Quantum technology, one of the key research areas at Leibniz University Hannover, is on the road to success. Following the success of the project QuantumFrontiers in the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments and the funding approval in the framework of the EU Quantum Flagship initiative, a proposal for a new Institute of Quantum Technology in Hannover has now been given the green light. Multiple institutes at Leibniz University Hannover initiated the project. "The award acknowledges the leading role of our university in this future technology", says Professor Wolfgang Ertmer from the Institute of Quantum Optics, one of the initiators of the proposal.
The new institute will be located at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and will work closely with Leibniz University Hannover. The researchers at the new institute want to develop new satellites that measure the Earth''s gravitational field from space. For example, they want to determine much more precisely, how glacier ice masses or the groundwater level change over time. This will enable researchers to assess climate change or the impact of intensive irrigation in agriculture.
In the institute, researchers from very different fields such as quantum optics, laser technology, and geodesy will be working together. Leibniz University Hannover has a wealth of knowledge in all of these fields. In addition, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig (Germany''s national metrology institute) and the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity in Bremen will contribute their expertise. The new DLR institute aims to combine these skills under one roof. During the initial phase, the staff will continue their research in the existing facilities. For this purpose, the State of Lower Saxony will provide two million euros of initial funding for Leibniz University Hannover. In a few years'' time, the institute will move to new premises. The new research facility will include laboratories, cleanrooms, and other structures for planning, overseeing, and evaluating satellite missions.
In addition to the institute in Hanover, the DLR will establish two more institutes focusing on quantum technology, which will be located in Ulm and Oberpfaffenhofen. All three facilities will work closely together.
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