Research News

Theorists in the research group of Mari Carmen Bañuls at MPQ have come one step closer to understanding the evolution of quantum many body systems over time. In their work, recently published in the specialized journal Physical Review Letters, they formulated an algorithm to simulate the dynamics of quantum systems consisting of many particles out of equilibrium – a notoriously difficult task. more

Researchers have successfully developed a new technique for deciphering the properties of light and matter that can simultaneously detect and precisely quantify many substances with high chemical selectivity. Their technique interrogates the atoms and molecules in the ultraviolet spectral region at very feeble light levels - a breakthrough that paves the way for exciting new opportunities in photon-level diagnostics.  more

Researchers at MPQ have demonstrated a novel method to create tetratomic supermolecules at a so far unprecedented low-temperature scale down to 134 nK – a breakthrough with far-reaching implications for ultracold chemistry and quantum materials. more

Laser physicists from the attoworld team at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) and Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (LMU) have developed a new and unique high-power laser system for driving the attosecond beamlines and ultrafast attosecond experiments at MPQ. The new laser “HORUS” (High-power OPCPA system for high Repetition rate Ultrafast Spectroscopy) operates in the near-infrared spectral range at ... more

During photoinjection, an electron that cannot move freely through a solid receives enough energy from a light wave to become mobile. Scientists have been exploring this phenomenon since the beginning of quantum mechanics; nevertheless, there are still open questions about how the relevant processes unfold in time.  Laser physicists of MPQ and LMU have now made a direct observation of... more

The simulation of quantum chemical processes promises a lot of progress, such as the discovery of new chains of reactions, new synthetic materials or pharmaceuticals. But it is an enormous task, which known methods have failed to date. For classical supercomputers, the molecules are too complex, and for quantum simulations with cold atoms, the technological hurdles are still too high. In a new paper, theorists have now developed... more

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