After a long hiatus, the popular "Saturday Morning Physics" lecture series will start again at the Department of Physics and Astronomy on November 12, 2022.
Whether it's the smallest particles or great discoveries - Saturday Morning Physics offers exciting physics topics for everyone. The lecturers of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy present topics from different fields of physics in an understandable way. This winter semester, Prof. Dr. Wiedner, hadron physicist in experimental physics, starts with a lecture on "Basic research: how useful is it for society?". What the lecture will be about:
The importance of basic research to a society is not clear to most people. "Why do we need this, when there are completely different problems?" Particle physics and its search for the basic forces and building blocks of nature is a good example. Here, the laws of quantum mechanics apply, so abstractly that even Einstein is credited with the saying "God does not play dice." Yet quantum mechanics and its application has tremendous economic and social significance today. This and other examples will be presented in the lecture and provide a solid basis as a justification of pure basic research, even if it seems to have no practical application.
Summary Prof. Dr. Wiedner
The faculty cordially invites all interested persons to attend the lectures during the winter semester. As in previous years, fresh waffles and coffee will be available before the lecture. All lecture attendees are also invited to participate in the Saturday Morning Physics Quiz, with great prizes to be won. Here you will find all the information about the start and location of the lectures:
| Date | Time | Presenter | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.10.2024 | 11.00 a.m. Coffee from 10.30 | Prof. Dr. Doris Reiter | From Pi to SUPER: the path to modern quantum control | St. Paul's Church, Grabenstraße 9, 44787 Bochum |
| 29.11.2025 | 11.00 a.m. Coffee from 10.30 | Prof. Dr. Anna Grünebohm | From quantum mechanics to the refrigerator of the future - insights into theoretical materials science | St. Paul's Church, Grabenstraße 9, 44787 Bochum |
| 24.01.2026 | 11.00 a.m. Coffee from 10.30 | Prof. Dr. Michael Walter | Computing with quanta: Insights into the world of quantum computing | St. Paul's Church, Grabenstraße 9, 44787 Bochum |
| 28.02.2026 | 11.00 a.m. Coffee from 10.30 | Dr. Jambul Gegelia | A brief look at the building blocks of our nature | St. Paul's Church, Grabenstraße 9, 44787 Bochum |
| 14.03.2026 | 11.00 a.m. Coffee from 10.30 | Prof. Dr. Heiko Krabbe & Dr. Marco Seiter | Enlightenment through light quanta: What light can tell us about the quantum world | St. Paul's Church, Grabenstraße 9, 44787 Bochum |
If you need more travel information, please check here.


