---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the…"
description: "\"After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck Institute as a postdoc, working on laser excitation of Rydberg states of triatomic hydrogen and heli..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg"
---

#  After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck…

![“After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck Institute as a postdoc, working on laser excitation of Rydberg states of triatomic hydrogen and helium hydride. I also succeeded in analyzing all the emission spectra of helium hydride, which I had discovered during my Ph.D.” quote by Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg)

> “After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck Institute as a postdoc, working on laser excitation of Rydberg states of triatomic hydrogen and helium hydride. I also succeeded in analyzing all the emission spectra of helium hydride, which I had discovered during my Ph.D.”

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The researcher describes post‑doctoral work on advanced laser techniques to study exotic quantum states, achieving notable breakthroughs in spectroscopy of rare molecular ions.

**In simple terms:** He advanced knowledge of quantum physics through precise laser experiments.

Key Takeaway

Pursue rigorous research for discovery.

Themes

science quantum physics laser spectroscopy research breakthroughs

Mood

informative technical

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- academic labs
- collaborative projects
- grant proposals

Key Concepts

Quantum state manipulation spectroscopy atomic physics

Questions to Reflect On

- What next steps could expand this research?
- How can interdisciplinary methods enhance such studies?

A Different Perspective

Complex experiments can be limited by technical constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hydrogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hydrogen/)

## Related quotes

> [“Quantum computers won't solve humanity's problems, but they might calculate humanity's hardest calculations in hours instead of millennia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludmila-morozova-buss/quantum-computers-won-t-solve-humanity-s-problems-but-they-might/)

[Ludmila Morozova-Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludmila-morozova-buss/)

> [The postdoc explained to me how to distinguish different sorts of particles on the basis of the amounts of energy they deposited in various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-postdoc-explained-to-me-how-to-distinguish-different-sorts-of/)

[Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/)

> [When I was a postdoc, I jotted every fresh thought on a three-by-five card and kept them in a card catalogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-schekman/when-i-was-a-postdoc-i-jotted-every-fresh-thought-on-a-three-by-five/)

[Randy Schekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-schekman/)

> [“Quantum is not only physics. It is a new way of understanding reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludmila-morozova-buss/quantum-is-not-only-physics-it-is-a-new-way-of-understanding-reality/)

[Ludmila Morozova-Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludmila-morozova-buss/)

> [I sometimes say I am the extinguished professor, because what I'd really like to be is the postdoc, to have that kind of thinking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-brenner/i-sometimes-say-i-am-the-extinguished-professor-because-what-i-d/)

[Sydney Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-brenner/)

> [The federal helium program sells vast amounts of the gas to U.S. companies that use it in everything from party balloons to MRI machines.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/the-federal-helium-program-sells-vast-amounts-of-the-gas-to-u-s/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-all-of-us-are-what-happens-when-a-primordial-mixture-of-hydrogen/)

[Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/)

> [Well I’ve been doing it for about twenty years, I did films when I was a little kid, when I was about six or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-libman/well-i-ve-been-doing-it-for-about-twenty-years-i-did-films-when-i-was/)

Andrea Libman

> [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“I regard breathing industrial gas to be as harmful as heavy smoking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-regard-breathing-industrial-gas-to-be-as-harmful-as-heavy-smoking/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“On Earth, we’d just use glue, but here the only fluid was helium, which has lots of interesting properties, but is definitely not sticky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/on-earth-we-d-just-use-glue-but-here-the-only-fluid-was-helium-which/)

[Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/)

> [Sometimes, when people are talking to me about something I have no interest in and that glazed over look takes me, I imagine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-people-are-talking-to-me-about-something-i-have-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Liquid helium belongs to a class of fluids known as quantum fluids, as distinct from classical fluids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/liquid-helium-belongs-to-a-class-of-fluids-known-as-quantum-fluids-as/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Nuclear fusion of light elements like hydrogen or helium would permit approaching the speed of light. It seems very attractive to refuel your space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-greatbatch/nuclear-fusion-of-light-elements-like-hydrogen-or-helium-would-permit/)

[Wilson Greatbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-greatbatch/)

> [There are few moments in science in which you genuinely are excited. The discovery of superfluidity in helium-3 was one of those moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-few-moments-in-science-in-which-you-genuinely-are-excited/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

