In beautiful sunshine and summery temperatures, the youngest visitors flocked to the Deutsches Museum's Transport Center from 9 a.m. on Friday. On the traditional " SchulFREItag" (school free Friday), kindergarten groups and school classes in particular are invited to discover the knowledge and experience festival. Between vintage cars and tramways, children could be enchanted by magical polarization experiments at the MQV stand and use their own muscle power to press badges as souvenirs.
As in previous years, Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) was present at the FORSCHA trade fair from 28 to 30 June, which took place as part of the Munich Science Days in the Verkehrszentrum of the Deutsches Museum. At the same time, the Deutsches Museum celebrated the Island Festival over the weekend. The MQV was also on site with experiments and exhibits.
The green glowing laser in the quantum eraser experiment also exerted an almost magical attraction, reliably pulling curious visitors to the stand. Laser, beam splitter and mirror – some were able to identify the individual components with knowledge from their physics lessons. The scientists at the stand explained what exactly interference patterns are and how all of this actually relates to quantum technologies. It was also particularly nice to welcome familiar faces to the stand. Girls who had taken part in an MQV Girls' Day in the past stopped by, and children who were there last year explained the quantum eraser experiment on their own this year.
A total of around 8,000 visitors of all ages took part in FORSCHA over three days and were able to gain a broad insight into quantum science and technology at the Munich Quantum Valley booth and the neighboring booths of PhotonLab and the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MQCST). Another highlight was the lecture program with many talks from the field of quantum science. MQV member Prof. Jens Eisert from Freie Universität Berlin took attendees on an exciting journey from the beginnings of computers to the development of high-tech quantum computers. His lecture "Of cats, quanta and computers", as well as all other lectures, are available on YouTube.
The street festival on the Museum Island of the Deutsches Museum, which attracted a wide audience with free admission as part of the Family Days of the Festival of the Future, was also a busy event. With a view over the Isar, the MQV presented and explained various quantum computing technologies and possible fields of application. Components from real quantum computers, such as quantum computer chips with recognizable qubits and ultra-thin cables, made the often seemingly distant technology tangible for visitors. The shimmering gold and copper-colored components in particular attracted the attention of young and old alike.
Twice during the weekend, there was also the opportunity to experience the new episode of the radio play "Alice in Quantum Land" live. Episode 3 "At the Quantum Fair" celebrated its premiere on Saturday at FORSCHA. On Sunday afternoon, the live radio play was performed again at the island festival. The performance at FORSCHA is available on YouTube.