EXC 2122:  PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering – Innovation Across Dimensions

• Subject Area: Production Technology ; Chemical Solid State and Surface Research ; Electrical Engineering and Information Technology ; Computer Science ; Materials Science ; Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas ; Systems Engineering
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390833453

Photonics, widely acknowledged as the key enabling technology of the 21st century, is experiencing ground-breaking advances through its investigation into the generation, manipulation, and detection of light. It will impact a wide variety of sectors, ranging from medical diagnostics, sustainable manufacturing, quantum technologies, elimination of toxic processes in food production, and energy-efficient communication networks, to such ambitious concepts as the 'photonic brain’. PhoenixD, the unique Technical Optics Cluster of Excellence in Germany, has adopted an innovative and holistic approach to this broad field of research. It will actively address the challenge of developing entirely new optical systems that harmoniously blend hardware and software elements. A cutting-edge ‘5D photonics’ is being pioneered, where ground-breaking prototype systems arise from the interplay between a controllable optical system and real-time interacting intelligence. This innovation promises advancements in such fields as predictive environmental sensor networks, rapid protein-distribution measurements in blood, and energy-efficient accelerators for machine learning processing. Core research questions pursued by PhoenixD revolve around what processes can be used to accurately model 5D photonic systems theoretically and simulate them computationally, and how their functionality can be predicted with increasing precision. PhoenixD will investigate how artificial intelligence can boost the modelling, layout, and operation of these systems. Experimental focus will be directed at how degrees of freedom of light, e.g., beam direction, colour, and intensity, can be controlled precisely and rapidly via multiple parameters by external stimuli such as electric fields, sound, or heat. The identification and development of new materials required for the above will be explored, to realise the full potential of adaptable, intelligent photonics. Key to realization is the maximum integration of photonic components on a chip. The aim is to implement manufacturing in the form of interconnected production processes that are fast, precise, and eco-friendly. PhoenixD is a world-class ecosystem for photonics research. It unites a team of elite scientists from six different traditional disciplines that aspire towards a new Faculty of Optics and Photonics. On the way to establish an internationally renowned Optics Campus in Hannover, the Cluster unfolds in the new OPTICUM building, which is designed to cater to the Cluster's unique requirements, housing top-of-the-range Core Facilities and a unique equipment pool. PhoenixD prioritises the development of early career researchers and the nurturing of bright young talent to create the future leaders in optics and photonics. The Cluster prides itself on the promotion of gender equality, and recruitment and collaboration at an international level, inviting diverse minds to contribute to establishing a new era in photonics.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Participating Institution: Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH); Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik; (Albert-Einstein-Institut); Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB); Technische Universität Braunschweig
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Uwe Morgner; Professor Dr.-Ing. Ludger Overmeyer; Professorin Dr. Birgit Stiller
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Annika Bande; Professor Dr. Antonio Calà Lesina; Professor Dr. Ayhan Demircan; Professor Dr.-Ing. Berend Denkena; Professor Dr. Alexander Heisterkamp; Professorin Dr. Michèle Heurs; Professor Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kaierle; Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kowalsky; Professor Dr. Dietmar Kracht; Professor Dr. Michael Kues; Professor Dr.-Ing. Roland Lachmayer; Professor Dr. Marius Lindauer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Marcus Magnor; Professorin Dr. Tanja E. Mehlstäubler; Professor Dr. Henning Menzel; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Annika Raatz; Professor Dr.-Ing. Bodo Rosenhahn; Professor Dr. Bernhard Roth; Professor Dr. Andreas Waag; Professor Dr. Peter Jomo Walla; Professor Dr.-Ing. Marc Christopher Wurz; Professorin Dr. Xiaoying Zhuang