Challenges of Low-Dimensional Quantum Gases: Brazilian-German Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar

This binational Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar organized by ICTP-SAIFR will bring together primarily scientists from Brazil and Germany to discuss both the challenges and the prospects for quantum gases in spatial dimensions lower than three. Scientists from other parts of the world will also participate and provide a global perspective of recent developments. In addition to plenary sessions, where leading experts on quantum gases will present their latest work, the seminar will have contributed talks by some young participants and poster sessions to disseminate widely the research of all attendees.

In recent years it has turned out that low-dimensional quantum gas systems are quite challenging due to the enhanced impact of quantum and thermal fluctuations upon static and dynamic properties. Therefore, the planned Brazilian-German Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar focuses upon such low-dimensional quantum gases and discusses their respective challenges and prospects. In particular we have in mind to highlight.

• two-dimensional quantum gas systems with properties, which do not exist in their three-dimensional
• counterparts as, for instance, the fractional quantum Hall effect or the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition,
• quantum gases in a microgravity bubble trap in order to investigate how the differential geometry of a closed surface affects the system properties,
• photon Bose-Einstein condensates in dye-filled microcavities and semiconductor lasers with their potential technological applications,
• anyonic stastistics realized by bosonic or fermionic atoms in one-dimensional lattices in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the intriguing stastistical interaction, which is omnipresent in the quantum realm due to the indistingishability of identical quantum particles.

The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.

Arnaldo Gammal (São Paulo, Brazil)

Axel Pelster (Kaiserslautern, Germany)

Ednilson Santos (São Carlos, Brazil)

Click HERE for online application (soon)

Application deadline: November 30, 2025

Invited speakers

• Vanderlei Bagnato (São Carlos, Brazil)
• Martin Bonkhoff (Hamburg, Germany)
• Monica Caracanhas (São Carlos, Brazil)
• Patricia Castilho (São Carlos, Brazil)
• Lauriane Chomaz (Heidelberg, Germany)
• Vivian França (São Paulo, Brazil)
• Johannes Hofmann (Göteborg, Sweden)
• Joyce Kwan (Harvard, USA)
• Marcelo Martinelli (São Paulo, Brazil)
• Hanns-Christoph Nägerl (Innsbruck, Austria)
• Rodrigo Pereira (Natal, Brazil)
• Francesco Piazza (Augsburg, Germany)
• Maciej Pieczarka (Wroclaw, Poland)
• Philipp Preiss (Munich, Germany)
• Georg von Freymann (Kaiserslautern, Germany)
• Ernst Rasel (Hannover, Germany)
• Sayak Ray (Bonn, Germany)
• Carlos Sá de Melo (Atlanta, USA)
• Peter Schauss (Hamburg, Germany)
• Leticia Tarruell (Barcelona, Spain)
• Raul Teixeira (São Carlos, Brazil)
• Smitha Vishveshwara (Urbana, USA)
• Silvio Vitiello (Campinas, Brazil)
• Michiel Wouters (Antwerp, Belgium)
• Tarik Yefsah (Paris, France)

Click HERE for online application (soon)

Application deadline: November 30, 2025

As the conference program starts in the morning of Monday, March 23, 2026 and ends in the afternoon of Friday, March 27, 2026. Therefore the participants should arrive in Sao Paulo during afternoon/evening of Sunday, March 22, 2026 and departure in the morning of Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Attention! Some participants in ICTP-SAIFR activities have received email from fake travel agencies asking for credit card information. All communication with participants will be made by ICTP-SAIFR staff using an e-mail “@ictp-saifr.org”. We will not send any mailings about accommodation that require a credit card number or any sort of deposit. Also, if you are staying at Hotel Intercity the Universe Paulista, please confirm with the Uber/Taxi driver that the hotel is located at Rua Pamplona 83 in Bela Vista (and not in Jardim Etelvina).

BOARDING PASS: All participants, whose travel has been provided or will be reimbursed by ICTP-SAIFR, should bring the boarding pass  upon registration. The return boarding pass (PDF, if online check-in, scan or picture, if physical) should be sent to secretary@ictp-saifr.org by e-mail.

Visa information: Nationals from several countries in Latin America and Europe are exempt from tourist visa. Nationals from Australia, Canada and USA are required to apply for a tourist visa.

Accommodation: Participants, whose accommodation will be provided by the institute, will stay at Hotel Intercity the Universe Paulista. Hotel recommendations are available here.

Poster presentation: Participants who are presenting a poster MUST BRING A PRINTED BANNER . The banner size should be at most 1 m (width) x 1,5 m (length). We do not accept A4 or A3 paper.