• H2020
• Excellent Science
• European Research Council

An Austrian researcher at the University of Stuttgart has secured a €2m Consolidator Grant to undertake further investigations in the field of quantum mechanics.

The so-called ‘quantum mechanics tunnel effect of atoms’ causes some chemical reactions to take place more quickly at low temperatures, even enabling reactions in ice-cold conditions. Professor Johannes Kästner has been investigating the phenomenon with the help of simulations allowing a clear identification of tunnel processes, since the effect can be switched on and off in the simulation. This is in contrast to experimental investigations, in which it always occurs.

The quantum mechanics tunnel effect can be described in simplified terms as follows: atoms and molecules follow the laws of quantum mechanics and often move very differently than we are used to with objects from our daily lives. For instance, if a ball is thrown against a wall, it will bounce back. However, if the ball and the wall are so small and so thin that they behave in a quantum mechanics way, then this could lead to the ball flying through the wall as if it wasn’t there. Wall and ball have no influence at all on each other.

The effect is responsible for some chemical reactions being able to take place quickly even at a low temperature, accelerated biochemical processes like the cellular respiration in the human bodies and enabling reactions in the interstellar medium.

Kästner will use the funding from the ERC to further his investigations over the next five years. Commenting on the ERC grant, the researcher said: “The funding by the EU gives me a lot of freedom and development opportunities in order to investigate this effect comprehensively and, in addition, to significantly enlarge my research group.”

The scientist is based at the Institute for Theoretical Chemistry at the university in Germany.