On October 3, the time had finally come again: after a one-year break, the Garching Research Campus opened its doors to the public once more on this year's Tag der Deutschen Einheit. Across the campus, numerous institutes offered a look behind the scenes.
Learning about quantum computers at the MQV booth
Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) took part with several talks and a booth at the Walther Meißner Institute (WMI). The youngest guests were especially taken with little "magic tricks," optical illusions created by playing with polarizing filters, or learned what an atom actually is. Older visitors could find out all about quantum computers. Their questions ranged from the underlying quantum phenomena to possible applications. Another favorite was a set of beer coasters printed with different logic gates. Visitors could put them together into quantum circuits and were invited to build small circuits of their own. Above all, though, the exhibits from various MQV member institutes drew the guests' attention and made the abstract topic tangible. They showed that there are different hardware technologies for building quantum computers, and they also put the spotlight on questions of practical implementation. Young and old alike were keen to take a closer look at the chip with 17 superconducting qubits, a real quantum processor designed and fabricated at the WMI. Visitors could see what the labs where such processors are made and studied look like on one of the lab tours held every hour.
From 10 a.m. until the event closed at 5 p.m., visitors kept streaming in, and the MQV booth was always busy. There was no sign of passing curiosity. Instead, visitors stayed at the booth for a long time, and their questions went deeper and deeper into the different areas of quantum science.
Quantum learning game Qookies goes live
One highlight of the day was the launch event for Qookies. The free quantum learning game, which MQV helped develop, premiered at the open house. At a live event, the game was presented and the audience got a behind-the-scenes look at how it was developed. The smartphone game is now available as a free download from the Google and Apple app stores.
Several MQV institutes take part
Besides the WMI, many other MQV member institutes took part in the open house. At the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, everything revolved around how light and matter interact, and visitors could join tours of quantum optics labs. The Leibniz Supercomputing Centre offered tours of its computer building, where participants learned what it takes to connect supercomputers like SuperMUC-NG with quantum computers. At the booth of the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology, guests could learn about the different research areas in quantum science, look inside various labs on VR tours, and try out "Qookies" and other quantum games for themselves. The Walter Schottky Institute, the Semiconductor Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS, and the Technical University of Munich, represented by numerous chairs, also took part. They offered experiments, tours, hands-on stations, and talks. MQV partners such as SAP and the student initiative PushQuantum were there as well.
The packed subway train after the event, with far more people squeezing in than usual, was one more sign of how many people came. For everyone involved, the strong interest and countless questions confirmed that the open house was a complete success.
MQV played a key role in organizing the open house as a whole, in particular by creating and running the event website for the entire campus.