News from the Institute

MPQ PhotonLab has become a partner of the newly established European Quantum Academy (EQA), a project within the European Union’s Quantum Flagship initiative. The EQA aims to coordinate quantum education across Europe, foster the next generation of scientific, technological, and industrial talent, and strengthen Europe’s role as a global hub for quantum technologies. PhotonLab will contribute innovative learning concepts, train-the-trainer programs, and selected outreach activities. more

Last week, new film and photo material featuring the historic Attochamber was produced at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. Using this experimental setup, Ferenc Krausz and his team generated attosecond light pulses for the first time in 2001, laying the foundation for modern attosecond physics. For this groundbreaking achievement, Krausz was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Anne L’Huillier and Pierre Agostini. more

At the 2026 Girls’ Day at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), 16 female students gained first-hand insights into research and everyday scientific work. Together with its student laboratory PhotonLab, the institute has been participating in the nationwide initiative for around 15 years, introducing girls and young women to fields in which they remain underrepresented.The participants took part in a diverse program, with hands-on activities at the heart of it. more

Team IXI, coached by PhotonLab at MPQ, took second place at the German Young Physicists’ Tournament (GYPT). Team member Nikita Petrov also won the first-ever Otmar Winkler Prize for the best discussion. The three students from Dachau, assigned to the MPQ regional round, may now be selected for the five-member national team to represent Germany at the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) or the European AYPT. more

MPQ Director Ignacio Cirac has been awarded the IMPRS-MCQST Supervision Award 2025. The IMPRS-MCQST community honours him for his outstanding dedication to mentoring PhD students and postdocs. Johannes Knolle, Professor at TU Munich, is recognised alongside Cirac. The award underlines the importance of excellent supervision for successful research careers and an inclusive academic environment. more