Newsroom – Category: Physics & Astrophysics

Interview with Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) and architect of the 30-year programme that led to the discovery of the Schwarzschild precession around the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way. Genzel describes the general relativity effect observed by his team and how it can be used to study the galactic gravity trap. more

In principle, almost any encryption key can be broken - all you need is the right computing power. The situation is different, however, with quantum cryptography: messages that are encoded with this method cannot be decrypted without the sender and receiver noticing. Gerd Leuchs is researching this encryption technology of the future. more

Solar flares don’t just create beautiful polar lights, but can also damage satellites and disrupt power grids. Astrophysicist Sami Solanki attached a telescope to a giant helium balloon to research into the activity of the Sun. more

Ferenc Krausz is considered the founder of attosecond physics. His goal is to develop new laser techniques to track the movement of electrons in atoms, molecules and solids in real time and thus observe quantum mechanical processes directly. This new film explains the research of the Director of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Munich. more

Albert Einstein predicted their existence in the last century, but thought it would be impossible to discover them. Astronomers are now looking for them, nevertheless: gravitational waves. more