The Aßmann group develops cross-scale spectroscopy methods for the investigation of material dynamics - from picoseconds to long-term, from atomic to micrometric. Customized ultrafast and nonlinear laser spectroscopy is used to investigate quantum optical issues in semiconductors and tribological surfaces in situ and operando.
Key technologies
Streak camera spectroscopy and femtosecond laser systems, homodyne detection with real-time phase space measurement, Raman imaging, Brillouin interferometry, as well as tip-enhanced emission and spatial beam shaping are used.
Applications
The research enables analysis and optimization of semiconductor lasers and photonic components, wear prevention and lubricant analysis, material diagnostics for tribological components, coatings and biomedical implants as well as real-time monitoring of physical-chemical material properties.
Access the website via the following link: AG Aßmann
The Chair of Materials Test Engineering (WPT) forms the foundation for the development, design, and manufacture of reliable high-performance products across all research and industrial sectors. Successful material selection, quality control, component monitoring, and failure analysis rely on precise determination of chemical composition, microstructure and defect structures, as well as material properties and damage evolution, complemented by powerful modeling and simulation methods. In addition to material qualification and manufacturing optimization, the identification and separation of deformation and damage mechanisms play a central role, as does the assessment of structural integrity and lifetime prediction.
Spectroscopy plays a central role in materials testing and analysis. It offers a powerful means of determining chemical composition, identifying defects, monitoring material changes, and characterizing the structure of materials. The versatility and precision of spectroscopic techniques make them an indispensable tool in materials science, quality assurance, and research - particularly in the development of new materials and in ensuring their performance under real-world operating conditions.
Key technologies:
- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES)
- Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX)
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
- Infrared Spectroscopy (IR)
- Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)
Access the website via the following link: WPT
The Clever Lab uses computational methods, synthetic chemistry and a variety of analytical methods to design, prepare and examine bioinspired supramolecular assemblies by stepwise increasing their structural and functional complexity. Natural low-symmetry nano-confinements (as found in enzyme pockets) and multi-chromophore arrangements (as in photosynthetic organisms) are mimicked by metal-mediated multicomponent – yet non-statistical – self-assembly strategies. By combining different chemical functionalities, modular libraries of nanostructures with emergent properties such as multitopic guest binding, circular polarized luminescence and intra-assembly vectorial exciton or charge transfer are accessed. Unraveling fundamental molecular dynamics and light-triggered processes relies heavily on a variety of optical spectroscopy methods at different time scales. Learned principles generate application potential for sustainable catalytic transformations, light-harvesting materials, medical diagnostics and the chemical augmentation of biological systems.
Key technologies:
- Circularly Polarized Luminescence (JSCO CPL-300, www.jascoeurope.com/cpl-300-model/)
- Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy (with temperature controlled cuvette holder)
- UV-Vis Absorption Spectroscopy (with temperature controlled cuvette holder)
- Fluorescence Spectroscopy (with integrating sphere)
- Spectro-Electrochemistry (different cell and electrode types)
- Irradiation Equipment for Photochemistry (Hg, Xe and LED light sources)
Access the website via the following link: CleverLab
The Institute of Machining Technology (ISF), headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prof. h.c. Dirk Biermann, has been engaged for more than 50 years in both research and teaching on all relevant machining processes as well as on the information-technology environment of machining. Since 2023, the institute’s leadership has been further strengthened by an additional professorship held by apl. Prof. PD Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Inform. Andreas Zabel.
Within the field of machining, the processes of turning, drilling, deep-hole drilling, milling, grinding, honing, and blasting are investigated scientifically at ISF and are carried out in the high-speed cutting (HSC) and high-performance cutting (HPC) ranges, while being continuously further developed and refined within current research projects. In addition, micromachining (in drilling, deep-hole drilling, and milling) as well as dry machining and minimum quantity lubrication are key areas of work at ISF. The implementation of virtual machining processes based on various modeling concepts, including the use of AI methods, is also a focus of the institute’s research activities and is represented in particular by Prof. Zabel.
