PhD Graduations

With almost 200 participants – including 160 PhDs, Master's students and Postdocs – and representatives from twelve companies across the technology, consulting, finance and quantum sectors, amongst others Google, IBM Quantum, Infineon and planqc, the MPQ & MPP Career Day 2025 created a vibrant networking platform for early-career researchers to connect with companies and explore professional opportunities beyond academia. more

The theorist explored the potential of tensor networks as a tool for describing chiral gapped condensed matter systems. His work showed how methods from quantum field theory could extend the range of applicability of tensor network theory. His results effectively render tensor networks a more complete and powerful theory for condensed matter, allowing them to describe a wider variety of systems using exclusively analytical techniques. more

In his PhD project, Kritsana Srakaew investigated how tunable long-range interactions of Rydberg atoms can be utilised in quantum many-body systems. His research focused on two key settings: subwavelength atomic arrays and itinerant Hubbard systems. His findings deepen our understanding of how Rydberg interactions shape quantum systems, opening new avenues for controlling light-matter interactions and studying complex quantum phases. more

In his dissertation, Julian Wienand studied chaotic quantum systems and their description. His work demonstrated for the first time that such systems can be understood macroscopically as diffusion processes. The model of fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD), which simplifies the description of complex systems, is therefore also applicable to quantum processes. These results could significantly simplify the analysis of quantum systems. more

Xing-Yan Chen pursued his PhD project in the Quantum Many Body Systems division. His work, supervised by Xin-Yu Luo and Immanuel Bloch, focuses on the creation and manipulation of ultracold molecules. Specifically, he demonstrated a new type of scattering resonances between polar molecules, and used these resonances to bind two molecules into a "supermolecule". more

The physicist from the Department of Laser Spectroscopy at MPQ has measured electronic transitions in deuterium with unprecedented precision. The prize, named after the Nobel Prize winner and pioneer of laser spectroscopy, honours particularly outstanding and ground-breaking dissertations in the field of physics. In his work, Vitaly Wirthl succeeded in measuring a specific energy transition in deuterium, the heavy hydrogen, more precisely than ever before. more

Oriana Diessel completed her doctorate in Richard Schmidt's independent research group. Her theoretical work focusses on two special features of many-body systems: so-called "polarons" and previously unknown phase transitions in light-matter systems. In her work, Oriana Diessel developed models to theoretically describe the two phenomena, thereby providing a further building block for our understanding of quantum many-body theory. more

The scientist from the Laser Spectroscopy division achieved unprecedented precision in measuring an energy transition in heavy hydrogen.The experimental physicist's work provides an important basis for future measurements in order to compare and test the theory of quantum electrodynamics. more

Focusing on so-called symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases, the theorist uncovered some essential but previously unknown properties. Her findings further our understanding of STP phases in open systems. more

In his thesis, he studied and applied methods from quantum information to, among other things, find the ground state in complex quantum systems. As a next career step, he will start working as a Quantum Application Engineer at a Munich start-up company. more

His doctoral thesis focused on the production of fermionic polar molecules from potassium and sodium atoms. Contrary to previous assumptions, he was able to show that the molecule production procedure is both possible and highly efficient. Well done! more

With his dissertation project, he contributed significantly to the development of a new microwave technique that allows polar molecules to be cooled to record low temperatures, a few nanokelvin above absolute zero. Congratulations! more