“Being awarded the Science Award is a great acknowledgment of the basic research I’ve been doing in physics and of how it might play a role in innovative applications in industry,” Schmitt says.
As well as expanding our understanding of quantum states from a basic research perspective, Dr. Schmitt’s findings may also have technological implications, potentially leading to new components being developed for sensor systems and laser beam shaping. The physicist is also a member of the Building Blocks of Matter and Fundamental Interactions Transdisciplinary Research Area and the Matter and Light for Quantum Computing Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn.
The results of Dr. Schmitt’s work will expand the set of tools available for the discipline of photonics, a key 21st-century technology. Photonics harnesses the properties of light and particularly of laser light, which is a constant source of fascination for us with how it can be focused and made to flicker and sparkle. The energy inside a laser can be used to structure materials or obtain information with an unprecedented degree of precision in terms of space and time.
The Science Award funded by Industrie-Club e. V. Düsseldorf is presented every two years in partnership with the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. It is awarded to young researchers in various fields who are aged under 41 and who have a demonstrable link to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The €20,000 prize is designed to encourage practical research within the state, the findings from which have the potential to stimulate innovation in the local economy. The Science Award in physics was awarded for the 23rd time in 2024 to recognize work whose impact extends well beyond pure research or that has already been put to advanced practical use.
