Dept Theory

Photons trapped in a cavity can cause a crystal known as Strontium Titanate (SrTiO₃) to become ferroelectric, according to a new study by the MPSD’s Theory group. The findings have been published in PNAS. more

MPSD and MIT researchers predict that light trapped in a cavity can be used to create a new kind of particle in a solid, consisting of three components at once: Light (photons), electronic excitations (excitons) and lattice vibrations (phonons). more

Prineha Narang is coming to the MPSD from Harvard University for an extended research stay. She has received two prestigious prizes: A Max Planck Sabbatical Award for her work in Germany and the Humboldt Foundation's Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award for her research work to date. more

An international research team has demonstrated that ultrashort laser pulses can be used to protect one of the DNA building blocks against destruction induced by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation. A second infrared laser flash prevented the adenine molecule from disintegrating. more

Researchers from the MPSD and UNIST in South Korea have discovered that the existing method to calculate the Mott insulating state in 1T-TaS₂ is flawed. The team suggests a different approach instead to calculate electron "traffic jams". more