Second funding period for SFB 925
The German Research Foundation (DFG) extends the collaborative research center (SFB) 925 Light-Induced Dynamics and Control of Correlated Quantum Systems for another four years. The new funding period starts on 1 July 2015 and runs until 30 June 2019.
The researchers in the SFB 925 use state-of-the-art laser techniques to examine the fundamental structure of matter, i.e. how atoms and molecules work. For this purpose, the SFB brings together scientists from various areas of theoretical and experimental physics. One goal is to develop novel materials with the help of laser light—for instance superconductors that transport electricity virtually without energy losses.
The speaker of the collaborative research center, Prof. Klaus Sengstock of the Universität Hamburg, states: “The team of more than 100 scientists forming the SFB is working together excellently. In the Year of Light 2015 and beyond, we want to provide fundamental contributions to the understanding of light-matter interactions and look forward to many new creative ideas and discussions. Key to the project’s success are our outstanding doctoral students and postdocs as well as the good cooperation with our partners at the campus in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld.” The SFB 925 is managed by the Universität Hamburg and includes researchers from the MPSD, DESY and the European XFEL GmbH.
Prof. Andrea Cavalleri, director of the Condensed Matter Dynamics department at the MPSD, contributes with his research group to the project Dynamical Stabilization of Quantum Ground States in Solids, which aims at using Terahertz control to interrogate reduce fluctuations and hence enhance the temperatures at which certain functionalities are observed in condensed matter.
Moreover, several young investigator groups of the MPSD are involved in SFB 925:
- Prof. Martin Eckstein, leader of the Theory of Correlated Systems out of Equilibrium group, collaborates on the project Time-Dependent Metal-Insulator Transition with Light Induced Dynamics, which aims at theoretically studying the light-induced dynamics in complex materials, to understand how femtosecond laser pulses can induce transitions between metallic, antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases.
- Isabella Gierz, leader of the Otto Hahn Group for Ultrafast Electron Dynamics, works on the project Controlling the Electronic Structure of Graphene with Light. “To achieve this goal, we follow two main roads. First, we displace the atoms by exciting the graphene lattice at resonance to IR-active lattice vibrations. Second, we exploit the direct coupling of the light field to the electronic structure, resulting in the formation of Floquet–Bloch states,” says Isabella Gierz. The main tool in this project is time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with variable-wavelength excitation.
- Prof. Nils Huse, head of the Ultrafast Molecular Dynamics group, contributes to the project Ultrafast Electronic Correlations in Molecular Spin Transition Systems. It aims at studying correlations in molecular transition metal compounds. “We are interested in the interplay of the valence electrons between different metal centers and the possibility to influence the electronic behavior by ultrafast laser excitations. In particular, we will study compounds, in which metal centers are arranged similarly to functional materials with so-called perovskite structure,” says Nils Huse.