From quantum physics to following your dreams: looking back at this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Tell us a bit about yourself and your scientific interests.

Sanne: I'm an astronomer, and my PhD involves looking for stars and planets with radio telescopes. We can study stars and exoplanets with a large number of wavelengths, but I’m most interested in working with radio waves because they can give us information about the magnetic fields of stars and the planets orbiting them.

Mike: My PhD project involves conducting material simulations of a new material for optoelectronic applications called ‘metal halide perovskites’. With the simulations, I’m attempting to understand the dynamics and disintegration of the material at the atomic scale.

Martine: I’m mainly interested in quantum physics, specifically in such phenomena as entanglement and superposition. I’m trying to work out how we can use these quantum phenomena for improved sensors, for example to detect very weak gravitational signals.

Which Nobel laureate did you find most impressive, and why?

Sanne: For me, that was Saul Perlmutter. He gave a lecture on scientific thinking, and he talked about the course he teaches on that subject. That got me thinking about ways I can convince people around me to approach the world with a scientific attitude.

Mike: A lot of what the laureates told us was impressive, but for me the enthusiastic way Steven Chu talked about his scientific and social career during the Science Walk was particularly inspiring.

Martine: Even though he doesn't work in the same field as me, I think the Open Exchange with Steven Chu impressed me the most. His career is really inspiring. He talked openly about how and why he took on a government job, and how he’s managed to change fields so often. His message was actually very simple: ‘follow your dreams’, but he delivered it in a fun way and he also gave a lot of room for societal issues during the discussions.

What was the standout moment for you during the Meeting? What has attending brought you or made possible for you?

Sanne: The aim of the Meetings is of course to bring young researchers into contact with Nobel laureates, but for me what was really special was getting to know the other young researchers who were there. It was great to get to know people from all the different fields of physics, to work out ideas together, and to learn from one another. The Meeting has provided me with a big network of physics colleagues around the world. From now on, I'll always know someone at an institute, wherever I go.

Mike: During the week I was there, I really enjoyed connecting with the other young researchers and the Nobel laureates. Hearing all those stories and about all the different backgrounds has really motivated me to follow the advice and to go where your heart tells you in the world of science.

Martine: There were a whole lot of special moments: I got to give a presentation to a large audience, I had lunch with Alain Aspect, and I had breakfast at a panel discussion with Nobel laureates. But what I'll remember most is the enthusiasm and level-headedness of both the Nobel laureates and the other young researchers who attended. Everyone was friendly, open to discussion and enthusiastic about their own research. That was really engaging and motivating.