The German Research Foundation (DFG) is extending funding for the Collaborative Research Center “Light-Matter Interactions at Interfaces” (LiMatI) at the University of Rostock. For the second funding period, running until the end of 2029, the DFG will provide approximately €10 million. In close cooperation with the Max Born Institute (MBI) in Berlin, researchers are investigating how light can be used to measure and precisely control material properties on ultrashort timescales.
At the heart of the Collaborative Research Center are processes occurring at interfaces — the boundaries between different materials. Physical phenomena take place there within attoseconds, billionths of a billionth of a second, and these processes could prove crucial for future technologies. The extension of the Collaborative Research Center represents significant recognition of the achievements of everyone involved and sends a strong signal in support of Rostock as a research hub.
Research within the CRC is divided into two closely interconnected areas. In the project area “Strong Fields and Attosecond Physics,” researchers study the influence of intense laser fields on electron motion in materials. The goal is the precise control of ultrafast processes that could enable next-generation electronic components.
The second research focus is dedicated to the observation and control of so-called quasiparticles and topological effects, both of which are important for robust quantum technologies.
The close integration of experimental and theoretical research in both areas creates ideal conditions for addressing fundamental questions in modern physics and potentially opening up new technological applications.
The success of the Collaborative Research Center also highlights the long-standing and highly productive collaboration between the University of Rostock and the Max Born Institute in Berlin.
The extension of the CRC will create numerous opportunities for early-career researchers. Around 25 new doctoral positions will be established. Young scientists from Germany and abroad will thus have the opportunity to work and develop within an internationally visible research environment.
Knowledge transfer to society will also be further expanded. Plans include new science communication formats, among them a mobile student laboratory designed to bring modern physics directly to schools across Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Dieter Bauer
Spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center “LiMatI”
Institute of Physics
Phone: +49 381 498-6940
dieter.baueruni-rostockde
www.limati.uni-rostock.de