(c) Volker Lannert / Uni Bonn

In A Tale of Three Papers, Julian reflects on three noteworthy scientific papers published in Science by the group of Martin Weitz at the University of Bonn within the last four years. Julian, back then group leader of the ERC junior research group “Quantum Fluids of Light” and last author of the third paper in this series, offers us insights into the ongoing evolution of research in the complex domain of quantum optics and photon Bose-Einstein condensates.

This interview is a contribution to ML4Q Stories, a blog where researchers from the ML4Q cluster share their experiences, challenges, and perspectives on being a physicist—exploring their motivations, scientific debates, and the future of quantum science.

Julian was also guest on the Cluster’s podcast ML4Q&A. In the episode, Chris and Julian talk about Bose-Einstein condensates and the differences between the atomic and the photonic sort. They recap how Julian got into the atomic molecular and optical physics (AMO) research community where major breakthroughs often seem to be possible already with relatively small teams. They also chat about how optical quantum gases can shed new light on exciting open questions in physics, such as grand canonical condensates or the interplay between quantum physics and thermodynamics. Listen here to the full podcast episode