Discover the PhotonLab

Photonlab - Engaging young talents

The PhotonLab is a laser laboratory especially designed for high school students, located within the Max Planck Intitute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in the Garching research campus. Since 2011, the PhotonLab - built up by MPQ, LMU, and MCQST - is a focal point for everyone who wants to learn about light.

Over 5000 visitors have already taken the opportunity to learn and experiment here. Offered experiments include: measuring the thickness of a strand of hair, determining the sugar concentration using refraction, or how to transmit music using light. Additionally, the PhotonLab regularly offers teacher's trainings, internships, support in more advanced experiments or guidance in entering experiments in competitions.

The lab is now also at the forefront of the digital world. The team led by Dr. Silke Stähler-Schöpf has received an award from the German Association of School Labs LernortLabor (LeLa) in the Schülerlabor digital competition.

Virtual Tour

Take a look around the PhotonLab! You'll discover 20 different experiments, which you can do yourself when you visit with your school class. You can measure the thickness of your hair, capture beads of light with optical tweezers, send messages securely using quantum cryptography, and much more. Click through and find your favorite experiment! (The virtual tour is in German.)

News & Events

Alice in Quantum Land!

With the new radio play series "Alice in Quantum Land", PhotonLab takes you on a fascinating journey into the mysterious world of quanta.

[show more »]

Award-winning Quantum Random Number Generator

The MPQ Photonlab is once again awarded with the LeLa Prize of the Federal Association of German School Labs, this time in the category “experiment of the year”.

[show more »]

Jubläumsevent - 10 Jahre Photonlab

10 Jahre Schülerlabor „PhotonLab“! Das ist ein Grund zu feiern! Dafür haben wir zwei abwechslungsreiche Veranstaltungen auf die Beine gestellt.

[show more »]

International Day of Light

The 16th of May offers many reasons for celebration: 60 Year Laser Anniversary, International Day of Light, and the 25th Birthday of the Cirac-Zoller Gate.

[show more »]

Accept privacy?

Scroll to top