As part of the global International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), the University of Münster is celebrating 100 years since the birth of modern quantum mechanics with a rich programme of events for all ages. In an interview for the university newspaper wissen|leben, Prof. Schuck explains how quantum physics shapes our daily lives—from lasers and GPS to future quantum technologies that could transform computing, medicine and climate research. Throughout the year, the University offers public lectures, interactive workshops for schoolchildren, and outreach activities across the city, bringing the quantum world closer to the community: Frag Sophie, Quantum100, Q.UNI | Kinder- und Jugend-Uni Münster, Physik zur Mittagszeit, MExLAB.
 

In February 2025, we welcomed the physics class from Johanneum Gymnasium in Wadersloh to the University of Münster. Together with the group of Prof. Kai Schmitz, we provided insights into quantum technology and particle cosmology. During a tour of our laboratories at the Center for Nanotechnology, the students experienced how we research quantum chips for artificial intelligence. It was a great opportunity to inspire young talents and share our passion for advancing physics.

Our work on the  Coexistence of the Radial-Guided Modes and Whispering Gallery Modes in Azimuthal-Grating-Integrated Microring Lasers with Prof. Hiroaki Yoshioka's group at Kyushu University appeared in ACS Photonics and is featured on the cover.

Congratulations to Connor Graham-Scott for winning first place in the Nano Image Contest at MNF Day 2024 with his stunning entry, "Cascaded SNSPDs"!

We’re proud to be featured on Frag Sophie!, a science outreach initiative, which highlights how quantum technologies, including our work, can address energy challenges. Ask your quantum questions today!

The group of Prof. Schuck has an opening for a  PhD position available! Please check out the Academic Posts section for the position at the Department for Quantum Technology!

The Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF) will hold its annual MNF-Day on November 7th at CeNTech. Researchers, companies, and those interested in nanotechnology are invited to participate in workshops, lab tours, and presentations. Space is limited—please register in advance to secure your spot!

Check out the October issue of wissen|leben, where the cleanroom lab course offered to physics master’s students is highlighted. The article provides a fascinating glimpse into the hands-on experience gained during the Foundations of Nanofabrication course, part of our teaching program. Students work in the Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF), creating nanometer-scale materials like OLEDs in cleanroom conditions. The piece details how the lab course enhances students' understanding of nanotechnology and practical skills with advanced equipment. Text available in German only!

Our research group is excited to join the MANTIS project, aiming to protect critical infrastructures such as gas pipelines from cyberattacks using quantum encryption. The project, led by Fraunhofer IOF and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will run until 2027.

For more details, see the University of Münster press release and the Fraunhofer IOF press release.

The Ministries of Culture and Science (MKW) and of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy (MWIKE) have kicked off a Roadmapping process for developing Quantum Technologies in North Rhine-Westphalia, which will be lead by our colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) and coordinated by the newly established office QT.NMWP.NRW. We are excited to contribute to the process!

Alejandro and Carsten present work on integrating SNSPDs with subwavelength grating structures and photonic integrated circuits at Photonics West and Quantum West in San Francisco. Check out their contributions 12890-16 and 12911-7!

Congratulations to Adrian and Paul (now with Prof. Heusler) on winning the Teaching Award of the Working Group Undergraduate Physics Laboratory (Arbeitsgruppe Physikalische Praktika, AGPP) of the German Physical Society (DPG) together with our colleagues at the Institute of Physics Education, the Institute of Physics and the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences for our joint work on the MiReQu-Project, allowing students to experience entanglement and it's use in quantum key distribution through augmented reality environments.

 

Check out the November edition of the Physik Journal with a focal section on quantum computing. Among very nice contributions from Jens Eisert, Frank Wilhelm-Mauch, and an interview with Heike Riel,  Emma Lomonte from Xanadu, Wolfram Pernice from Heidelberg University and Carsten Schuck write about photonic quantum computing (German only, registration required).

On November 1st we kick-off the QuGrids-Project with our partners at the Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), the RWTH Aachen and the Fraunhofer FIT. The project aims to establish a profile in using quantum technologies for designing, optimizing and securing energy grids for a more sustainable future. We were happy to receive generous funding from Minister Ina Brandes at the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Our joint work with the AG Risse and the AG Ravoo on using Azobenzene-based Photo-Chemical Activation Functions in Optical Artificial Neural Networks is now published in Advanced Intelligent Systems! We use a physically motivated model and obtain a tuneable yet interpretable activiation function that enables solving classification tasks such as XOR, Circle, MNIST and FashionMNIST with a neural network. This is an important stepping stone for understanding Intelligent Matter.

The European Quantum Technology Community meets at EQTC in Hannover to discuss progress, perspectives and transfer of research and recent developments in the field. Alejandro and Carsten will present work in our European projects ESSENS and SURQUID.

The Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF) will hold its annual MNF-Day on November 7th at CeNTech. Researchers, companies, and those interested in nanotechnology are invited to participate in workshops, lab tours, and presentations. Space is limited—please register in advance to secure your spot at CeNTech.

