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Professor Wilhelm-Mauch develops quantum computers at Saarland University and at Forschungszentrum Jülich, and he coordinates German and European initiatives to build next-generation computer systems. Doors open at 5.30 p.m. Admission is free.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
For a long time, quantum computers were considered science fiction. Today, the technology is still under development, but it is becoming a reality and making rapid progress. John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis have made a decisive contribution to this. In 2025, they were awarded the Physics Nobel Prize. On 19 January, Professor Frank Wilhelm-Mauch, a scientist who is at the forefront of research in this field and also a member of the management team of the new Centre for Quantum Technologies on the Saarbrücken campus, will explain what their research means for science and society. He knows the three Nobel Prize winners personally: Wilhelm-Mauch conducted research together with John Clarke, who was one of his mentors, and with John M. Martinis. In a way that is easy to understand, Wilhelm-Mauch provides insight into a world in which particles pass through walls or are in two places at once. He explains how computers with such phenomena from the quantum world become ultra-fast and ultra-secure – and what Schrödinger's cat has to do with it.
About the speaker
Frank Wilhelm-Mauch is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Saarland University and also conducts research at Forschungszentrum Jülich. Together with partners from many countries, he is coordinating the construction of a quantum computer for Europe: the European flagship project OpenSuperQPlus. He also coordinates the QSolid project, which is building a German quantum computer that is not susceptible to errors – a property of qubits that is currently considered an obstacle for quantum computers. In many other projects, he is researching applications for artificial intelligence that are to run on future quantum powerhouses for data. Frank Wilhelm-Mauch is a member of the management team of the new Centre for Quantum Technologies at Saarland University.
New Centre for Quantum Technologies on the Saarbrücken Campus
All key quantum technologies are represented in quantum physics at Saarland University: from quantum computers and simulation to quantum cryptography and communication to quantum sensor technology. A centre for quantum technologies (QuTe) is currently being built on the Saarbrücken campus, financed with over €53 million from the Transformation Fund. The focus is on quantum engineering and quantum software. The new research centre brings together expertise in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and engineering to develop quantum technologies and software for quantum computers. Researchers at Saarland University are working closely with Forschungszentrum Jülich on this project: the Helmholtz Centre will be involved with two institutes in Saarbrücken and will fill joint professorships.
In the bachelor's and master's degree programmes in quantum engineering, Physics and engineering at Saarland University jointly train quantum engineers who combine knowledge of quantum physics with technical expertise. Quantum engineering is the engineering science used to develop and build quantum computers and technologies.
All interested parties are cordially invited to attend on 19 January. The Young German Physics Society, Saarbrücken Regional Group, is organising the lecture.
Questions will be answered by:
Prof. Dr. Frank Wilhelm-Mauch : Tel.: 0681 302-3960
Email: fwm@physik.uni-saarland.de, f.wilhelm-mauch@fz-juelich.de
Press photos
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