6th International Conference on the History of Quantum Physics (HQ-6)

Niels Bohr Archive, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 26–30 July 2027.

Call For Abstracts

From 26 to 30 July 2027, the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen will host the Sixth International Conference on the History of Quantum Physics (HQ-6). The conference continues a series initiated by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. Previous meetings were held in Berlin (2007 and 2010), Utrecht (2008), Donostia/San Sebastián (2015), and Salvador da Bahia (2025). Together, these conferences have helped reinvigorate the international community of quantum historians and have contributed to a surge of scholarship on the history of quantum physics as well as historical narratives that explore scientific practices and concepts within their rich social, cultural, and political contexts.

We invite contributions on the history of quantum physics, broadly construed, including the history of the old quantum theory, quantum mechanics, quantum foundations, quantum technologies, quantum field theory, and subdisciplines of physics and related fields (including but not limited to particle physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, quantum gravity, quantum chemistry, and quantum computation and information). We welcome submissions that approach these topics from a wide range of perspectives. 

Particular attention will be given to the following themes:

Historical perspectives on the centenary of quantum mechanics;

The genesis of quantum mechanics ca. 1925–1927;

The historical development of quantum theory in different cultural, political and societal contexts.

Theoretical, mathematical, and experimental practices of quantum physics;

Quantum technology, instrumentation, and material cultures of quantum physics;

The circulation of knowledge and appropriations of quantum theory and quantum mechanics in diverse national, institutional, and disciplinary contexts;

Women and gender in the history of quantum physics;

Underrepresented and marginalized groups in the history of quantum physics;

Policy and diplomacy in the history of quantum physics.

Historical perspectives on quantum interpretations and foundations.

Please submit an abstract of up to 500 words no later than 30 November 2026 via the below submission form. During submission, please make sure to click the microphone symbol next to the name of the speaker, also for single-authored papers. Authors of accepted contributions are planned to be notified by late December 2026.

Registration will open in 2027.

Subject to available funding, the conference will offer a limited number of partial travel grants and/or registration fee waivers. Priority will be given to early‑career speakers and to speakers from regions where funding opportunities for international conference travel are comparatively limited. If you wish to be considered for such a grant, please indicate this when submitting your abstract.

A participation fee is expected and will be announced in due course, depending on the level of funding secured.

Questions may be directed to all members of the organizing committee, including Christian Joas (joas@nbi.ku.dk) and Flavio Del Santo (flavio.delsanto@unige.ch).

Organizing Committee:

Flavio Del Santo

Christian Joas

Jinyan Liu

Jean-Philippe Martinez

Daniela Monaldi

Elena Schaa

Climério Silva Neto

Anja Skaar Jacobsen

Advisory Committee:

Arianna Borrelli

Elise Crull

Olival Freire Jr.

Johannes-Geert Hagmann

Thiago Hartz

Margriet van der Heijden

Danian Hu

Alexei Kojvenikov

Helge Kragh

Christoph Lehner

Adriana Minor

Jaume Navarro

Jürgen Renn

Ana Simões

Richard Staley