“Introducing people to the topic of quantum technology in a playful way”

Dr. Mehlhase, could you please give us a brief introduction to Munich Quantum Valley and its key players?

The Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) is a research alliance in which many important players from Munich and Bavaria are involved. These include the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the German Aerospace Society and the Max Planck Society as well as the Universities of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich. As founding members, they have set themselves the common goal of promoting quantum technologies in Bavaria and beyond, building and operating quantum computers and transferring them into application. There are various lighthouse projects and research and development professorships as well as a constantly growing partner network in industry. We are often approached by industrial partners who are still looking for potentially interesting applications. Others have know-how, develop hardware or software for quantum computers themselves and want to network. And there are various start-ups that contribute their ideas to the network. The MQV also pursues the goal of bringing quantum science and technology (QST) to the general public and providing education. The aim is to arouse curiosity and inspire young talent for this field of technology. To this end, we award scholarships to students on Master's degree courses and to doctoral students.

In QWT, there is a world of difference between the understanding of those involved in research, industry and the financial world—and the general public. Can press relations overcome this distance?

We do our best to achieve this. We address all groups and develop the appropriate formats for them. This ranges from introductory and in-depth workshops, trade fair stands and information events to our YouTube channel, where we answer questions about QST in simple language. One focus is on knowledge transfer and support for students, who we would like to bring here to Bavaria and Munich. We also address start-ups and offer support for spin-offs and relocating to Bavaria. We prepare the content for the general public in such a way that it primarily arouses curiosity. There is a nice quote from Richard Feynman: “Anyone who thinks they have understood quantum science has not yet understood it”. Science communication cannot be about conveying the knowledge of entire courses of study, but about arousing interest and enabling people to continue learning themselves. This works if they recognize the potential of QST, regardless of the respective target group. It is about honest communication that shows the possibilities and current limitations.

Information is increasingly communicated audio-visually or via short messages. In such a world, complex content has a hard time. With QST, there is also the fact that it takes place in dimensions that are almost impossible to capture in videos or photos. How do you solve these dilemmas?

It's all about target group-oriented formats: Our YouTube videos with the Quick Quantum Questions. In-person portraits that present quantum scientists as people and in their professional role. But also approaches for edutainment and gamification. Together with partners, we are developing a mobile game that conveys knowledge from the QST in a playful way - or hands-on formats with the Deutsches Museum, in which museum visitors can develop very specific “quantum dreams”. We also try to introduce people to the topic in a playful way in workshops, open days or at our event stands. To explain neutral atom traps, we work with eggshells and table tennis balls. There are also many simple but fascinating experimental approaches to explaining light. And in the end, people are thrilled that atoms can be trapped with laser light. Whether schoolchildren, trade fair visitors or researchers—in the end it's all about arousing wonder and curiosity.

You are a particle physicist, university lecturer, honorary webmaster of a school and a sports club—and a “passionate science communicator”. What does it mean for you to communicate QST to your target group?

First and foremost, it's about meeting people where they are—and first finding out what their level of knowledge is. Even in our partner network or in the companies themselves, individual knowledge varies greatly. So the first step is to develop a common basis. After all, the target group must not feel either overwhelmed or underchallenged by the content. We design our workshops in such a way that they cover everything from a very basic introduction to a scientific level—and even allow participants to conduct small experiments with individual photons. What we cover depends on the participants' level of knowledge. Exhibits and experiments are important in order to convey a hands-on feeling and reduce fear of contact. After all, this opens up opportunities to satisfy the curiosity aroused in discussions, on websites or ideally in a course of study and to become part of the quantum community themselves.

One of the goals of the MQV is to build an ecosystem for the industrialization of technology. What role does a trade fair like the World of QUANTUM play in this?

The World of QUANTUM offers us an important platform at an early stage of this future market. We meet potential new partners who find their way to our stand from the leading trade fairs LASER and automatica, which take place at the same time. We can also cultivate personal contacts in our existing network. And we also use the accompanying stage programs to get an overview of the latest developments and to report on progress from the MQV network. All in all, this trade fair is needed to establish the ecosystem for industrialization.