01.09.2026 Newsletter Physics September 2026

Physics Department Newsletter 09/2026

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In this edition:

Department News

  • Graduation Ceremony and Alfred-Wegener Prize 2026: On July 3, 25 bachelor's, 12 master's, 2 teacher-training, and 7 doctoral graduates were honored. The Alfred-Wegener Dissertation Prize went to Dr. Lara Heidrich and Dr. Yurii Radiev. The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Michael Klues.
  • New LOEWE Focus Area "QuEnergy": The research groups of Malic, Reutzel, Leisgang, and Gerhard are involved in a new research consortium funded with €4.8 million to advance energy-efficient quantum technologies.
  • New EU Project "SINPHONI": The Malic group is investigating the use of two-dimensional semiconductors as single-photon emitters for quantum communication in an EU project.
  • Long Night of Astronomy: On August 12, around 1,500 guests joined the Schrimpf group to observe a partial solar eclipse and the night sky at the Spiegelslustturm.
  • DFG Committees: Prof. Frank Bremmer was re-elected for a second term to the Senate and Funding Committee for Research Training Groups of the German Research Foundation (DFG).
  • New Doctorate: Dr. Renate Reisenegger has completed her dissertation on the mechanisms of human self-motion perception and navigation.
  • Department Summer Party: On June 11, students, staff, and professors celebrated the annual summer party in a lively atmosphere. New colleagues Prof. Nadine Leisgang and Dr. Lukas Wagner were also welcomed.
  • Patricia Pahamy Award: The prize for outstanding teaching went this year to Prof. Sergei Baranovski and Dr. Daniel Erkensten.
  • MINT Summer School for Girls: The department participated in the event, where schoolgirls conducted experiments in electronics, optics, and acoustics.
  • "Gender and MINT" Network Meeting: The 5th meeting of the network took place at the department, focusing on student participation and gender equality.

Research Highlights

  • Fast Interlayer Exciton Drift in van der Waals Heterobilayers (Malic group): A joint experimental-theoretical study demonstrates fast exciton transport over distances exceeding 10 µm, opening new avenues for energy-efficient excitonic devices (published in Nature Materials).
  • Exciton Polariton-Polariton Interactions in TMDs (Malic group): A material-specific study provides microscopic insights into the nonlinear interactions of polaritons, important for the development of ultra-compact polaritonic circuitry (published in npj 2D Materials and Applications).
  • Strong Light-Matter Coupling in Photonic Crystal Platforms (Malic group): The work shows how the geometry of photonic crystals can be used to control coupling with excitons – a step toward metal-free, ultra-compact polaritonic devices (published in Optics Express).
  • Mobile Terahertz Spectroscopy for Wooden Artefacts (Koch group): A study demonstrates how mobile THz spectroscopy can be used for non-contact evaluation of restoration treatments on a historical altar (published in npj Heritage Science).

Upcoming

  • Long Night of Science: On November 20, 2026, from 5:30 pm in Lecture Hall A, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 8, with talks, experiments, and a quiz.

New Colleagues

  • Dr. Lewis Burke (Malic group): He researches the physics of exciton and trion states in two-dimensional materials.

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