space engineering.
IQST researchers guided through the parts concerning quantum science and technology. Director Prof. Stefanie Barz, Fellows Prof. Jens Anders and Prof. Hans Peter Büchler, and Early Career Researcher Dr. Florian Meinert provided a broad overview of the activities — from basic research to the development of new innovative technology, such as quantum processors based on photonic chips and quantum sensors.
Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rector of the University of Stuttgart praised the role of support from the state, mentioning also IQST: “We conduct excellent socially relevant research […]. We are glad that the state of Baden-Württemberg supports this, for example through the Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology IQST.“
Today, the IQST Day 2023 took place at Ulm University. Following two years of confinement to mostly online meetings, the IQST community visibly enjoyed this in-person event with plenty of opportunity for personal interaction and exchange.
The format was not the only novelty. Since May 2022, we have a new executive board, presided over by Stefanie Barz (University of Stuttgart) and Fedor Jelezko (Ulm University). Building on the outstanding foundation laid since 2014, the IQST ventures now into its second decade. For that continued journey it presents itself in a fully updated appearance, with a fresh new logo, a redesigned website, and new merchandise.
Unchanged, however remains the passion and dedication to ‘everything quantum’. This was on full display in the various talks, covering a tremendous spectrum, as well as during the vibrant poster session and at the networking with beer and bretzel.
