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This summer, the Hubland Campus of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg became a hub for female quantum physicists from around the globe. From July 31 to August 2, 2023, they gathered at the behest of the Grete Hermann Network, part of the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat.

Dresden-based cluster professor Elena Hassinger has received TU Dresden’s 2023 Diversity-Aware Teaching Award for her interdisciplinary seminar “The Big Bang Theory Syndrome: Why should we care about stereotypes?” The English-language seminar aims to raise students‘ awareness of gender stereotypes, sharpen their perception, and professionalize their interactions.

In a breakthrough akin to the effects of 3D cinema, scientists are using light particles to uncover the mysteries of electron behavior and propel our understanding of quantum materials forward. These materials, rich with potential for energy-efficient electronics and cutting-edge technology of tomorrow, are distinguished by their topological properties that could rarely be measured directly – until now.

Magnetic topological insulators are an exotic class of materials that conduct electrons without any resistance at all and so are regarded as a promising breakthrough in materials science. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat have achieved a significant milestone in the pursuit of energy-efficient quantum technologies by designing the ferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi₆Te_10.

Be it magnets or superconductors: materials are known for their various properties. However, these properties may change spontaneously under extreme conditions. Researchers at the Technische Universität Dresden and the Technische Universität München have discovered an entirely new type of such phase transitions. They display the phenomenon of quantum entanglement involving many atoms, which previously has only been observed in the realm of few atoms. The results were recently published in the scientific journal Nature.