Pioneering in Quantum Optics

The MPQ is one of the world’s leading institutes in quantum optics. As part of the Max Planck Society, we provide our researchers with a unique infrastructure: state-of-the-art laboratories with first-class equipment, custom-made products from our in-house precision mechanical workshop, and an outstanding technical and administrative support.Excellent support that pays off - MPQ scientists publish around 200 papers a year, many of them in top-tier journals such as Nature and Science.

Our task to train and teach

We are committed to training the next generation of scientists. We give our PhD students and postdocs the best possible support, so that many doors are open to them in academia and industry after their time at the MPQ. We also strive to inspire and engage the general public in quantum optics, starting with the very young, who can conduct quantum physics experiments in the PhotonLab, our student laboratory at MPQ. For everyone else, we regularly organise public events with popular science talks and laboratory tours. 

smart, diverse and likeable

The MPQ owes its leading position to its staff. We are fortunate to be able to attract the best researchers from around the world. More than 40 nations are currently represented at the MPQ. But it is not just skills that count for us, it is also character. Treating each other with respect is just as important to us as making sure the people who work here feel comfortable. That is why we are creating more and more opportunities to get to know people outside the lab and the workplace.

Gates to uncharted territory

Quantum physics is the great scientific revelation of the 20th century. Through it, we observe phenomena that often defy our intuition and completely turn our understanding of nature upside down. In short, phenomena that push us to the limits of our knowledge. With our fundamental research at the MPQ, we are gradually opening the gates to a new physics that has the potential to change our world, our knowledge and our technologies forever. Five research areas are currently established at the MPQ.

An excellent environment

The MPQ is part of the Garching research campus, one of the strongest scientific regions in Germany. Garching is located in close proximity to the cultural city of Munich, the Bavarian countryside and the Alps. Our environment is also scientifically excellent: we maintain close links with the elite universities located here, LMU and TU Munich, and internationally with top institutions such as Harvard, MIT and Stanford. We are also host to leading scientists from all over the world, who visit us as guests and speakers on a daily basis.

The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony 2023 in Stockholm

What a special moment for our dear Ferenc Krausz! On Sunday 10 December, he, Anne L'Huillier (Lund University) and Pierre Agostini (Ohio State University) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the foundation of attosecond physics. Here, the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustav, presents the Nobel Medal to Ferenc Krausz in Stockholm.