Chapter 356 The Max Planck Society

The pick-up ceremony was not very grand. There were no welcome staff swarming left and right, and there was no motorcade lined up in a row with great fanfare. Except for the three directors and a president, there were only two accompanying research assistants.

According to Professor Faltings' introduction, both of them are Ph.Ds from the Institute of Mathematics of the Max Planck Society. The reason why they appear here is because they have temporary administrative jobs in the Max Planck Society. As for another bigger reason , I have long admired his name.

However, even so, two Nobel laureates and one Fields laureate are here, and the pick-up itself, which is not a grand event, has become a lot more meaningful.

However, as a pragmatist, Lu Zhou didn't care much about these red tapes.

When he went to Stockholm to accept the award, after he got off the plane, he took the subway by himself and went sightseeing all the way.

When he came to Berlin this time, Lu Zhou originally planned to take a car to the hotel where he was staying, and even investigated the route in advance.

It's just that now it seems that these preparations seem a bit redundant...

"You are simply a genius. How did you come up with those formulas?" After getting into the special car sent by the Max Planck Society at the door, Professor Eitel couldn't help asking just as he put on his seat belt.

Lu Zhou said in a joking tone: "You may not believe it when you say it. When I was researching documents in the Flint Library, the Schrödinger equation gave me a lot of inspiration."

Klitzing laughed and said, "There is nothing unbelievable. The HF method and the molecular dynamics simulation have more or less borrowed inspiration from quantum mechanics."

Obviously not wanting to hear this guy boasting, Professor Eitel coughed lightly and continued to ask.

"I have read your paper, although I don't understand some of the theory very well, but I have many doubts about the part I understand. How do you accurately simplify the solution of the many-body ground state to the ground state density The solution of the distribution? If it is through the Schrödinger equation, what is the difference between your theory and the first-principles calculation method in terms of results?"

The first-principles calculation method is the core method of modern computational chemistry, and the source of its core theory is the Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics. This calculation method is advanced to a certain extent, but there are also big problems.

First of all, the number of variables has reached the astronomical number of 3N (N is the total number of particles), and secondly, its settlement results are often controversial.

Because not only the number of variables is astonishingly large, in order to make the conclusion "beautiful", there are also too many empirical parameters added to it.

"Yes, but not entirely." Lu Zhou smiled and continued, "I introduced the concept of partial functional density theory in the research room of the ground state density distribution problem, such as taking the radius of the specified core region in the atom as ra, It is called the truncation radius, and the pseudo wave function outside the truncation radius is the same as the real valence electron wave function ψv, so that..."

"Professional issues will be discussed after a week." Already feeling dizzy, President Strahman coughed dryly, diverted the topic, looked at Lu Zhou and continued to ask: "What do you plan to do this week?" How to arrange it?"

There is no blackboard at hand, and the next part is really not easy to continue.

Lu Zhou made a helpless expression to Professor Eitel. After thinking for a while, he continued: "Before the report starts, I want to familiarize myself with the environment here. Is there any interesting place you can recommend to me?"

Upon hearing this topic, Professor Klitzing immediately became interested, and said vividly: "An interesting place? In the whole of Berlin, there is no place more interesting than the Max-Planck laboratory. Shall I show you around?"

Lu Zhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Please take me to watch it."

Compared with landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and the Capitol, the laboratory really interested him more. In particular, the laboratories of the Max Planck Society are well-known in the field of condensed matter physics.

Naturally, Lu Zhou would not let go of such an opportunity to have a Nobel laureate act as a tour guide.

After half an hour's drive, we arrived at our destination quickly.

After getting off the car at the door of the Bernitz Hotel, Lu Zhou took out the luggage from the trunk of the car.

Just as he was about to say goodbye to several scholars, Lu Zhou suddenly remembered something that had puzzled him for a long time.

"By the way, I've always wanted to ask a question."

Professor Klitzing said kindly, "If I can answer it."

Lu Zhou smiled: "This question may be a bit boring, but it's just out of my personal curiosity. Why did the Institute of Condensed Matter Physics send me the invitation instead of the Institute of Chemistry?"

He can understand even the Institute of Mathematics, but this invitation from the Institute of Condensed Matter Physics... Although it has nothing to do with his research, it still makes him a little confused.

However, for some reason, when he asked this question, the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Especially Professor Eitel and Professor Faltings, they all have speechless expressions.

Lu Zhou gradually began to realize that he seemed to have asked a question that should not be asked.

Only Professor Klitzing looked a little smug, cleared his throat and said.

"That's a good question..."

However, before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Faltings.

"This is indeed a very boring question," Faltings continued, playing with the hat in his hand, with an indifferent expression, "Also, next time I bet, I will consider playing blackjack instead of the unskilled toss coin."

Lu Zhou: "..."

Although he was still confused, after hearing these words, he seemed to understand something...

...

The predecessor of the Max Planck Society was the Royal Society of William established in 1911. At that time, Kaiser Wilhelm II believed that the interest in science and technology could enhance the national strength, so he established the society in his own name, and the royal family funded scientific research to strengthen Germany. technical capabilities.

Evaluated from the perspective of the times, this decision was undoubtedly quite far-sighted at the time. Thanks to the support of national capital, a large number of outstanding scholars and scientific research projects continue to emerge, which has kept Germany's technology at the forefront of the world within 30 years.

After World War II, although the Royal William Society was disbanded, it was retained in the form of the Max Planck Society with the support of the United Kingdom.

The impact of this historical legacy can still be clearly seen today.

Although the position of the world's academic center has been moving across the ocean to the west since the Cold War, due to the hematopoietic ability of the Max Planck Society, Germany's research in engineering technology, condensed matter physics and other fields still maintains the world's leading level.

From this point of view, the Germans are undoubtedly much luckier than the French who lost their position as the center of mathematics in the world.

After staying in the hotel, Lu Zhou rested for a day, and the next day, at the invitation of Professor Klitzing, he went to the Max-Planck Laboratory in Berlin.

Strictly speaking, this Max Planck laboratory is also one of the heritages of the Royal William Society, but after modernization, its original style is almost invisible here.

"...The laboratories of the Max Planck Society are distributed in various cities in Germany. This is just one of them, and it is probably the largest one. Many research institutes in the direction of physics and chemistry have a considerable number of research topics here. Here is Like a reactor, it ignites knowledge in various fields and releases its energy."

Lu Zhou thought for a while and asked, "So the research here is carried out in units of research institutes?"

Professor Klitzing replied in a chatty tone: "That's not true. To be precise, most of the projects here are carried out in units of research groups, and there are great differences between groups. For those who have never worked here , this may be difficult to understand, but in short, you can understand that it is a completely different research method from that of American research institutions.”

Walking on the tree-lined path leading to the Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Professor Klitzing was talking to Lu Zhou about the composition of the Max-Planck Society, while chatting with him about various anecdotes here.

When passing by a unique oblate building, Lu Zhou cast a curious gaze over there.

"What's over there?"

Professor Klitzing said with a smile: "That's the 'industry' of the Institute of Plasma Physics. You can guess what's in it. I bet you can't guess."

"Could it be a collider?" Lu Zhou joked.

"Haha, that's not true, it's a more sci-fi thing than a collider," Haha smiled, and Professor Klitzing said in a joking tone, "You should have heard of it, the interesting thing about controllable nuclear fusion topic."