Research News

Terahertz light pulses can stabilize ferromagnetism in YTiO₃ at temperatures more than three times its usual transition temperature. Researchers from the Cavalleri group report in Nature that the high-temperature ferromagnetic state persisted for many nanoseconds after the light exposure. more

Researchers in Hamburg have developed the Spitrobot - a device that greatly simplifies observing changes in proteins as they carry out their functions and makes time-resolved crystallography accessible for non-specialist research groups. more

The electronic properties of MoSe₂ are determined by the bonds of Mo and Se atoms, to which both elements contribute equally. But when exposed to ultraviolet light, the Mo signal clearly shows a signature dominated by collective processes while the Se signal suggests that the electrons act independently. more

How long does it take electrons to ‘dress’ in light and form Floquet bands? Just one single optical cycle is enough, according to a research team involving the Universities of Marburg, Regensburg and MPSD group leader Michael Sentef. Its study has been published in Nature. more

An international research team has demonstrated unambiguously that the bulk crystal Ta₂NiSe₅ is not an excitonic insulator, settling the debate around the microscopic origin of symmetry breaking in the material. more

Intense laser light can induce magnetism in solids on the attosecond scale – the fastest magnetic response to date. Theoreticians at the MPSD have investigated the magnetization process in several 2D and 3D materials. Their work has appeared in npj Computational Materials. more

Researchers in Germany and the U.S.A. propose a new optical method to verify topological magnon phases. Writing in PRL, the team shows that the intensity of polarized laser light scattered back from a magnetic material is an indicator of topological phases. more

An international research team led by the MPSD has found an explanation why chemical reactions are slowed down inside mirrored cavities, where molecules are forced to interact with light. Their work is a key step in understanding this experimentally observed process. more

An international research team led by the MPSD’s Microstructured Quantum Matter Department reports the first observation of chiral transport in a structurally achiral crystal, the Kagome superconductor CsV₃Sb₅. more

Researchers from the Cavalleri group report in PNAS that superconducting ‘stripes’ in certain copper-based compounds may lead to a break in the material’s crystal symmetry, thus resulting in anomalous emission of terahertz radiation. more