Faculty of Physics (Physikalisches Institut)

On Friday we visited the Faculty of Physics of Heidelberg University (Physikalisches Institut). The Faculty of Physics is one of the largest in Germany, with the highest number of graduating PhD students per year. The faculty is very research-minded, and covers inter-disciplinary border areas as well as core fundamental topics, which push the boundaries of our understanding of nature.

The faculty’s focus is mainly on three areas: complex quantum dynamics, fundamental interactions and astronomy and cosmology. These are all very interesting areas, some of which might have a profound impact on our lives in the near future. Knowledge gained from research in complex quantum dynamics may one day allow the production of quantum computers, which would mean a tremendous speed reduction in some types of calculations. The two other fields of study will be discussed below.

These days when one thinks “physics”, one very quickly thinks about the “Large Hadron Collider”, the large particle accelerator built and maintained at CERN (European Centre for Nuclear Research). A talk was given regarding the latest results achieved by the ATLAS-experiment, which is the experiment in search of the Higgs particle. At the time of writing the Higgs particle was not found yet, but the researchers were able to exclude certain mass-regions in which the Higgs could be found.

Another subject of the talk was the ALICE-experiment, which is also being done at the LHC. In this experiment the so-called quark-gluon plasma is created, by colliding two lead nuclei at very high energies. This causes the nuclei to fall apart: the small particles that make up the nuclei, namely quarks and gluons, are then free to move around this plasma. This situation is very much like the situation our universe was shortly after the Big Bang. By doing this experiment, researchers are hoping to learn more about the early times of the universe and about the fundamental forces that govern our world.

Astronomy was also given attention: a talk was given on the study of the night sky. A lot is learned about astronomy not from the things that can be seen, but from the things which can’t be seen. For example a ‘hole’ in the sky could be an indicator of a nebula: a birth room of stars. Such a ‘hole’ is an area in which no stars or galaxies can be seen, although in the surrounding area there are tons of light sources. This indicates that a large particle cloud blocks the view. These particles can collapse due to gravity to form new stars. Another studied phenomenon is the so-called gravitational-lensing. Einstein’s theory of relativity explains that, because of its mass, matter is able to bend light. When a heavy object is situated between the observer and a light source, it can distort and sometimes bend light around itself. But sometimes the mass of the object itself is not enough to explain all the distortion. This might indicate the presence of dark matter: matter that does not interact. We can only detect the effects of its mass. A lot of research is put into dark matter.

We visited some of the laboratories, situated in the faculty’s beautiful historic building. In small groups we were given a tour by several researchers who explained their work. The things being done by these researchers are mind-boggling: holding single atoms in place using laser beams and magnetic fields, for example. Using these techniques it is possible to study fundamental interactions and complex quantum mechanics, sometimes even on visible scales. Future does not seem to be too bright for Schrödinger’s Cat, a thought experiment due to Schrödinger that illustrates the counter-intuitive nature of quantum mechanics. Recent developments show that this weirdness is real.

After a short walk along the “Philosophenweg”, which provided a stunning view over the city, we arrived at the location of the theoretical physics institute. Here we listened to an interesting presentation on the subject of theoretical physics. Although the subject was a bit difficult to grasp for the non-physicists, the talk was interesting.

It seems clear that the main focus of the institute is fundamental research. An often-asked question regarding such research is: “What is it good for?” The answer: “We don’t know yet.” The beautiful thing is, that you never know what you are going to encounter next, or what consequences your discoveries will have on everyday life. A good example of fundamental research put to practice is Einstein’s theory of relativity. No one would ever have thought that this theory would be used to develop satellite-navigation. Fundamental research is truly guiding the path of humanity.

And of course it is just fascinating!

Stijn Hinterding