## More by Wolfgang Ketterle

> [When I was running the marathons in Munich, I always trained by myself. Between the demands of graduate work and a young family, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/when-i-was-running-the-marathons-in-munich-i-always-trained-by-myself/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Running and science draw on similar traits - stamina, ambition, patience, and the ability to overcome limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/running-and-science-draw-on-similar-traits-stamina-ambition-patience/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Zero kelvin is the lowest possible temperature. At absolute zero, all motion comes to a standstill. It is obvious that a lower temperature is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/zero-kelvin-is-the-lowest-possible-temperature-at-absolute-zero-all/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [I used the Nobel money to buy a house and for the education of my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/i-used-the-nobel-money-to-buy-a-house-and-for-the-education-of-my/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [When I run, I think about everything: physics, family problems, plans for the weekend. I haven't made any big discoveries on a run, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/when-i-run-i-think-about-everything-physics-family-problems-plans-for/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Bose and Einstein had triggered low-temperature experiments that have led to the discovery of new matter. I owe my work and my Nobel to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/bose-and-einstein-had-triggered-low-temperature-experiments-that-have/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [As a scientist, I play in the top league - the Olympics, the World Championships - and I want to be in the lead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/as-a-scientist-i-play-in-the-top-league-the-olympics-the-world/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [When I was around thirty, I met my own personal challenge and finished a few marathons under three hours, and I have completed many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/when-i-was-around-thirty-i-met-my-own-personal-challenge-and-finished/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [I think both running and science reflect certain character traits. I have endurance, patience, and ambition. I'm willing to work hard toward a goal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/i-think-both-running-and-science-reflect-certain-character-traits-i/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Amplifying atoms is more subtle than amplifying electromagnetic waves because atoms can only change their quantum state and cannot be created. Therefore, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/amplifying-atoms-is-more-subtle-than-amplifying-electromagnetic-waves/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Bose-Einstein condensation is one of the most intriguing phenomena predicted by quantum statistical mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/bose-einstein-condensation-is-one-of-the-most-intriguing-phenomena/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [When air is hot, the molecules move fast and they have high kinetic energy. The colder the molecules are, the smaller their velocities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/when-air-is-hot-the-molecules-move-fast-and-they-have-high-kinetic/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Explorations into chemistry were done in our basement, sometimes with friends, and my parents must have had quite a bit of confidence in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/explorations-into-chemistry-were-done-in-our-basement-sometimes-with/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Running is a way for me to relax. With one hour of intense running, I can get a lot of physical exercise. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/running-is-a-way-for-me-to-relax-with-one-hour-of-intense-running-i/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

> [Laser cooling opened a new route to ultralow temperature physics. Laser cooling experiments, with room temperature vacuum chambers and easy optical access, look very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/laser-cooling-opened-a-new-route-to-ultralow-temperature-physics/)

[Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

[Explore all 21 Wolfgang Ketterle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/)

## More Helium quotes

> [There are few moments in science in which you genuinely are excited. The discovery of superfluidity in helium-3 was one of those moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-few-moments-in-science-in-which-you-genuinely-are-excited/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-all-of-us-are-what-happens-when-a-primordial-mixture-of-hydrogen/)

[Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/)

> [Well I’ve been doing it for about twenty years, I did films when I was a little kid, when I was about six or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-libman/well-i-ve-been-doing-it-for-about-twenty-years-i-did-films-when-i-was/)

Andrea Libman

> [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Liquid helium belongs to a class of fluids known as quantum fluids, as distinct from classical fluids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/liquid-helium-belongs-to-a-class-of-fluids-known-as-quantum-fluids-as/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [The federal helium program sells vast amounts of the gas to U.S. companies that use it in everything from party balloons to MRI machines.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/the-federal-helium-program-sells-vast-amounts-of-the-gas-to-u-s/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [Nuclear fusion of light elements like hydrogen or helium would permit approaching the speed of light. It seems very attractive to refuel your space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-greatbatch/nuclear-fusion-of-light-elements-like-hydrogen-or-helium-would-permit/)

[Wilson Greatbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-greatbatch/)

> [Sometimes, when people are talking to me about something I have no interest in and that glazed over look takes me, I imagine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-people-are-talking-to-me-about-something-i-have-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“On Earth, we’d just use glue, but here the only fluid was helium, which has lots of interesting properties, but is definitely not sticky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/on-earth-we-d-just-use-glue-but-here-the-only-fluid-was-helium-which/)

[Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/)

> [“I regard breathing industrial gas to be as harmful as heavy smoking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-regard-breathing-industrial-gas-to-be-as-harmful-as-heavy-smoking/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [When the moon was first visited in 1969, the astronauts brought back a treasure trove of unique minerals. Contained within specimens was an isotope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-the-moon-was-first-visited-in-1969-the-astronauts-brought-back-a/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [ In a certain sense I made a living for five or six years out of that one star \[Ï… Sagittarii\] and it is still… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/in-a-certain-sense-i-made-a-living-for-five-or-six-years-out-of-that/)

Jesse L. Greenstein

> [You sounded like Dolly parton on helium." (After kristy lee cook of season 7 on american idol,sang her country rendition of the Beatles'"Eight Days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/you-sounded-like-dolly-parton-on-helium-after-kristy-lee-cook-of/)

[Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/)

> [“sweaty palms. check. shaky bones. check. the feeling that all oxygen in the air has been replaced by helium. yup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/sweaty-palms-check-shaky-bones-check-the-feeling-that-all-oxygen-in/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [Tired of burning fossil fuel and polluting the planet? The moon is covered with helium 3, an isotope from the sun that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/tired-of-burning-fossil-fuel-and-polluting-the-planet-the-moon-is/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

Browse all 62 Helium quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck Institute as a postdoc, working on laser excitation of Rydberg states of triatomic hydrogen and helium hydride. I also succeeded in analyzing all the emission spectra of helium hydride, which I had discovered during my Ph.D.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wolfgang Ketterle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-max-planck-institute-as-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Helium"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-max-planck-institute-as-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/wolfgang-ketterle-26520_helium_after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-ma_703461.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After earning my Ph.D., I stayed at the Max-Planck Institute as a postdoc, working on laser excitation of…” — Wolfgang Ketterle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wolfgang Ketterle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After earning my Ph.D., I stayed...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-max-planck-institute-as-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/after-earning-my-ph-d-i-stayed-at-the-max-planck-institute-as-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```