The University of Basel has received a grant for two new National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR), focusing on antibiotic research and quantum technology. The federal government is providing total funding of CHF 34 million for the two programs in the first funding phase to 2024, bringing the number of NCCRs with the University of Basel as their “leading house” up to three.
In the call for proposals for National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCRs), the University of Basel put forward two projects – and both have been given the green light. The Biozentrum and the Department of Physics are the leading houses for these major initiatives. Vice President Torsten Schwede talks about the preparations that led to this successful outcome, and about the long-term goals of the two projects.
Researchers have succeeded in creating an efficient quantum-mechanical light-matter interface using a microscopic cavity. Within this cavity, a single photon is emitted and absorbed up to 10 times by an artificial atom. This opens up new prospects for quantum technology.
Physicists have developed a technique based on optical microscopy that can be used to create images of atoms on the nanoscale. In particular, the new method allows the imaging of quantum dots in a semiconductor chip.