Junior-Professor Daqing Wang from the University of Bonn has received a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his “MinCryo” project. With the grant of €150,000 over one year, the physicist will continue to prepare his research results for practical applications in industry. The technical solution developed by him and his team facilitates a wider and more resource-efficient access to cryogenic – extremely cold - optical imaging that combines microscopes with extremely cold temperatures.

Galaxies contain black holes weighing between approximately five and 100 solar masses. There are also some with more than 100,000 solar masses. But do medium-mass black holes also develop in galaxies? A study by the Astronomical Institute of Charles University in Czechia, with significant participation from the University of Bonn, shows how medium-mass black holes can frequently form naturally. However, this currently only occurs in the innermost regions of star-forming galaxies similar to our Milky Way. The results have now been published in a “Letter to the Editor” in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics.” 

The German Physical Society (DPG) is awarding Prof. Herbert Dreiner, Ph.D., from the Physics Institute of Bonn University, the Georg Kerschensteiner Prize 2026. He is being honored for his extraordinary commitment to making science accessible to a broad audience — in particular through the Bonn Physics Show, which he founded and has directed for many years. The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, during the 89th DPG Annual Meeting in Erlangen. 

The University of Bonn is supporting the “Molecular Quantum Information” project, the brainchild of a group of experimental researchers, with the €50,000 Synergy Prize. The award was presented recently by the Building Blocks of Matter and Fundamental Interactions Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA Matter) as part of the “Matter Connects” networking event. The winning group is one of five Synergy Bubbles, agile interdisciplinary teams that are pursuing innovative research and teaching ideas straddling subject boundaries.

As far as particles of light are concerned, the collective is more important than the individual. When they get to decide between two states, they will favor the one that many of their fellow particles have already adopted. However, this collectivist tendency does not kick in until enough photons have assembled in the same place. These findings, revealed by University of Bonn physicists in a recent study, could aid the development of ultra-powerful laser sources, among other things. They have now been published in the journal “Physical Review Letters.”

As part of the “vielfältig.nachhaltig.digital” initiative, the University of Bonn is promoting the creation of a new module on digital skills in teacher training programs.

The first performances of “Zukunftsenergien – Zukunftsmusik?” (“Energies of the Future—Dreams of the Future?”), or “Phyusical” for short, are set for October 25 and 26 in the Wolfgang Paul lecture hall at the University of Bonn. The new physics musical combines drama, live music and live experiments to produce an energy-packed 75-minute-long show. The “Phyusical” is aimed at an interested audience 12 and over, with no particular prior knowledge required. Written by Dr. Jana Heysel, the musical is performed by members of the Physics Show, a dedicated group of physics students at the University of Bonn led by Professor Herbert Dreiner. It is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the Science Year 2025, whose theme is “energy for the future.”

With curiosity and excitement, many children explored the world of quantum physics during “Türen auf mit der Maus” on the 3rd of October — from fiber coupling to laser cooling of atoms.