Chair for Laser Physics
Welcome to the website of the Chair for Laser Physics!
At the moment we work in three main branches of research that combine the topics of laser physics, quantum, electron, and nano optics, strong-field and attosecond physics, plasmonics and solid state research. We investigate the wave and particle properties of electrons in ultrafast processes in and at nano objects; we develop new particle traps to create quantum optical systems in order to build a quantum electron microscope; we use laser pulses at photonic nanostructures to look into novel concepts for particle acceleration.
The main part of our laboratory is centered around light-matter interaction on fastest time scales, namely the femtosecond and attosecond time scale (1 fs = 1 millionth of a billionth of a second, 1 as = 1 billionth of a billionth of a second). This allows us, to put it a bit more abstractly, to work towards understanding und utilizing photon-electron coupling in various systems. A part of this is based on highly advanced methods to control electrons, often with light fields, which requires building new laser sources and amplifiers.
Great success for our former Master's student, PhD student and postdoc Christian Heide: very soon he will take up his first professorship, at the University of Central Florida. Congratulations and best wishes for continued successful research!
After around 35 highly successful years at FAU, Professor Dr. Jürgen Ristein will soon be taking his well-deserved retirement. To mark his farewell, the Chair organized a surprise symposium for him, which took place last Friday in beautiful summer weather in the FAU Water Hall of the Orangerie. Jürg...
Dr. Tobias Weitz has been awarded a 5,000€ 2nd prize from the Körber Foundation for his dissertation, perhaps the most visible doctoral prize in the whole of Germany. Theses are awarded for their social relevance, in Dr. Weitz's case this was the fundamental importance of his work for future light-b...
The Shoulders-Gray-Spindt (SGS) Prize is awarded in the name of the founders of the International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC) to promote young scientists in the field of vacuum nanoelectronics. We are delighted that Leon Brückner has received the endowed prize for a publication on “Cohe...
Dielectric laser accelerators have so far been operated with lasers in the near-infrared range. Using a longer wavelength should allow higher electron transmission and a higher damage threshold. In a cooperation with the university and the Fraunhofer Institute in Jena, we are demonstrating accelerat...
Our postdoc Zhexin Zhao received a highly prestigous Humboldt Research Scholarship to continue her work as a postdoc here with us -- warmest congratulations! Well deserved.
CERN Courier published an article covering the history of on-chip accelerators using silicon-based structures illuminated by lasers. These dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs) promise powerful, high-energy, high-repetition-rate particle sources suitable for applications in medical facilities and qua...
