About the Institute
The Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) investigates the structure and properties of matter down to its atomic and electronic motions, on the ultrashort timescales of femtoseconds and attoseconds. To this end, scientists use the unique range of world-class light and radiation sources on the Science Campus Bahrenfeld, from the MPSD's own laser sources to the Free-Electron Laser FLASH, the synchrotron radiation source PETRA III and the nearby European XFEL. Their research has produced groundbreaking insights into the properties of a wide range of materials and their potential uses.
Combining advanced experimental techniques, from ultrafast optical and X-ray spectroscopies to nanofabrication and the assembly of two-dimensional heterostructures, with state-of-the-art theoretical and computational methods, our research aims to characterize, understand and ultimately control the cooperative behavior of electrons, lattices and light across all relevant length- and timescales.
At present, the Institute is mainly active in the following fields of research:
- Condensed matter dynamics, with a focus on non-equilibrium phenomena in quantum materials and the optical control of cooperative states such as superconductivity, ferroelectricity, magnetism and topological order.
- Microstructured quantum matter, with a focus on the nanometric sculpting of single crystals into mesoscopic three-dimensional architectures, in which the interplay of quantum mechanics and geometry can be studied in topological semimetals, correlated electron systems and unconventional superconductors.
- Nanoscale quantum materials, with a focus on the synthesis of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures and the investigation of their correlated and topological phases, including unconventional superconductivity, magnetism and (fractional) Chern insulators.
- Theory, in particular the development of ab-initio methods and computational tools for the description and control of electronic dynamics, decoherence and dissipation in materials, nanostructures and molecular complexes driven by time-dependent electromagnetic fields.
The MPSD was officially founded on January 1, 2014 with the Condensed Matter Dynamics Department of Andrea Cavalleri, and the Atomically Resolved Dynamics Department of R. J. Dwayne Miller. On November 1, 2014, the Institute added the Theory Department of Angel Rubio. R. J. Dwayne Miller left the MPSD on 30 June 2020. Philip Moll joined the Institute as a new director on 15 June 2021 and leads the Microstructured Quantum Matter Department. In 2024, Jie Shan and Kin Fai Mak were recruited as new directors, and on January 1, 2025, they fully joined the MPSD with two Nanoscale Quantum Materials Departments.
The Institute is a partner in the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) on the Science Campus Hamburg Bahrenfeld, which it shares with DESY and the Universität Hamburg. An additional building to accommodate the growing Institute was constructed next to the CFEL.