Dear Participants,

On behalf of the German Physical Society (DPG), I would like to welcome you to the virtual 84. Annual Meeting of DPG and DPG-Tagung (DPG Meeting) of the Condensed Matter Section (SKM).

Due to the ongoing pandemic and the associated hygiene regulations, this meeting cannot yet take place in person, contrary to our hopes. Nevertheless, I am very pleased that our DPG Meeting will again offer an outstanding and exciting programme. This is all the more impressive as the organisation has taken place under difficult conditions.

This conference is of inestimable importance for scientific exchange in physics. But it is also an important contribution of the DPG as the world‘s largest physical society and communication platform to strengthen the acceptance and awareness of the importance of basic research, scientific thinking and facts, for the existence and future development of our society in politics and the public; and to do so with the special responsibility that those working in science, have a particularly high degree for shaping the whole of human life. The DPG has committed itself to this through its statutes, which is more urgently needed than ever to deal with the major challenges facing society; such as pandemics in particular, as well as climate change with its dramatic consequences for all life on our planet – as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has once again warned.

I would like to express my great and heartfelt thanks to all those responsible for the success of this DPG Meeting. My special appreciation goes to the conference organisers, Prof. Erich Runge (Chair of the Condensed Matter Section, Fakultät für Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften, Technische Universität Ilmenau) and Prof. Dr. Norbert Esser (Local conference organisation, Institut für Festkörperphysik, TU Berlin and Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Material- u. Grenzflächenanalytik, Berlin), as well as the programme committee – consisting of the chairpersons of the divisions and working groups involved – for the outstanding programme of this conference. I would also like to thank the staff of the DPG Head Office for their support and supervision of all meetings.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Stiftung for again providing generous financial support to our young members.

I wish you all an exciting conference and many new insights.

Dr. Lutz Schröter
President
Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft e. V.