The Gentler-Kastler Prize 2026 awarded to Paul Indelicato
The Gentner-Kastler Prize is awarded jointly by the DPG and the Société Française de Physique. It is awarded annually for particularly valuable scientific contributions to physics, alternately to a physicist living and working in Germany or France.
Quantum electrodynamics of highly charged ions
Paul Indelicato received his PhD in 1983 from Université Pierre et Marie Curie. In 1997 he joined the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, which he directed from 2006 to 2012. He is currently Research Director at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique. Indelicato has received numerous honors, including Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Paul Indelicato uniquely combines leading theoretical and experimental research in precision spectroscopy of highly charged and exotic ions. His groundbreaking work in quantum electrodynamics — from the proton radius puzzle to metastable states — has revolutionized the field. His long-standing collaborations with GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung / FAIR, the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik Heidelberg, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz exemplify Franco-German scientific cooperation.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to atomic physics, the Gentler-Kastler 2026 Prize is awarded to Paul Indelicato. His research combines theoretical and experimental excellence — particularly in the quantum electrodynamics of highly charged ions. He has exemplary strengthened the Franco-German scientific partnership and built bridges between theory and experiment within the global research community.
The award will be presented in March 2026 during the 89th Annual Meeting of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft in Erlangen.
