GSI/FAIR is a quantum location! — International year celebrates quantum science and technology
19.09.2025 |
In the anniversary year Quantum2025, the German Physical Society (DPG) has honored GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt as one of the new quantum locations. This gives GSI/FAIR, one of the leading research sites for particle and accelerator physics, official recognition in the field of quantum science and technology.
The GSI/FAIR directors Professor Thomas Nilsson, Scientific Managing Director, Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, Administrative Managing Director, and Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director, celebrated the mounting of the quantum location plaque which can now be found next to the entrance to the lecture hall. It reminds visitors of the work that GSI/FAIR is doing in the field of quantum research.
At GSI/FAIR, quantum science plays a central role in many ways. The experiments explore the fundamental building blocks of matter — from quarks and gluons to exotic atomic nuclei. Central questions include: Under what conditions do particle systems dissolve? And which quantum states emerge in extremely dense and hot matter, such as that found inside neutron stars? The research spans quantum chromodynamics, which describes the strong interaction, to high-precision tests of quantum electrodynamics with highly charged ions, and even the search for new quantum phases of matter.
To name just one example, the Department of Atomic, Quantum, and Fundamental Physics conducts experiments on hydrogen-like atoms — atoms with only one shell electron — which are being used to test quantum electrodynamics, the most accurate physical theory ever developed, at the highest nuclear charge numbers. Furthermore, with modern facilities such as HITRAP, heavy ions can be slowed down and stored in traps, where they can be precisely measured using new quantum technology.
Thus, quantum physics is not only the theoretical foundation but also the experimental playground: with antiprotons, heavy ions, and cutting-edge measurement techniques, FAIR opens windows into previously unexplored realms of the quantum world. In doing so, the research center contributes to a deeper understanding of the universe’s foundations while also driving advances in fields such as quantum computing and the simulation of complex many-body systems.
To mark the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics, the UN has declared 2025 the “International Year of Quantum Science and Technology” to raise public awareness of the importance and impact of quantum science and its applications in all areas of life. More than 57 countries worldwide are celebrating quantum physics. In Germany, the German Physical Society (DPG) is taking the lead and implementing the quantum year under the motto “Quantum2025 — 100 years are just the beginning...”. (AD)
