Recordings of Online Lectures

PGI researchers regularly engage with the public through various channels, including lectures. You can find a selection of recordings of online lectures here:

When spin waves take new paths

Dr. Ying-Jiun Chen (ER-C-1/PGI-6), 24 September 2026

How do magnetic excitations propagate through a material that is only a few atomic layers thick? In her presentation, Dr. Ying-Jiun Chen will discuss the research for which she was honored by the journal *Applied Physics Letters* with inclusion in the “APL Rising Stars Collection” 2024: the study of magnons in a two-dimensional Weyl magnet. Magnons are elementary excitations in magnetic materials. They determine the magnetic order and the dynamics of spins. In the award-winning study, the research team demonstrated found that the presence of Weyl fermions in a two-dimensional magnet influences the magnon dispersion, leading to an unequal dispersion of magnons with opposite propagation direction. This discovery could open up new ways to precisely control magnons—for example, for magnetic storage media or sensors.

Art and Quantum Computing – how we bring the intangible to life

Prof. Dr Tommaso Calarco, PGI-8, and Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand (external), 29 May 2026

Quantum computing is regarded as the epitome of the intangible – and yet it is increasingly becoming a canvas for images, sounds and experiences. What happens when quantum processes can be not only calculated but also addressed using the senses? In two short keynote talks, science and art come together here. The focus is on artistic and scientific cross-disciplinary explorations – from hydrodynamic quantum analogues through ‘installation art’ to phenomenological questions: where does our body end as a measuring instrument – and where does the observed phenomenon begin?

About the speakers:

• Prof. Dr Tommaso Calarco is Director of the Peter Grünberg Institute PGI-8 (Quantum Control). He is working on methods to control quantum processes in a targeted manner and to make them usable for quantum computers.
• Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand are an internationally active artist duo working at the intersection of art and physics. They develop installations and performances in which physical phenomena take place before the audience as living, ever-changing events without the use of recording media – in which case perception becomes part of the work.

KI - Brücken zwischen Inseln im Ozean (in German)

Prof. Dr Rainer Waser, formerly PGI-7/10, 4 December 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) derives from neuroscience and brain research, which deepen our understanding of biological neural networks, as well as from electrical engineering and information technology, with a focus on novel, energy-efficient memristic components and circuits as the basis for future neuromorphic computers for AI. The lecture begins with these disciplines and provides a brief overview of current AI applications, taking a look at future developments – including their potential and challenges:

Moleküle im Rampenlicht (in German)

Dr. Anja Meier, PGI-3, 20 November 2025

Light can do far more than simply make things visible – it can reveal to us the innermost structure of matter. When light strikes a surface, electrons are emitted, providing us with information about the structure and electronic properties of the molecules present there. Using photoemission orbital tomography (POT), it is even possible to reconstruct the shapes of the molecular orbitals – effectively portraits of the electron shells. This provides a fascinating view of molecules in the spotlight: