Congratulations to TU Dresden on retaining its University of Excellence status! +++ All eyes now turn to JMU Würzburg, whose own Excellence evaluation in mid-April is fast approaching. We wish everyone the very best of luck and every success in securing the title this October!

Outreach

ctd.qmat’s outreach initiatives engage a broad, international public — especially children and young people — and invite them to discover the world of quantum physics. By presenting quantum research as creative, dynamic, and full of possibility, we spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of students, educators, and researchers worldwide.

Outreach & Engagement

Over 500,000 Downloads: Kitty Q Brings Quantum Physics to Life

The mobile game “Kitty Q — A Quantum Adventure,” available for smartphones and tablets, was developed in collaboration with award-winning app designer Philipp Stollenmayer to introduce young people (11+) to the fascinating world of quantum physics. Featuring a quirky, endearing cat as its main character, the app takes a playful, interactive and accessible approach to a complex topic.

 

With a particular focus on engaging girls — who remain underrepresented in physics degree programs — Kitty Q lowers barriers to entry and encourages curiosity through storytelling and interactive play. The approach has clearly resonated: the app has surpassed 500,000 downloads worldwide and received numerous awards and nominations. A 2025 scientific study showed that using the app in the classroom boosted students’ motivation for physics.

 

Get the App

12,000 Visitors: Following the Trail of Kitty Q

Quantum physics comes to life in Germany’s first escape room dedicated to quantum science for children and teens. Created in collaboration with Technische Sammlungen Dresden (the city’s science museum), Kitty Q — A Quantum Adventure invites visitors into a mysterious box that opens onto a colorful “quantum apartment” with four immersive rooms.

 

Inside the escape room, participants solve a series of puzzles — available in both German and English — uncovering quantum phenomena along the way and ultimately freeing Kitty Q from her in-between state. With more than 12,000 visitors, the experience has proven a hit with school groups and families alike, whether as a highlight of a class trip or a hands-on science adventure for birthday celebrations.

 

The experience is complemented by the take-home mini encyclopedia “Kittypedia to Go,” which explains quantum concepts in an accessible way, as well as the short video series “KittyToks,” extending the quantum fun beyond the escape room.

 

 

Explore the Escape Room

150,000 Views: Quantum Phenomena Explained Simply

In the video series “QUANTube — Short Break Science,” early-career researchers answer physics questions submitted by children and teens. Each episode explains quantum phenomena in a clear, engaging way, making the twelve short videos well suited for classroom use.

 

Tying in with the motto of Germany’s Science Year 2022 (“Participate!”), QUANTube builds on the success of the mobile game “Kitty Q.” As part of the project, players were invited to submit their own questions to the ctd.qmat team — resulting in more than 2,000 questions from around the world. The concept won the Community Prize for International Research Marketing, and the videos have been viewed over 150,000 times.

 

 

Explore QUANTube

50 Stops Worldwide: Women Shaping the Future of Physics

The traveling exhibition “RETHINKING PHYSICS — A Century of Quantum Mechanics: Time for a Female Perspective!” was created for Quantum2025, the United Nations’ International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It features portraits of established and early-career women researchers whose work and experiences highlight the vital role women play in shaping the field of quantum physics.

 

Through personal stories and perspectives, the exhibition showcases the enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity that drive scientific discovery — and offers inspiring role models for the next generation of physicists. In 2025, the exhibition toured more than 50 venues worldwide, including locations in Australia, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the United States.

 

 

Visit the Exhibition

From the Quantum Lab to the Classroom: 
Cutting-Edge Research for Schools

How can quantum research be made accessible starting in middle school? That’s the guiding question behind the “Quantum Physics” thematic cluster, developed in collaboration with MINT-EC, Germany’s national network of excellence schools focusing on STEM subjects.

 

In this initiative, teachers work closely with researchers from ctd.qmat to create classroom-ready teaching materials on key concepts in quantum physics for lower and upper secondary education. The program combines hands-on activities, digital tools, interactive game stations, and YouTube videos designed to spark curiosity and make learning both engaging and accessible.

 

The first interactive teaching materials are already available for free download.

 

 

Learn about the School Program

Press

The ctd.qmat Press Room offers journalists quick access to key information about our research and activities. Here you’ll find the latest press releases, images, and graphics, along with selected background materials to support accurate and informed reporting.

