zum Kolloquium „Quantum Optics“

JSPS Quarterly No. 8, 2004 (45 KB)

First Colloquium Held by Bonn Office

The Japan-Germany Colloquium 2004 "Quantum Optics" was held on 9-11 February. Cosponsored by JSPS's Bonn Office and Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, the event had as its venue the estate Wildbad Kreuth, nestled in a range of scenic mountains 80 kilometers south of Munich. This was the first colloquium to be sponsored by the Bonn Office, which hopes to hold one annually on a selected theme.

Over the period of the colloquium, the participants lodged together, facilitating close interaction among them. There were 10 lecturers from Japan led by Prof. Yoshihisa Yamamoto, National Institute of Informatics, and 20 from Germany led by Prof. Herbert Walther, Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. All were young researchers engaged in work at the world's frontier in quantum optics. Over the full 2.5-day colloquium, they each delivered energetic presentations on their respective topics. Though 30 minutes was allotted to each presentation including Q&A, the response was so enthusiastic from the floor, comprising postdocs and grad students on the German side, that time often ran over. On one hand, this opportunity for outstanding young Japanese and German researchers to meet and engage in in-depth discussions served to expand their own cutting-edge knowledge of the field. On the other, it worked to create bonds and lay cornerstones for future scientific exchange between the two nations.

After the colloquium ended, the German researchers introduced their Japanese colleagues to the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, located in Garching on the outskirts of Munich. Observations and discussions enjoyed on the tour furthered mutual understanding on the state of the art in the field of quantum optics.