Symposium: Progress in Quantum Science and Technology
Tradition
Since 2010 the SPS organizes every year one or sometimes two half-day symposia in addition to its annual meetings. When the SPS section History of Physics was founded in 2011, the motivation step arose that historical highlights in Physics and their influence until to our days should be presented to the interested public. We later decided to integrate the symposia in our annual meetings to reduce the organizational effort. Today they are presented as vernissage at the beginning in order to send out a strong message to the public and to reach especially young people. In most cases, three or four lectures are offered, with the first lecture also focusing on the person or the event from a theoretical, historical, and philosophical perspective. Subsequently, the impact on the present day is considered, from the point of view of fundamental research, applied physics and, if possible, from technology. This concept of such a scientific journey through time is well received by the audience, including younger and elder colleagues, from universities and industries, but also from outside.
Entanglement
The Year of Quantum Science and Technology proclaimed by Unesco for 2025 informed the world that the quantum realm is not just a static collection of atoms and molecules arranged in a structured way, as observed under a microscope, but a pulsating nano-cosmos of its own strong interactions between individual, but also between entire collectives of atoms. One of the most bizarre phenomena that is completely beyond human understanding is that of so-called quantum entanglement, i.e. the coupling of quantum states of individual particles, be they emitted light quanta, called photons, but also individual atoms, molecules and even entire groups of molecules. This opens up new application possibilities, the best known of which are those of the quantum computer, but also methods of quantum encryption (cryptography) and many other approaches in modern computer and communication sciences. And it continues, revealing more and more possible applications in the fields of measurement technology and production engineering.
Symposium
Based on these considerations we will present this year’s event under the title Progress in Quantum Science and Technology, where we want to report on the latest developments in the field of modern quantum research, with a focus on entanglement, which is opening up new application areas, and where more and more industrial opportunities are emerging.
The program contains presentations from
- Julian Sonner, Université de Genève: Inseparable Quanta: Entanglement in Modern Physics
- Géraldine Haack, Université de Genève: How to exploit heat exchanges to generate and manipulate entanglement ? From quantum thermodynamics to quantum technologies
- Cornelius Hempel, PSI Villigen / ETH Zürich: Quantum entanglement between trapped ions: creation, detection and use for sensing and computation
- Thibaud Ruelle, CSEM: Next‑Generation Miniature Atomic Clocks: From Lab Concepts to Compact Reality
The abstracts of the presentations, together with organisational details will be published in the next issue of the SPG Mitteilungen.
This symposium will take place on 24 August 2026 in the afternoon, and is free of charge.
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As quantum technology will be one of the most important technologies of the future, the emerging industrial potential of entanglement should be seen by the academies, the federal administration and the industries. We thank SATW, which is in charge identifying new technological visions for Swiss industry, for the support of this event.