idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
To mark the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Quantum2025, the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat has unveiled its exhibition "RETHINKING PHYSICS: A Century of Quantum Mechanics – Time for a Female Perspective!" at Würzburg University’s Martin von Wagner Museum. The exhibition showcases portraits of accomplished and aspiring female physicists, celebrating their passion for research and reminding us that women have always been part of quantum physics. It also presents these scientists as inspiring figures for young women who could one day shape the future of quantum science. Simultaneously opened in Dresden, the exhibition will embark on a global tour in 2025.
The traveling exhibition RETHINKING PHYSICS, organized by the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter – jointly operated by the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden, spotlights inspiring portraits of established and prospective physicists who defy stereotypes and redefine what it means to succeed in science.
Equal Access to Science
“Through RETHINKING PHYSICS, the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat at the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden is making science more accessible and relatable while highlighting the vital role of women in science during this United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology,” said Professor Anja Schlömerkemper, vice president of Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, responsible for Equal Opportunities, Career Planning, and Sustainability, at the exhibition’s opening in the Martin von Wagner Museum at the University of Würzburg. “The portraits showcase female researchers driven by their passion for physics, serving as role models for the next generation, and helping to pave the way for equal access to the natural sciences. This exhibition sparks essential conversations about the role of women and the pursuit of equal opportunities in science – issues that are priorities for our university.”
Contagious Energy
“The energy and enthusiasm radiating from the portraits in the exhibition RETHINKING PHYSICS are truly contagious! This is not only a celebration of Quantum2025 but also a tribute to the hard-won progress women have achieved in science – progress represented by trailblazers like Marie Curie, Lise Meitner, and Grete Hermann,” emphasized Adriana Pálffy-Buß, professor of theoretical quantum information and quantum optics at JMU Würzburg and a leading expert in the emerging field of X-ray quantum optics. “While we benefit today from significantly improved conditions – such as better access to education and research and more support for balancing work and family life – there’s still room for improvement. We need to ensure that far more girls and young women discover their passion for physics and quantum science.”
Advancing the Legacy
“Quantum mechanics was first formulated a hundred years ago. Quantum2025 not only commemorates this milestone but also highlights quantum science as a key technology of the 21st century,” said the two spokespersons of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Ralph Claessen, professor of experimental physics at JMU Würzburg, and Matthias Vojta, professor of theoretical solid-state physics at TU Dresden, during the exhibition’s opening at ct.qmat’s two locations. “Our exhibition for the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology celebrates accomplished and aspiring female researchers who are advancing this field. We’re also fostering discussions about diversity in physics – after all, science is for everyone! We’re deeply grateful to the women who agreed to be portrayed in RETHINKING PHYSICS for sharing their passion and, most importantly, for inspiring girls and young women to pursue careers in physics.”
The traveling exhibition RETHINKING PHYSICS will remain on display at JMU Würzburg’s Martin von Wagner Museum (Residenzplatz 2, Tor / Gate A, 97070 Würzburg) until February 2, 2025. It will also visit around 50 locations worldwide in 2025, including venues in Australia, Germany, Austria, and the United States.
Historical Context of RETHINKING PHYSICS
The quantum revolution began over a century ago when German physicist Max Planck introduced his quantum hypothesis. By discovering the concept of the quantum leap, he shattered the framework of classical physics. In 1925, quantum mechanics was given its mathematical foundation, marking the birth of modern physics – a new way of understanding the world that paved the way for high-tech innovations like lasers, computer chips, and solar panels. But at the dawn of this revolution, it was mostly men who led the charge. Women faced significant barriers to entering the field and had to fight long and hard for recognition.
In Germany, it wasn’t until 1900 that women were even allowed to enroll in universities as regular students, moving beyond the role of passive observers. It would take nearly two more decades before the first female scientists in Germany were allowed to qualify for university teaching positions.
This explains why the hall of fame in physics includes so few “great women” – notable exceptions being double Nobel Prize laureate Marie Curie, and Lise Meitner, Germany’s first female professor of physics. Yet, many remarkable contributions have been overlooked. Take Grete Hermann, for example – a mathematician, physicist, and philosopher whose groundbreaking work on the principles and interpretation of quantum mechanics in the 1930s was largely unknown by her contemporaries. Around thirty years later, a physicist from Northern Ireland arrived at similar conclusions and used them to develop Bell’s theorem. Hermann was ahead of her time and her work was only later rediscovered. Today, an international network of female researchers based at the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat proudly bears her name.
Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat
The Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter – has been jointly run by Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Technische Universität (TU) Dresden since 2019. Over 300 scientists from more than thirty countries and four continents study topological quantum materials that reveal surprising phenomena under extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperatures, high pressure, or strong magnetic fields. ct.qmat is funded through the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments and is the only Cluster of Excellence in Germany to be based in two different federal states.
Katja Lesser, Science Communication Officer, Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat
Tel: +49 (0)351 463 33496
Email: katja.lesser@tu-dresden.de
https://datashare.tu-dresden.de/s/jyRq6wNMi6e6NcK Media images for download
The traveling exhibition will visit around 50 locations worldwide in 2025
Tobias Ritz
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The traveling exhibition will visit around 50 locations worldwide in 2025
Tobias Ritz
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