Prof. Dr. Cornelia Denz
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)
Quantum metrology - From time to climate measurements
The effects of changes in the global climate, in particular the warming of the atmosphere, oceans and land, are known for several decades since the Club of Rome's modelling. Today, we know that the anthropogenic climate change is the result of a complex interaction of numerous parameters. The science of precision measurement - metrology - is of huge importance for the systematic quantification of this highly complex system since its dynamic characterization requires reliable, comparable and accurate spatio-temporal measurement data and methods. This paves the way to gain a better understanding of the origins of the changes of our environment and to introduce measures such as the massive expansion of renewable energies and the significant reduction of greenhouse gases in a responsible way.
In this context, quantum technologies that are well known as forthcoming in computing, sensing and communication, are starting to develop useful tools to diagnose and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Harnessing the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum metrology offers unprecedented levels of accuracy and sensitivity in measuring physical quantities. In environmental science, quantum metrology can improve the accuracy of monitoring systems used to track climate change and thus provide valuable data for environmental research and policymaking.
After introducing the metrology of renewable forms of energy and their efficiency as well as the traceability of essential climate variables, this presentation will discuss how quantum metrology can contribute essential information on sustainability and how it can measure complex systems.