Excellence and entertainment at the Apollo

Science and performing arts, quantum computing and thrilling entertainment - the team from the Siegen Physics Department proved once again that it is possible to combine these different worlds in the Apollo Theater. For the third edition of "Physics at the Apollo", the theater was completely sold out three days in a row. Host Prof. Dr. Alexander Lenz welcomed many celebrities to the premiere, including the Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ina Brandes, as well as Prof. Dr. Michael Hoch and Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer, Rectors of the Universities of Bonn and Dortmund, with whom the University of Siegen has acquired a joint Cluster of Excellence in the field of particle physics. The rousing show of lectures, acrobatics and music focused on excellent research in the field of quantum physics and quantum computing.

Before the stage belonged entirely to the physicists, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Reese, Rector of the University of Siegen, welcomed the audience, some of whom had traveled from far and wide. Reese thanked Minister Brandes in particular for coming and for her "extraordinary support and solidarity with the University of Siegen". In her speech, Reese recalled the moment when Brandes announced the approval of the Cluster of Excellence to her in a personal telephone call: "The previously gray sky turned pink-red at that moment." The Minister also had fond memories of the phone call with Reese: "That call was one of the most gratifying events of the year for me," said Brandes. "I was incredibly pleased that physics in Siegen received this much-deserved recognition. Today's show is a great opportunity to show what is being achieved here at the University of Siegen."

The team then impressively demonstrated that physics in Siegen not only conducts research at a top international level, but also has an excellent scientific network and outstanding artistic talent. To kick things off, Alexander Lenz, Professor of Physics and Siegen spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence, gave the audience a "crash course" in quantum physics. The starting point was the birth year of quantum mechanics, 1925. In keeping with the 100th anniversary of quantum theory, Lenz introduced the audience to the unusual world of quanta. The audience learned that quanta follow special laws and have properties that sometimes contradict the experiences of our everyday world. No wonder, then, that quantum bits can do much more than the classical bits used by traditional computers.

To illustrate this, Lenz invited his family on stage: wife Dr. Marion Lenz and their two sons Leon (21) and Kilian (17) are professional acrobats, just like Lenz himself. With full physical exertion, they demonstrated what qubits are capable of - especially when they combine to form several (in physics terms, this is known as "entanglement"). Lenz himself then changed into a sports outfit for the song "Radioactivity" by Kraftwerk. This was followed by an acrobatic act at the highest sporting and artistic level, which the audience not only understood, but also marveled at and applauded enthusiastically.

The second part of the show was opened by Prof. Dr. Christof Wunderlich, developer of the first German quantum computer and founder of "eleQtron", the first start-up for quantum computer hardware. Using a demonstrator, he presented the "Siegen" approach to quantum computing, which uses individual atoms to store information. Wunderlich then introduced the evening's keynote speaker: Lena Funcke is a professor at the University of Bonn, involved in two physics clusters of excellence, completed her doctorate at the age of 23 - and was recently awarded the prestigious Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize.

Prof. Funcke brilliantly explained the fundamentals, current challenges and future potential (but also limitations) of quantum computing. In addition to scientific expertise and vivid explanations, she conveyed her own enthusiasm and passion for physics and the research field of quantum computing. After the lecture, Funcke was available to answer questions from the interested audience.

The program was rounded off by two further musical performances: Student Annelie Fleck (vocals) and Dr. Martin Lang (piano) presented the piece "Set fire tot he rain" by Adele. The finale was the anthem "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica with Lang on piano, Prof. Wunderlich on guitar and Prof. Dr. Holger Schönherr (Dean of the School of Science and Technology) on electric guitar. Prof. Alexander and Dr. Marion Lenz demonstrated their acrobatic skills once again.

Before the show and during the interval, numerous stands in the theater foyer provided information about the main research areas and courses of study at the Siegen Physics Department as well as the "Color meets Flavor" Cluster of Excellence. A free morning show was also aimed specifically at physics courses from schools in the region. An offer that Minister Brandes also praised: "It is important to inspire young people to study physics. A format like this can make a wonderful contribution to this," said Brandes.