“What the quant?!” is an exhibition to celebrate the Quantum Year 2025 in the Forum Wissen, the knowledge museum of the University of Göttingen. The Forum Wissen is dedicating a large special exhibition to mark the topic of quantum mechanics, whose history is closely linked with Göttingen University. The exhibition tells the story of quantum physics from the year 1900 right up to the present day. It will run at the Forum Wissen from 27 March to 5 October 2025.

The special exhibition in the Forum Wissen explores how the understanding of quantum mechanics came together in 1925. It illustrates that science is a collaborative endeavour supported by exchange with others. The exhibition shows the role played by international research networks, together with the financial, political and social circumstances at the time that made the scientific breakthrough possible, and current technology that relies on quantum physics.

Hands-on experiments in quantum physics illustrate that the world works very differently at the level of individual atoms than we could ever imagine. A wide range of examples show where quantum technologies are currently in use. Playful and theatrical contributions developed by pupils, as well as art installations, invite visitors to explore the world of quanta in the Forum Wissen.

The exhibition was developed by Forum Wissen curators Dr Ramona Dölling and Christine Nawa in collaboration with Göttingen University physicist Professor Stefan Kehrein and other curators of collections across the University.

The patron of the exhibition is the German Physical Society.