Dept Theory

Research team involving experimentalists and theorists explores how light can fundamentally alter the properties of solids - and how to harness these phenomena in laser-driven materials for future applications. Their colloquium has been published in Reviews of Modern Physics. more

Predictions of how light interacts with real materials can consume vast computing resources. By reshaping the equation so that some quantum light is integrated in the matter component from the outset, scientists have developed a far more efficient approach. more

Twister bilayer MoS₂ can be used to control kinetic energy scales in solids. Researchers have shown that the electrons in MoS₂ can interfere destructively, stopping their motion for certain paths. Combined with the twist this makes it possible to engineer exotic magnetic states. more

Theoreticians at the MPSD predict that a unique laser source could produce highly controllable electric currents in any bulk material. The team’s work has been published in PRL. more

Researchers in Hamburg and Aachen suggest a surprising connection between the nematic behavior of a superconductor in a magnetic field — a state that resembles liquid crystals used in LCDs — and its spiral-like groundstate in the absence of the field. more