28.11.2025 Newsletter Physics December 2025

Physics Department Newsletter 12/2025

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In this edition:

Department News

  • New "Meet the Prof" Video: Interview with Prof. Nadine Leisgang on her research, teaching, and personal interests.
  • Emmy Noether Funding: Prof. Leisgang secures DFG support (6 years) for her Quantum Optoelectronics Group.
  • Walter Schottky Prize: Prof. Marcel Reutzel honored for groundbreaking work on Floquet states in graphene.
  • Heraeus Fellowship: Lukas Wagner receives €100,000 research grant for early-career excellence.
  • New Humboldt Fellow: Yasith Amarasinghe joins AG Koch (Nov 2025) to develop THz transceiver antennas.
  • Doctoral Success: Dominik Muth (AG Gerhard) completes PhD on ultrafast exciton dynamics in organic semiconductors.
  • Women’s Assembly: New gender equality team elected (Carlotta Dohmann, Lea Obermüller, Annika Schneider, Maya Strobel, Renate Schmid).
  • Visiting Professor: Dr. Antonello Andreone (University of Naples) joins AG Koch for 1–2 years, focusing on THz technology.

Research Highlights

  • AG Reutzel:
    • Discovery of hybrid excitons at 2D/organic interfaces (Nature Physics).
  •  AG Volz:
    • Microstructural evolution of silicon anodes in solid-state batteries (Advanced Energy Materials).
    • Optimized LiNbO₃ coatings for stable cathodes (Advanced Materials Interfaces).
  • AG Malic:
    • Trion-engineered phototransistors for on-chip optoelectronics (Advanced Functional Materials).
    • Phonon-mediated polariton transport regimes (Science Advances).
    • Strain-tunable valley polarization dynamics (Nano Letters, Cover).
    • THz control of exciton populations (Physical Review B, Editors’ Suggestion).
  • AG Koch:
    • Terahertz monitoring of stomatal dynamics in plants (Scientific Reports).

Events & Outreach

  • NOEKS Conference: 80+ global experts discussed semiconductor optics (Sept 8–12).
  • MINT Teacher Training: 112 educators attended the "Schule MIT Wissenschaft" conference (Nov 7–9).
  • "More for Physics Students": Doctoral student presentations fostered mentorship (Nov 12).
  • Long Night of Science: Sold-out lectures by Prof. Vogelsberger and Sarah Zajusch (Nov 21).

Upcoming

  • Physics Christmas Party (Dec 12, Renthof 5).
  • Research Group Introductions for thesis students (Jan 21, 2026).

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