State Research Center for Optics and Materials Science
The State Research Center for Optics and Materials Science (OPTIMAS) is an institution at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern that connects two research areas in which the Technical University of Kaiserslautern has been active for decades. It has made contributions to the development of laser physics , photonics and plasmonics . Researchers at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern are engaged in research into ultra-cold quantum gases and the development of magnetic, electronic and molecular materials, thin layers and nanostructures. To further expand this scientific basis, OPTIMAS was set up at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern as part of the research initiative of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate .
research
In the research fields of optics and materials science, the institute combines the natural and engineering sciences across disciplines. Researchers from the areas are involved
- Quantum Optics and Applied Optics
- magnetism
- Surface physics
- Molecular and Materials Science.
Research projects range from basic to technology-oriented research and all come under the overarching topic of “light - spin - matter”. Since many of the research projects represented in the institute are thematically extremely comprehensive, they can only be worked on by combining various model-based and experimental approaches:
Linking the subject areas of light, spin and matter forms the core of various current research areas such as spintronics , plasmonics , metamaterials , Bose-Einstein condensates and optical switches. A typical example of the scope of the OPTIMAS research projects is the subject of "spin engineering". This research topic includes
- purely theoretical models such as spin chains,
- artificial materials such as ultra-cold quantum gases,
- polynuclear transition metal complexes,
- organic and inorganic semiconductors,
- ferromagnetic nanostructures.
From the application point of view, spin engineering is important for the development of new storage materials for computers and new types of sensors. A significant number of the researchers at the State Research Center are known in the international scientific community. Publications by OPTIMAS researchers appear in international journals (e.g. Nature , proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America , Physical Review Letters, Journal of the American Physical Society , Angewandte Chemie in their International Edition).
Members and Research Programs
The following are involved in OPTIMAS:
- Department "Material Characterization and Testing" of the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques ,
- Nanostructuring Center (NSC) of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern ,
- Institute for Surface and Layer Analysis (IFOS),
- Institute for Composite Materials (IVW).
University working groups from the departments belong to the state research center
- physics
- chemistry
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical engineering and process engineering
In the circle of members there is a balanced relationship between working groups that are applied, basic-oriented and theoretically research-based. OPTIMAS is a dynamic research network in which the focus and thus also the membership are continuously developed. The current coordinator of OPTIMAS is Professor Martin Aeschlimann .
Collaborative Research Centers
OPTIMAS is involved in five special research areas (SFB and SFB / TRR) of the German Research Foundation (DFG) :
- SFB / TRR 49 “Condensed Matter Systems with Variable Many-Body Interactions”, since 07/2007, together with the Universities of Frankfurt / Main , the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Mainz);
- SFB / TRR 88 3MET “Cooperative Effects in Homo- and Heterometallic Complexes”, since 01/2011, together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) ;
- SFB 926 "Component Surfaces: Morphology on the Microscale", since 07/2011;
- SFB / TRR 173 Spin + X "Spin in its collective environment", since 01/2016, together with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz ;
- SFB / TRR 185 OSCAR "Open System Control of Atomic and Photonic Matter", since 07/2016, together with the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
In addition, OPTIMAS is involved in the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ), which is coordinated by the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and has been financed since 2007 as part of the Excellence Initiative.
aims
The strategic goal of the state research center is the further expansion of the research and training structure in the interdisciplinary environment of photonics , spintronics , molecular and magnetic functional materials and nanostructures. OPTIMAS is also involved in the appointment of proven research personalities as well as in the recruitment of young researchers (e.g. for junior professorships). OPTIMAS offers the participating working groups support in raising funds by sustainably strengthening the research infrastructure, e.g. B. in maintaining and expanding research equipment as well as in interdisciplinary networking.