Bohr’s Legacy

100 years ago, in 1922, Niels Bohr received the Nobel prize for his work on the structure of atoms. He had a huge impact on particle physics. No doubt about it. He was, and still is, a great inspiration to physicists all over the world.

This evening, Planetarium, the Niels Bohr Institute, and three internationally acknowledged researchers will give you a personal and scientific insight into the legacy of Niels Bohr.

When Professor Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez from University of California visited Copenhagen in November 2021 he went to Niels Bohr’s gravestone and had his picture taken. A place with memorial status for particle physicists. Now Manuel is back in Copenhagen to celebrate the legacy of Niels Bohr together with colleagues from the Niels Bohr Institute.

Associate Professor Stefania Xella is studying the smallest elements of matter at CERN; the so-called elementary particles which help us understand the properties of the early universe. Apart from trying to understand the composition of the universe, she also spends her time improving the physics education at the Niels Bohr Institute as Deputy Head for Education. This evening, she will elaborate on the responsibility and honor involved in working at the Niels Bohr Institute.

As the Principal Investigator on the Villum Young Investigator Program, Dr. You Zhou is working on creating tiny droplets of early universe in the laboratory at CERN. When You Zhou guests Planetarium, he will talk about his work at CERN and how unique it is for a physicist to work at the Niels Bohr Institute in the very same halls Niels Bohr once walked.Today, CERN is the center of gravity for particle physics, but the Niels Bohr Institute still plays an important and vital role in particle physics. The movie “Secrets of the Universe”, which you will experience in the beginning of this evening, gives you an insight into how the spirit of Niels Bohr is alive at CERN although he never lived to experience the experiments. But he did lay out his openminded and scientific view of the world for the next generations to follow.