Leiden Institute of Physics

Communication about quantum technology offers many opportunities (but risks too)

Watching and analysing hundreds of TEDx talks, that too can be research. That becomes clear from the work of PhD student Aletta Meinsma, who is studying potential problems in popular communication about quantum technologies. She explains why it is so important.

Why do birds flock? Shedding light on collective motions in heterogeneous populations

Electrifying plastic beads in a laboratory setup creates flocking behaviour similar to that observed in birds. And if you mix beads of two sizes, they will automatically separate.

‘It’s beautiful that we can understand something as complex as birds through beads.’

This seemingly simple observation by Alexandre Morin and Samadarshi Maity teaches us about collective motion at all scales.

New method to find Majorana’s tested for the first time

Fifteen years ago, an alternative technique to look for the elusive Majorana particles was conceived theoretically. But no one carried out the experiment, until now. Physicist Jianfeng Ge and his colleagues from the Allan lab of the Leiden Institute of Physics have now successfully carried out the first measurements.