Quantum Physics Ag/Niobium 25 € Austria 2026

As abstract as the quantum world may seem, it has long influenced our daily lives. Technologies such as lasers, computer chips, LEDs, MRI scanners and atomic clocks – essential for GPS – all rely on the principles of quantum physics. Now, a second quantum revolution is underway, paving the way for quantum computers, tamper-proof communication and next-generation quantum cryptography – technologies that research teams at the University of Vienna are helping to advance.

The obverse of Quantum Physics features Schrödinger’s cat, the thought experiment illustrating quantum superposition. The cat’s face dominates the niobium core, its eyes representing the superposition of the states ‘alive’ and ‘dead’. Around the cat, extending to the edge of the coin, are an unstable atom, a Geiger counter scale, a radioactivity symbol and the observer. The abbreviation of Schrödinger’s equation can be seen at the top of the coin.

The coin’s reverse celebrates Anton Zeilinger’s experiment on quantum entanglement. The simplified experimental set-up shows the measuring stations ALICE (A) and BOB (B), which are connected via a quantum channel and a classical channel. The niobium core illustrates the entanglement of two particles with opposite spin directions.