Pfeiffer Vacuum Welcomes 2014 Röntgen Prize Winner
Coherent superposition of quantum states in atoms / Vacuum is essential for basic scientific research
This year, the Justus Liebig University Giessen is awarding its Röntgen Prize to Prof. Dr. Jörg Evers. The Röntgen Prize is awarded each year for outstanding work on basic research into radiation physics and radiation biology. Named in memory of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who was a professor in Giessen from 1879 to 1888, the award primarily targets the work of young scientists.
The prize is donated by Pfeiffer Vacuum, the Dr. Erich Pfeiffer Foundation and the Ludwig Schunk Foundation. This year’s winner, Prof. Dr. Evers, is currently a team leader at the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. He is receiving the award for his theoretical prediction of potential realization of the coherent superposition of quantum states in atoms. This prediction was confirmed in an experiment conducted on the PETRA III storage ring at DESY in Hamburg. Petra III offers scientists excellent experimental facilities with its powerful light source.
The attempt was realized on thin-layer preparations, with a 0.6 nm thin layer of iron cores between layers of carbon and palladium. The experiment included the use of Mössbauer spectroscopy, which was awarded the Röntgen and the Nobel prize in 1961. A typical application for these research findings is the potential use in quantum computers in the field of quantum information technology. Since typical quantum phenomena such as coherent superposition of states is extremely susceptible to disturbance, they only manifest under ideal laboratory conditions, i.e. under vacuum.
Manfred Bender, CEO of Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG, congratulated the prize winner: “Supporting young scientists in cutting-edge research is extremely important to us“, explained Bender. “Many research facilities have been a partner to Pfeiffer Vacuum for many years now. Our vacuum solutions are used successfully at DESY and we are pleased that Prof. Dr. Evers was able to confirm his theoretical assumptions there.“ The day before the prize was awarded at the Justus Liebig University Giessen, the prize winner visited the sponsoring company Pfeiffer Vacuum and reported on the results of his research.
Contact
Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH
Public Relations
Sabine Neubrand-Trylat
T +49 6441 802 1223
F +49 6441 802 1500
Sabine.Neubrand@pfeiffer-vacuum.de
www.pfeiffer-vacuum.de