100 years MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR PHYSICS Editorial POISED f o r n e w DISCOVERIES Our Institute is celebrating its 100th birthday – Prof. Dr. Allen Caldwell and with this magazine we want to give you a Managing Director brief and entertaining glimpse into our history, at the Max Planck Institute for Physics our research past and present, and some of the people who worked here at various times. Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg – scientists who are very closely intertwined with our history and are still revered by physicists and non-physicists alike. Without a doubt, the largest part of our universe still lies hidden. The matter we are familiar with covers only about five percent. What does »dark matter« consist of? And even the constituents we know about still puzzle us: Why is there more matter than antimatter? Is there a unified theory of all the natural forces – gravitation, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong interactions? We are prepared for new discoveries, in both theoretical and experimental physics, and look ahead to the future with high expectations. Table of Contents 06 History 06 100 years of research at the Max Planck Institute for Physics 12 Research Particle physics: How scientists investigate the tiniest building blocks of the universe 12 26 Profiles People who do research and work at the Institute 26 38 Basic research Research without immediate practical application – to what end? 38 42 What are the next steps? 42 The projects of the future 43 Imprint Abbreviations, contact, photo credits 43 The Universe 04 The evolution of the universe Formation of elementary particles and fundamental forces When and how did Background radiation (380,000 years) elementary particles form? What are the First stars properties of matter? How can we explain Evolution of galaxies, stars and planets physical phenomena which are not yet understood? The Max Planck Institute for Physics is pursuing these questions – with the aim of solving BIG BANG the mysteries of the universe. 13.7 billion years Guiding Principle 05 »RESEARCH ON THE smallest scale TO UNDERSTAND THE grand scale« Guiding principle of the research at the Max Planck Institute for Physics History 100 years MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR PHYSICS 06 THE INSTITUTE WAS FOUNDED under the name of the »Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics« before the end of the First World War. It was initially housed in Albert Einstein’s living room, before it moved into its own building in Berlin-Dahlem in 1937. The research covered a broad spectrum encompassing relativity theory, quantum, nuclear, low temperature and high- voltage physics. In 2017, the Max Planck Institute for Physics concentrates on particle and astroparticle physics. 3 The Swedish king presents the Nobel Prize to Heisenberg 1 The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin 2 Werner Heisenberg as a young man 1 3 07 9, 1922 of the German military of the German military , then professor at the University 1, 1917 2 awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his services for his services in Physics the Nobel Prize awarded built in Berlin-Dahlem. built in Berlin-Dahlem. of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, Berlin. Wilhelm Institute for Physics, of the Kaiser ctober of Leipzig, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. in Physics. the Nobel Prize awarded of Leipzig, New Institute Debye. Director: Peter 1932 (awarded 1933) Heisenberg Werner 1936/37 1939 Placed under the command of with the aim ordnance office (uranium research fission). nuclear for application of fields possible investigating O Foundation Einstein (until 1933). Albert Director: November Einstein Albert to theoretical physics. Albert Einstein Existing Existing fundamental theories: fundamental Left: · Quantum mechanics theories: And colleagues (Heisenberg 1923) on November 11, Electrodynamics, 1931 in Berlin 1917 · Existence of the neutrino Theory of Relativity 1940 (from left to right: (Pauli 1930) Walther Nernst, Known particles: – Albert Einstein, · Theory of radioactive beta Max Planck, Protons, Electrons decay caused by weak Robert Millikan, interaction (Fermi 1934) Max von Laue) World view of cosmology: Known particles: Planets, Stars, 1920 Neutrons (Chadwick 1932), Galaxies, Universe Muons, Positrons, Pions assumed to be (Anderson 1932/36) static World view of cosmology: Expanding universe (Friedmann 1922, Lemaitre 1927, Hubble 1929) 5 Workshop at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen 4 After the German surrender, allied forces 5 A staff member evaluates search the Haigerloch research site particle collisions 08 4 for theoretical physics for theoretical physics fission material Max Planck Institute for Max Planck Hechingen Hechingen , Werner Heisenberg again