Research for quantum computers

Prof. Dr. Dieter Meschede from the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Bonn has been studying questions of atomic, molecular and quantum physics for over three decades. The many achievements of his working group include the “conveyor belt made of light,” which uses laser beams to move and sort individual atoms. The aim is to be able to use atoms to perform calculations inside a quantum computer. The senior professor, who has written two textbooks, secured a much-sought-after Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2011 and is one of the founding members of the Cluster of Excellence ML4Q since 2019. He was President of the German Physical Society from 2018 to 2020 and currently is a member of the Matter Transdisciplinary Research Area at the University of Bonn.

About the academy

The North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts was established in 1970 and has been the sole academy in Germany to incorporate the arts alongside the sciences since 2008. It only accepts the very best researchers and artists among its members, who engage in scientific and academic dialogue with one another and exchange ideas and opinions with research and cultural institutions in Germany and further afield. Only figures who “have distinguished themselves through scientific or artistic achievements,” in the words of its articles of association, are eligible for election. The academy currently has around 270 full and almost 140 corresponding members.

[Based on the press release of the University of Bonn]