The Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics), one of 80 institutes and research establishments of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (Max Planck Society), focuses its research activities on the following fields:

Astroparticle Physics combines questions related to macrocosm and microcosm. Unconventional methods of observation for gamma rays and neutrinos open new windows to the universe. What lies behind “dark matter” and “dark energy”?

In Quantum Dynamics simple chemical reactions can be “filmed” with reaction microscopes. Storage rings and traps allow precision experiments almost under space conditions. How does intense laser light interact with matter?