Director. Heisenberg again Werner , 5 moved to moved are dropped. Institute returned are dropped. Institute returned 1945 two departments: – by American and Soviet troops. American and Soviet by Heisenberg becomes Director. in Göttingen in Göttingen atomic bomb For the first For time, and experimental Weizsäcker) von (head: Carl Friedrich Wirtz). (head: Karl physics Loss of equipment and library; internment Directors Loss and several Institute members. April/May 1945 Occupation 1946 New building and reopened as Physics for an (see box). Wilhelm Society to the Kaiser Werner in the southwest of Germany. and Haigerloch 1942 uranium 235 as to enrich Attempts 1943 of the Institute Parts What was Werner Heisenberg’s role in the uranium program of the Third Reich? Together with other scientists, including In 1941, Heisenberg had several discussions Otto Hahn and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, with his Danish friend and mentor Niels he was called up to work on the German Bohr on the issue of »nuclear weapons«. In 1945 army weapons program. In the uranium addition, between 1950 and 1960 Bohr wrote project initiated there, the researchers were several letters to Heisenberg, but never sent – to investigate possible applications for them. Studying these sources does not nuclear fission – whereby the focus was allow a final assessment of Heisenberg’s certainly on developing an atomic bomb. role in the uranium project either. Attempts to enrich uranium 235 and thus to Klaus Gottstein, Emeritus Scientific Member 1933 make it »critical« were abandoned in 1942. of the Max Planck Institute for Physics and a Niels Bohr and There are different interpretations as to how scientific companion of Heisenberg for Werner Heisenberg this came about, however: Some science many years, discusses the most important 1924 historians are convinced that Heisenberg questions and answers in his article deliberately delayed the uranium project so »Werner Heisenberg and the German as not to provide the Nazi government with Uranium Project (1939 – 1945). Myths and atomic weapons. According to other Facts«. The text is published at authors, the group working with Heisenberg www.heisenberg-gesellschaft.de. There are failed purely and simply because the task also further references to biographical was too difficult. publications. 6 The new building of the Max Planck Institute for Physics 8 Clockwise from top left: Hans-Peter Dürr, Norbert Schmitz, Léon Van Hove, Klaus Gottstein, Ulrich Stierlin 7 Centaur-type rockets transported scientific instruments into space 8 : 09 7 made made 1, 1958 Max Planck Institute for Physics Max Planck 1, 1971 Director: Werner Heisenberg (retired 1970). Werner Director: Board of Directors 6 . Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Institute for Extraterrestrial Institute for Plasma Physics 28, 1960 , father of supersymmetry, appointed appointed , father of supersymmetry, Institute for Astrophysics Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics. Astrophysics. and Institute for Physics Max Planck September as the to Munich Relocation October the first For time, a Members up of several Scientific manages the October 1979 The 1990 Wess Julius Institute for Physics. as Director at the Max Planck and Astrophysics relocates to Garching. June Independent 1963 of the Founding of space with on the physics Research of balloons, probes and satellites. the aid becomes a spin-off in the form of GmbH. Existing fundamental theories: Existing fundamental theories: · Parity violation in weak interaction · Development of the Standard Model (Lee, Wang, Wu 1956/57) of particle physics (Glashow, Salam, Weinberg) – order is brought to the · Dark matter (Zwicky) 1980 1960 particle zoo! · Nucleosynthesis (formation of – – · Quark model nuclei, e. g. helium, lithium) in the universe · Quantum chromodynamics Known particles: Known particles: Kaons, lambda particles – the term Quarks (up, down, strange, charm, 1960 1940 »particle zoo« is coined bottom), Leptons, Vector bosons (W, Z), Gluon as exchange particle of the strong World view of cosmology: interaction Big Bang theories for the creation of World view of cosmology: the universe (Gamow, Bethe) Discovery of cosmic background radiation (»echo of the Big Bang«, Penzias, Wilson 1964) 9 CRESST uses crystals of calcium tungstate to detect dark matter particles 11 Cleanroom laboratory at the MPI for Physics: Installing a component for the GERDA experiment 10 The ATLAS detector at CERN 10 10 »Max Planck Institute for Physics« Institute for Physics« »Max Planck is established. string theory research field string theory research ATLAS experiment ATLAS 9 phenomenology inaugurated – the second follows in 2009. 1991 CRESST experiment CRESST to search for dark matter begins. begins. for dark matter to search Teshima. head: Director Masahiro Current at CERN. Head: Director Siegfried