  • Pressebild-2026-07-Abbildungjochenthamm

    How Surfaces Grow: Research Team Demonstrates Universal 2D Growth

    Crystals, bacterial colonies, flame fronts: the growth of surfaces was first described in the 1980s by the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang equation. Now—forty years later—a Würzburg-based research team from the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat has achieved the first experimental demonstration of KPZ behavior on 2D surfaces in space and time. The results have been published in Science.
  • Pressebild-Topologieimlicht-Abbildungjochenthamm-1920x1080

    Topology in Light: Würzburg Researchers Create Optical Phenomenon Inspired by the Quantum Hall and Spin Hall Effects

    Researchers at the Würzburg site of the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat have successfully transferred the topological quantum Hall and spin Hall effects to a hybrid light–matter system using targeted material design.
  • 2026-German-Japanese-Workshop-Hdslide-Text-1920x1080

    “A Fruitful Collaboration”: German–Japanese Quantum Workshop in Sapporo Brings Leading Scientists Together

    The Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat is continuing its successful German–Japanese research collaboration. From March 2 to 4, 2026, the 2nd Japan–Germany Workshop on Correlated and Topological Quantum Materials was held at Hokkaido University in Japan.
  • Rethinking-Physics-At-Ifw-Dresden-Fotopatriciabaeuchlerifwdresden-1920x1080

    Women Quantum Physicists Take Center Stage: RETHINKING PHYSICS Concludes International Tour in Dresden

    After 61 stops across Germany, Australia, Austria, and the United States, the traveling exhibition “RETHINKING PHYSICS: A Century of Quantum Mechanics — Time for a Female Perspective!” is drawing to an end. It remains on view at the IFW Dresden through March 10, 2026. A public colloquium will mark the official closing event.
  • Adobestock-1664546096-1920x1080

    ctd.qmat Team Deciphers Moiré Superconductivity

    Writing in Nature, an international team of researchers has, for the first time, demonstrated a direct link between electronic states in quantum materials and moiré superconductivity. The theoretical framework was provided by a multi-site team from the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat.
  • Pressebild-2026-02-Ctdqmat-Fototobiasritz-1920x1080

    New Name, Expanded Focus: ctd.qmat Launches into the Future of Quantum Research

    Marked by a new focus on dynamics and a distinctive quantum vibe, the Würzburg–Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat — Complexity, Topology and Dynamics in Quantum Matter — is entering the second funding period of the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments.
  • 2026-03-Ercgrant-Vaynzof-1920x1080

    European Funding to Bring New Technology to Market

    The European Research Council (ERC) is supporting a feasibility study led by Professor Yana Vaynzof, Principal Investigator at ctd.qmat, with a Proof of Concept Grant. The €150,000 award will be used to explore a new, high-speed production process for efficient photovoltaic technologies.
  • Aparajita Singha standing with arms crossed in a lab, surrounded by technical equipment.

    Measuring a Single Magnetic Moment New Quantum Chair Launched in Dresden

    Aparajita Singha can measure single magnetic moments in quantum materials — a crucial foundation for future quantum technologies. She has now assumed her professorship in Nanoscale Quantum Materials at the Würzburg–Dresden Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat and is based at TU Dresden.

  • Period 2: ctd.qmat


    Period 1: ct.qmat

  • Abstrakte Illustration eines kristallartigen blauen Objekts in einer nebligen Umgebung, Symbolisierung von Quanten‑Materialforschung.

    Surface-Only Superconductor Is the Strangest of Its Kind

    A new study by researchers at IFW Dresden and the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat shows that although PtBi₂ looks like an ordinary shiny gray crystal, the electrons moving across its surfaces behave in ways never seen before. Intriguingly, the edges of the superconducting surfaces host long-sought Majorana particles — promising candidates for fault-tolerant quantum bits (qubits) in future quantum computers.
Katja Lesser mit schulterlangem dunklem Haar und weißer Bluse, lächelnd.

Katja Lesser

Press Officer & Head of Communications
Technische Universität Dresden

Phone: +49 351 463-33496
Email: katja.lesser@tu-dresden.de

 

  

Porträt von Theresa Kunzelmann mit Brille und langen rötlich-blonden Haaren vor dunklem Hintergrund, sie lächelt in die Kamera.

Theresa Kunzelmann

Communicatios Manager Würzburg
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Phone: + 49 931 31-88933

Email: theresa.kunzelmann@uni-wuerzburg.de 

Frau Lissner mit langen blonden Locken, draußen mit herbstlichem Hintergrund.

Aline Lißner

Communications Manager Dresden
Technische Universität Dresden

Phone: +49 351 463-35765
Email: aline.lissner@tu-dresden.de