Access the website via the following link: ISF
Memberships at DAEDALUS:
AG Yakovlev focuses on the experimental investigation of spin-dependent phenomena and exciton physics in solids, in particular in semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures based on common III-V and II-VI materials. Current research focuses on lead halide perovskite semiconductors, which are promising for applications in photovoltaics and optoelectronics.
Key technologies
Optical and magneto-optical techniques employing cryogenic temperatures (1.6–300 K), strong magnetic fields of up to 17 Tesla, and polarized light in the spectral range from 350 to 1100 nm. These techniques enable both continuous-wave excitation and time-resolved experiments with temporal resolutions ranging from 1 ps to several seconds. Nonlinear multiphoton spectroscopy (generation of optical harmonics) is also available in the spectral range from 0.3 to 2.5 µm.
Applications
This research forms the basis for the development of new materials and the discovery of new phenomena for spintronics and quantum information technology.
Access the website via the following link: AG Yakovlev
Memberships at DAEDALUS:
The THz Spectroscopy Group investigates the dynamics of elementary and hybridized excitations in solids across many scales of spectroscopy — from frequencies of 100 GHz up to the PHz range, from amplitudes corresponding to vacuum fluctuations to atomic-scale fields on the order of V/Å, and from sub-diffraction spatial resolution to the far field. To this end, modern methods of nonlinear optics are employed to tailor ultrashort waveforms, down to the single-cycle limit, in phase and amplitude for the intended application.
Key technologies
The group uses high-power femtosecond lasers, nonlinear parametric optical amplification, nonlinear frequency conversion for the generation of phase-locked waveforms in the THz and mid-infrared range, 2D THz spectroscopy, light-wave acceleration, near-field design using microresonators, ultrastrong light–matter coupling, and supercontinuum white-light spectroscopy.
Applications
The group’s projects yield insights that can be used to develop novel quantum materials relevant for optical and electronic applications. Recent advances include ballistic electron transport in topological systems, with relevance for novel quantum electronics operating at terahertz clock rates, as well as the switching of magnetic information on the picosecond timescale. Also in focus are the development of integrated optical elements and new concepts for ultrashort-pulse lasers in the terahertz spectral range.
Access the website via the following link: THz Spectroscopy Group
Membership at DAEDALUS:
The Ultrafast Acoustics Group studies the fundamental properties and dynamics of condensed-matter systems using ultrafast optical spectroscopy and picosecond acoustics. We generate and detect coherent atomic vibrations — acoustic phonons — and track how they interact with other collective excitations in a wide range of materials.
Key technologies
Our research is centered on ultrafast laser techniques. We use ultrashort laser pulses to generate and detect acoustic wave packets in the time domain. These picosecond acoustic pulses contain frequency components up to several terahertz and wavelengths as short as a few nanometers.
By monitoring the local optical response induced by a propagating acoustic wave packet, we can follow its motion through the material or nanostructure under investigation.
Key applications
The shape, amplitude, and spectral content of an acoustic pulse provide detailed information about material quality, defects, and internal morphology, with nanometer-scale spatial resolution.
Ultrashort acoustic pulses can also generate local strain on the order of 10⁻³, making them a powerful tool for studying and controlling dynamic processes in solids. We use them to manipulate the electronic spectrum, shift optical resonances, and influence magnetic order and electrical conductivity on ultrafast timescales. This also enables us to investigate the coupling of acoustic phonons to other elementary excitations.
Main experimental techniques:
Multicolor pump–probe spectroscopy; transient absorption and transient reflectivity across the UV–NIR spectral range; optical free-induction decay.
Main material systems:
Ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and altermagnetic materials and nanostructures; semiconductor nanostructures; metallic nanolayers and two-dimensional patterned structures; two-dimensional materials and van der Waals heterostructures.
Access the website via the following link: Ultrafast Acoustics Group
Memberships at DAEDALUS: