Youth research 2017Young researchers called to the 52nd round
"The future - I'm shaping it!" - This is the motto for a new round of the youth research competition. Young people who enjoy and are interested in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology can now apply with their research project.
The way a computer works can be explained in simple terms: In a microprocessor, tiny electrical currents are pushed back and forth, which then make up the computing power. However, there is another concept that should in principle be faster - computing with light. Existing prototypes are usually based on special materials that are quite expensive. Maximilian Oehmichen (16), Adrian Lenkeit (16) and Marvin Lohaus (17) therefore looked for an inexpensive alternative. They produced ingenious "metamaterials" - plastic plates to which they attached half-rings made of copper, for example. The young researchers illuminated these plates with microwaves and discovered that simple arithmetic operations can indeed be carried out with this structure.