Research News

Researchers at MPQ have created a switchable metamaterial: an atomic array whose optical qualities can be tuned to become either reflective or transparent. The findings build on team’s previous research on so-called “ordered atomic arrays” that enable efficient interaction between light and atoms. more

Researchers at MPQ have created a first-ever degenerate Fermi gas of sodium-potassium molecules. To this end, they drove a Bose-Fermi atomic mixture through a previously hypothetical quantum phase transition. The team's trick is to match the densities of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of sodium atoms and a Fermi gas of potassium atoms. more

A team of researchers at MPQ has for the first time observed evidence of a phenomenon that had previously only been suspected in theory: when ultracold polar molecules collide exotic bound states can arise. An experiment now indicates that this effect is indeed possible. For their investigations, the researchers used a specifically shaped microwave field with which they... more

Using a quantum simulator, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) have observed pairs of charge carriers that may be responsible for the resistance-free transport of electric current in high-temperature superconductors. So far, the exact physical mechanisms in these complex materials are still largely unknown. Theories assume that... more

The physicsworld magazine has chosen the recent research of Dr. Marcus Ossiander and Dr. Martin Schultze as one of the top ten breakthroughs of 2022. With their paper "The speed limit of optoelectronics" published in March 2022, they have explored the limits of optoelectronic circuits. more

NISQ computers need quantum entanglement as a key resource to perform computations. But the presence of entanglement can also in some cases be a threat to their accuracy, like a recently published paper shows. more

LMU Physicists at the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA) have combined two plasma-based methods of particle acceleration for electron beams: a laser-driven wakefield accelerator (LWFA) with a particle-beam-driven wakefield accelerator (PWFA). With this combination, they achieve better stability and higher particle density for electron beams than with just a single plasma accelerator. more

A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics has laid the foundation for the development of future quantum networks. The scientists embedded individual erbium atoms in crystalline silicon, creating ideal conditions for storing and passing on quantum information. more