6. Vienna Seminar of Nobel Laureates

Physics

The sixth Vienna Seminar of Nobel Laureates was inaugurated within the framework of a ceremony / Wiener Vorlesung on October 11, 2011. Nobel laureates Theodor Hänsch, Gerardus 't Hooft, and George Smoot delivered lectures on the thematic focus of “Physics”. The event concluded with a panel discussion.

On October 12, the laureates presented specialized talks at the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Vienna, engaging with questions from the audience.

Laboratory visits at both universities were scheduled for October 13. The seminar concluded with “Meet the Laureates - Innovation for Industry” at the Sky Lounge of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

The members of the 2011 Scientific Advisory Board were Gerald Badurek, Christoph Dellago, and Felicitas Pauss.

Nobel Laureates 2011

Theodor Hänsch

Theodor Hänsch was born in Heidelberg in 1941 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 for the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy.

He finished his PhD in Physics at the University of Heidelberg and went to Stanford University where he worked as a Professor for Physics. Since 1986 he has taught at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. He is also Director of the Max-Planck-Institute for quantum optics.

Theodor Hänsch is a pioneer in the field of experimental laser physics and quantum optics. His experiments enable precise measurements and contribute to the definition of physical constants and to analyze physical laws critically.

The most important scientific contribution of Theodor Hänsch is the frequency comb. This has significant applications in the field of electronic engineering because the transmission capacity in optical fibers increases considerably due to a higher channel assignment. The use of frequency combs also allows positioning through navigation satellite systems to be improved significantly.

Gerardus 't Hooft

Gerardus ’t Hooft, born in Den Helder (Netherlands) in 1946, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1999 for elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions.

He studied Physics and Mathematics at the University of Utrecht and went to CERN, in Geneva, as a Fellow for two years. After research visits at Harvard and Stanford (USA), Gerardus ’t Hooft became a Professor at the University of Utrecht in 1977.

He made important contributions to the theoretical understanding of physical agents. His most significant achievement is the proof of the renormalizability of Yang-Mills-Theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking. This fact is a cornerstone of the standard model of elementary particle physics.

Gerardus ’t Hooft’s work is also characterized by further important contributions concerning the confinement of quarks, instantons and anomalies in quantum field theory. In recent years, Gerardus ’t Hooft has concentrated on fundamental aspects of quantum theory and quantum gravity.

George F. Smoot

George F. Smoot, born in Yukon (Florida) in 1945, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for the groundbreaking discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.

He studied Mathematics and Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 1970 he has worked at the University of California in Berkeley and at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

George F. Smoot is a renowned Astrophysicist and Cosmologist and his main scientific focus is the cosmic microwave background radiation. This radiation originates from the heat of the early big bang and, except for a significant anisotropy, obeys the radiation law of a black body. This allows to draw conclusions about the density fluctuations in the early universe and to understand today's appearance of the universe with its galaxy clusters and voids.

At present, George F. Smoot runs the PLANCK and SNAP missions that continue to examine the cosmic microwave background radiation as well as explore the dark energy of the universe.

Commissioned composition

Eva Reiter

Born in Vienna, Eva Reiter studied recorder and viola da gamba at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Currently giving concerts as a soloist as well as performing with different baroque orchestras, the Ensemble Mikado, Le Badinage, Unidas and with Ensembles for contemporary music.

She was awarded the “Publicity Preis” of the SKE and the Förderungspreis of the City of Vienna in 2008, the Queen Marie José International Composition Prize 2008, as well as other prizes. Eva Reiter's compositions were performed at international festivals.

The Sixth Vienna Seminar of Nobel Laureates featured the world premiere of her composition "Irrlicht" for Voice and Ensemble.

Performers:
Theresa Dlouhy, Soprano
Thomas List, Recorder
Katharina Lugmayr, Recorder
Maja Osojnik, Recorder
Eva Reiter, Recorder and Viola da gamba