A trapped-ion quantum sensor for the search for new physics

QMetrology

The Standard Model of physics is still far from complete: there is an unexplained asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe, gravity is not included and dark matter and dark energy are not understood. Quantum sensors have become strong tools to search for effects stemming from physics beyond the Standard Model. I am searching for 1-2 … Read more

Diamond is forever?

Asperity_wear

At the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) we carry out exciting fundamental physics research at the highest possible level with relevance to key technologies in nanolithography. We contribute to the production of ever smarter and smaller electronics, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of our fundamental insight into the workings of nature. … Read more

Magnonic spectrum of a metallic altermagnet: CrSb

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In the same way that a photon can be seen as the quasiparticle that carries the energy of an electromagnetic wave, magnons are quasiparticles that propagate the energy of a spin wave. Spin waves are low-energy excitations that arise from the correlated motion of electron-hole pairs with opposite spins. Theoretically, they can be studied within … Read more

3D Printing on Earth and in Space

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3D printing has proven to be a game-changer in space exploration and has revolutionized the way astronauts and space agencies approach problems in space. With 3D printing, it is possible to produce complex components and parts on demand, reducing the need for large inventories and saving space and weight on spacecraft. It also enables the … Read more

 3D-PRINTED ACTIVE MATTER

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Active Matter refers to a class of physical systems made up of self-propelled, interacting entities, such as living organisms or synthetic particles, that exhibit collective behavior and can produce forces and fluxes at the macroscopic scale. Active matter systems can generate directed motion, spontaneous pattern formation, and display emergent properties that are not present in … Read more

Designing New Materials with Computations

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Many industries and technological developments benefit by designing new materials to optimized performances and save energy. For instance, cosmetic or food industries significantly benefit from materials that have engineered mechanical properties. Designing material in the lab is however expensive and require many steps. Here we aim to use computational fluid dynamics to explore emergent behaviour … Read more

A memory of heat

Vo2 memristor

We are witnessing a truly remarkable moment: the birth of an artificial intelligence. Large language models, machine learning and deep fakes are all running on distributed computing networks that use a tremendous amount of energy. For example, the training of chat-GPT used up approximately 1 GWh of energy. The projections are that at the current … Read more

The surprising effect of nothing

p2_amep2

In 2015, a team in Strasbourg made an amazing (and controversial) claim: The electrical conductivity of a material can be dramatically enhanced by embedding it in a tailored photonic environment. Remarkably, light was not involved.  The enhancement was due to the coupling of electron-hole pairs to the vacuum field, i.e., to nothing.  The team recently … Read more