Sujet Semester question: a "Quantum" Rubik's Cube
Semester question

How does quantum research change our reality?

Welcome to the world of quanta, in which particles can seemingly exist in several places at the same time and in which long-held certainties are being challenged. On this playing field, our understanding of the world is changing – and groundbreaking technologies become possible. Researchers of the University of Vienna are at the forefront of this development.
31. January 2024
Quantum entanglement in bent space

Between gravity and the quantum world

Physicists in the team of Philip Walther at the University of Vienna investigate how gravity works in the bizarre realm of quantum physics. Watch the video for a glimpse into their lab and their ambitions and read on to learn about a new precision experiment on the influence of gravity on quantum entanglement.
3. October 2023
Nobel Prize in Physics

Nobel Prize for Anton Zeilinger and his revolutionary "crazy ideas"

The Nobel Prize awarded to quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger is certainly a highlight of an extraordinary scientific career. Here you can read and watch a compilation of content relating to the Nobel Prize - from videos and photo reports to interviews and background information.
13. December 2022
Audimax Podcast with Anne-Catherine de la Hamette and Lee Rozema

Working on questioning essentially everything

Quantum physicists Anne-Catherine de la Hamette and Lee Rozema work on challenging the fundamental principles of physics and how we think of our everyday life. In this podcast, they talk about their work life: They discuss how experimentalists and theoreticians are entangled, how they deal with their own uncertainties and the current trajectories of their fields.
29. November 2022
Quantum Physics

Researching the Quantum World: What our universe is built of

At the University of Vienna, quantum physicists from different countries, ages and career levels, have one thing in common: Genuinely curious, they try to understand the fundamental building blocks of the universe. In the video, three researchers from the research group Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information tell us what drives them and take us on a tour of their workplace.
5. May 2021
Presenting... Physicist Valeria Saggio

Using quantum physics for machine learning

Valeria Saggio, doctoral candidate at the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics, investigates the bridge between quantum physics and artificial intelligence. Her team was able to demonstrate that the learning time of agents can be reduced when quantum physics is used in the machine learning protocol.

Semester question: How does quantum research change our reality?

What if the Rubik's Cube was more than just a puzzle and opened the door to a world of unforeseeable possibilities? Just like in this scenario, quantum mechanics challenge us to question the rules of space, time and cause-and-effect that we are used to. For example, in the quantum world, particles seem to appear in several places at the same time – and are only forced into a fixed location by observation.

In 2025 we celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology – a research field in which the University of Vienna plays a leading role. As part of the semester question, academics of the University of Vienna provide exciting insights into their 'playing field' and explain how quantum phenomena are turning our view of the world upside down, enabling technologies such as quantum computers and completely secure communication.

Find out more about the 'new rules' of the quantum world – first-hand from academics of the University of Vienna: in the Rudolphina magazine, under #semesterfrage and at the concluding panel discussion on 16 June 2025 in the Main Ceremonial Hall.

About the Semester question

Each semester, the University of Vienna poses its academics a question that is of particular relevance to today’s society. You can find all current contributions by the University of Vienna’s academics in the Rudolphina magazine (in German) or on our social media channels under #Semesterfrage. The University of Vienna runs this project in cooperation with the Austrian daily newspaper "Der Standard" – starting with online contributions and ending with a closing event at the end of the semester.