Prof. Dr. Klaus Blaum – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prizewinner 2026
Experimental Physics, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
Klaus Blaum’s research work is characterised by his passion for precision. The physicist aims to determine fundamental physical constants more precisely, to gain a greater understanding of the symmetries and forces of nature, and to scrutinise the Standard Model of particle physics through experimentation. To this end, he traps individual ions in overlapping electric and magnetic fields and measures their properties, such as their mass and magnetic moment. Blaum’s examination of the differences between matter and antimatter has generated some ground-breaking results. Among other things, he achieved the most precise comparison of the mass-to-charge-ratio of protons and antiprotons to date. In addition, he has also attained some important milestones in the field of nuclear physics, such as testing and confirming theoretical predictions of the magnetic moment of an electron in a hydrogen-like tin ion with unprecedented precision. In this type of ion, an electron is exposed to an extremely strong electric field. Blaum also performed the world’s most precise measurement of the maximum energy released as a result of radioactive decay of holmium 163. This is an important result in the context of attempts made around the world to determine the absolute neutrino mass.
Klaus Blaum studied physics at Mainz University, where he also earned his doctorate. In 2000, he started working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva in Switzerland as a research assistant. In 2004, he became the leader of a Helmholtz Investigator Group at Mainz University where he obtained his postdoctoral lecturing qualification in 2006. A year later, he was made a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. Since 2008, Blaum has also been teaching at the University of Heidelberg as an honorary professor. Blaum has received two ERC Advanced Grants (2011, 2019) and various other prizes including the Stern-Gerlach Medal from the German Physical Society (2025) and the Lise Meitner Prize from the European Physical Society (2020). He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
GEPRIS
In our information system GEPRI(externer Link) you will find an overview of current and completed projects of Klaus Blaum.