LMU physicist Professor Monika Aidelsburger wins Alfried Krupp Prize

• The award is worth 1 million euros
• Sponsored by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, the distinction is awarded to outstanding researchers who have recently attained professorial rank

This year‘s Alfried Krupp Prize goes to the young researcher Monika Aidelsburger, Professor of Experimental Physics at LMU, for her contributions to the field of quantum physics. The award, worth 1 million euros, is sponsored by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, and honors outstanding researchers who have already been appointed to their first professorship.

Monika Aidelsburger’s research focuses on the area of quantum simulation and the experimental investigation of the behavior of ultracold quantum gases trapped in optical lattices. The Foundation’s decision was motivated by the very high quality of her research work. The award specifically acknowledges her role in the development of an innovative method that makes it possible for quantum mechanical phenomena to be simulated in the laboratory with ultracold atoms. The strategy has allowed researchers to gain new insights into the exotic properties of topological materials, and enabled them to directly explore fundamental concepts that had previously been regarded as purely theoretical concepts, rather than directly observable phenomena.

“It’s a great honor for me to have been chosen to receive this very special prize,” says Monika Aidelsburger. “I am particularly happy because this award shows that our research area attracts the interest of a wider public, and that its significance is recognized beyond our research community.”

Monika Aidelsburger studied Physics at LMU and received her PhD there in 2015 with summa cum laude. She went on to undertake postdoctoral research at LMU, at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching, and at the Collège de France in Paris. She now leads several research groups in the department headed by Immanuel Bloch at LMU. She was appointed to her present position as Professor of Experimental Physics in 2019.

More on Monika Aidelsburger's research: A bridge to the quantum world