Humans and quantum particles have something in common: when in a group, they often behave differently than when they are alone. Solid-state physicists, quantum opticians and material scientists from Frankfurt, Mainz and Kaiserslautern are working together to study this "mass psychology" of quantum particles. Under the auspices of Goethe University, they have founded the transregional Collaborative Research Centre (CRC/TRR 49)"Condensed Matter Systems with Variable Many-Body Interactions". In this research area, the scientists are examining the collective behavior of interactive multi-particle systems - fundamental research on newly developed solid-state materials. The goal is to understand these complex organizational phenomena. The exotic properties that are to be observed - such as unusual forms of superconductivity or newly established magnetic and metallic states - follow complex and, in some cases, completely incomprehensible organizational mechanisms.

The Collaborative Research Centre Transregio 49 is pillared by groups from the Goethe University Frankfurt (Host University), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and the University of Kaiserslautern. The CRC thus further expands the still rather young cooperation between quantum optics, solid-state physics and chemistry.