Why did matter and antimatter not completely annihilate each other after the Big Bang? What is the invisible dark matter made of, which accounts for more than 80% of the universe’s mass? What is the role of mysterious neutrinos in the early universe?

On a fascinating journey of discovery into the world of the smallest and the largest, the interactive exhibition of the cluster of excellence PRISMA+ demonstrates the progress made in answering these questions. It shows what precision means for PRISMA+ research and how researchers challenge our established understanding of the world with the help of unimaginably precise measurements and calculations. The motto is to participate and try things out.

At the opening, concept artist and composer Tim Otto Roth will present, among other things, his light and sound installation AIS³ [aiskju:b] in a lecture, where he used 444 illuminated loudspeakers to make the processes of the ‘world’s craziest telescope’ – the IceCube Neutrino Observatory – tangible on a small scale. Afterwards, he will discuss with sound artist Prof. Peter Kiefer and physicist Prof. Dr. Matthias Neubert, one of the spokespersons of PRISMA+, what happens when artwork and scientific experiment meet.

The exhibition will be on display from June 14 to August 18 at the Academy of Sciences and Literature. Admission is free.

In Christopher Nolan’s Film ‘Interstellar’ (2014), humanity must leave Earth in a dystopian future and search for a new planet. The science fiction Film starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway addresses themes that are increasingly coming into focus in society and science. On the one hand, in times of climate crisis, it’s about resources on the moon, industry in orbit, colonies on Mars, and potentially the survival of humanity in the long term. On the other hand, the arts also look into the universe and explore existential questions: How does space exploration change humanity? What could future human life in space look like? Where is our place in the universe? These questions are also raised in the Film through an exciting plot and spectacular effects. But is what we see scientifically plausible at all? Does it matter whether stories about space come from the USA or another country? And what role does the relationship between science and culture play in space research?

In the introductory discussion about the Film, physicist Prof. Dr. Matthias Neubert (cluster of excellence PRISMA+, member of the Academy) and Americanist Dr. Jens Temmen (member of the Young Academy | Mainz) will shed some light on these and other questions.

The event is organized by the Young Academy of the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz and PRISMA+. For inquiries, please contact the coordinator of the Young Academy, Dr. Aglaia Bianchi: junge.akademie@adwmainz.de.

The Film ‘Interstellar’ will be shown in English original with German subtitles. Tickets are available at a special price of €7 at the cinema box office, and the event ends around 7 PM.

Lectures and discussion rounds for students on the topic of the universe – with speakers from the cluster of excellence PRISMA+ and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

To unravel the mysteries of the universe, physicists build unimaginably large and at the same time incredibly precise experiments in the most exotic places in the world. In the morning, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Böser and Daniel Wenz from PRISMA+ will take students on a fascinating journey to these experiments: In the glacial ice of Antarctica, the IceCube Experiment monitors cosmic neutrinos. In the Gran Sasso mountains, 1,400 meters deep underground, the XENON Experiment is searching for dark matter. In the afternoon, Dr. Jan Leitner from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry brings astrophysics into the laboratory. Interested individuals are especially invited to this lecture at 2 PM, while the morning lectures are primarily aimed at middle and high school classes.