GRK 2905:  Ultrafast nanoscopy: from single-particle dynamics to cooperative processes

• Subject Area: Condensed Matter Physics ; Basic Research in Biology and Medicine ; Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: since 2024
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 502572516

The coming generation of graduates will enter the workforce at a time when innovation in science, and in quantum-, nano- and bio-technology depends more than ever on a thorough understanding of the inner workings of custom-tailored materials. Since the elementary building blocks of condensed matter are constantly in motion, microscopic still images are often insufficient to develop such an understanding. To track how function derives from microscopic dynamics, ultrafast videos of the nanoworld are necessary. Our program will train doctoral students to turn this long-standing vision into reality. Building on recent breakthroughs made in the context of the Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy (RUN), the doctoral researchers will explore a radically new strategy to understanding the dynamics of matter at the ultimate quantum level. Novel concepts of nanovideography will be pioneered to resolve atomic-scale elementary dynamics and to trace ensuing cooperative processes in systems of increasing complexity directly in ultraslow-motion pictures. To clarify key questions on dynamics of systems ranging from individual molecules to more complex biomolecular and solid-state nanostructures complementary methods, such as lightwave scanning tunnelling microscopy, time-resolved momentum microscopy, ultrafast near-field nanoscopy, super-resolution microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and cryo-electron microscopy will be employed. Starting from coherent electron dynamics, we will follow excitation propagation and ultimately structural dynamics. The doctoral researchers will be immersed in close collaborations between experiment and theory as well as in projects that bridge physics and biology. The possibility of recording actual movies from the nanoworld in a systematic way is expected to trigger a scientific revolution comparable to the invention of steady-state scanning-probe and electron microscopy. The anticipated insights may find applications in electronics, quantum-information processing, reaction control, optogenetics, and optoelectronics. The holistic training in a timely research field with strong interdisciplinary relevance will thus open excellent career prospects in both academic and industrial research settings. The qualification scheme includes special lectures, colloquia, journal clubs, meetings, seminars, off-site workshops, and a summer school. A research placement abroad, presentations at international conferences, and exchange with visiting scientists will connect the doctoral researchers with the international elite. To encourage hands-on experience between different research disciplines, joint lab tours, informal peer-to-peer discussions, and close theory-experiment collaborations are planned. The doctoral candidates will be rigorously trained in good scientific practice and data management, and develop an awareness of gender and diversity issues. Room will also be given to personal development aspects of the trainees.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Universität Regensburg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Rupert Huber
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Ferdinand Evers; Professorin Dr. Isabella Gierz-Pehla; Professor Dr. Franz J. Giessibl; Professorin Dr. Milena Grifoni; Professorin Dr. Dina Grohmann; Professor Dr. John Lupton; Professor Dr. Jascha Repp; Professor Dr. Klaus Richter; Professor Dr. Sascha Schäfer; Dr. Jan Wilhelm; Professorin Dr. Christine Maria Ziegler