We have started work on the MultiQomm-project, developing novel highly-integrated Quantum Key Distribution solutions, with our partners at Pixel Photonics and the University of Heidelberg. Read about the project here and get in touch if you want to be part of the team as a Bachelor, Master or PhD student!

Very interesting visit to Andrea Benigni's group at the Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) to discuss how Energy Systems Engineering could benefit from Quantum Technologie.

Clara Celeste Qvotrup is a visiting PhD-student from Prof. Midolo's group at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen

Ekaterina Sokolovskaya joins us as a new PhD student and Hamed Ragab Hassanein will pursue his Master's degree with us.

Marco's and Jan's work on novel applications and implementations of AI in photonics was presented at the workshop "Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Matter" Zentrum für Wissenschaftstheorie - Workshop Künstliche Intelligenz

Benjamin Risse, with whom we work on coherent optical artificial neural networks in the context of the Collaborative Research Center on Intelligent Matter SFB 1459 also contributed to the panel discussion on ChatGPT, featured in the local news: Westfälische Nachrichten - AI & ChatGPT.

It is that time of the year again: DPG-Spring Meeting will bring the Atom, Molecule, Quantum Optic and Photonik (SAMOP) community to Hannover. Our group will present contributions on:

• Deep Learning Accelerated FDFD Simulations in Context of Inverse-Design Algorithms (Lukas Schulte, Tuesday, 7.3., 16:30, Q22.76)
• Fabrication of Computer-Generated Nanophotonic Devices (David Lemli, Tuesday, 7.3., 16:30, Q22.84)
• Teaching Quantum Optics and Quantum Cryptography with Augmented Reality Enhanced Experiments (Adrian Abazi, Wednesday, 8.3., 12:30, Q23.7)
• A Novel Approach to Nanophotonic Black-Box Optimization Through Reinforcement Learning (Marco Butz, Wednesday, 8.3., 11:00, Q30.1)
• Waveguide-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors enhanced by subwavelength grating metamaterials (Alejandro Sánchez Postigo, Wednesday, 8.3., 15:00, Q35.3)
• The Twente-Münster high-speed quantum key distribution link (Niklas Humberg, Wednesday, 8.3., 16:30, QI23.47)
• Waveguide-Intergrated Superconducting Nanowire Avalanche Single-Photon Detectors (Connor A. Graham-Scott, Wednesday, 8.3., 17:30, Q44.3)
• Multi-channel waveguide-integrated single photon sources (Chaiyasit Nenbangkaeo, Thursday, 9.3., 16:00, Q53.6)
• 3D Printed Optical Waveguide Structures with Microdiamonds containing NV Centers (Marina Peters, Thursday, 9.3., 16:30, Q59.62)

Starting next week, our group will again contribute to three out of the four DPG spring meetings this year!
Matthias (Q11.2), Jan (Q31.8), Marco (Q38.2), and Alex (Q53.4) will have oral contributions, Connor (Q40.11) and Tobias (Q41.12) will present posters on the SAMOP meeting (14.-18.3.). Paul (DD3.3) and Adrian (DD17.1) will have oral contributions and Jonas (DD37.2) will present a poster on the SMuK meeting (21.-25.3.). And Anthony will present our joint work with the AG Wurstbauer on the SKM meeting, which was shifted to September.

North Rhine-Westphalia strengthens Education, Innovation, and Networking (EIN) in quantum technologies. The University of Münster is among the twelve founding members of the "EIN Quantum NRW" network, which counts with strong endorsement from Hendirk Wüst, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the Ministry of Culture and Science and the Ministry of Economics, Innovation, Digitization, and Energy.

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, featuring Lisa, who is currently holding an INSPIRE Potentials SPIN Master’s fellowship, speaking about her experience in science.

We are very happy to be selected for one of the U Twente - WWU Münster Collaboration Grants with our partner Prof. Pepijn Pinkse at MESA+ and the Faculty of Science and Technology in Twente!
We will be working on a new international Quantum Key Distribution Link between our universities using modern nanophotonic chips with superconducting nanowire single photon detectors.
Also, many congrats to our colleagues on both sides of the border for their exciting  UT-WWU Collaboration Grant proposals!

Our proposal for a Millikelvin-Microwave-Photonic Probestation was selected for funding in the German Research Foundation's (DFG) Quantum Communication Development Environment (QCDE) call within the Major Instrumentation Initiative. Most credit goes to Prof. Hubert Krenner, who coordinated the proposal. We are looking forward to working with AGs Krenner, Bratschitsch and Wurstbaueron this exciting project!

Alex and Tobias report the integration of colloidal quantum dots with nanophotonic waveguides in ACS Photonics with contributions from the AG Bratschitschand AG Pernice. They managed to both excite the quantum dots and collect single fluorescence photons via Ta₂O₅-on-insulator waveguides and report on how the approach can be scaled to larger system size.