
Modern technology cannot be understood without physics which interests me and that is quantum physics. As Professor Eugene Demler, a leading theoretical physicist in strongly correlated quantum systems, said during his visit to the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, ‘If you are interested in the ‘big questions’ about the Universe and its origins, many ideas in the Standard Model rely on solutions and discoveries in solid-state physics, such as superconductor symmetry breaking.’

Professor Demler is a renowned and multi-award-winning scientist whose pioneering work oriented a new field of quantum simulators toward the use of ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices to simulate the solid state of matter.
He has applied a new research approach to the analysis of unbalanced multi-particle quantum systems. His results have advanced the development of methods for the optical control of complex material properties, such as enhancing superconductivity and contributed to the creation of new optical nano-devices including optical transistors that can be manipulated using only a few photons.


‘To me, the most exciting aspect of my work is studying a field closely connected to experiments. I don’t feel comfortable drawing conclusions that cannot be tested in the foreseeable future or ever. I prefer working with data that can be verified by nature—and nature will provide the answers,’ said Professor Demler.
In early September, he visited Serbia and delivered a lecture titled ‘Quantum Simulators: A Pointillist Perspective on Many-Body Physics’ at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, which drew significant interest among physicists

‘Back when I started my career in Boston, I had an opportunity to meet many Serbian physicists some of whom became my close friends. I believe the physics education here is excellent, providing a foundation that can be built upon globally, which is why Serbian physicists are so successful,” explained Professor Demler.


It is a particular pleasure for me to visit the Institute of Physics Belgrade and I am genuinely impressed. The level of physics here is outstanding. I like it especially that people from the Institute truly collaborate with scholars worldwide and with less financial resources achieve important results,’ added Professor Demler.

Demler is among the top 1% of most cited scholars in the world. After studying theoretical physics at the Institute of Physics and Technology and the Lebedev Institute of Physics in Moscow, he pursued his doctorate at Stanford University, earning his PhD in 1998. He furthered his training at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara and at Harvard University, where he was elected full professor. In 2021, he returned to Europe and continued his career as a full professor of physics at the Swiss Technical University in Zurich (ETH Zurich). He has been awarded numerous prestigious awards and was named a Distinguished Fellow by the American Physical Society.
Photos: Marija Janković/Institute of Physics in Belgrade