Core Research Area Photon and Nanosciences
Basic research in the University’s core research area Photon and Nanosciences covers a broad range of questions in laser and quantum physics, nanochemistry, and biophysics. The research is interdisciplinary and consolidated primarily in the Cluster of Excellence CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter.
Content
Cutting-edge lasers and light sources
Photo: UHH/Esfandiari
The Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld campus gives researchers access to an unparalleled constellation of light sources and instruments to make images of and manipulate matter at atomic scale. There are also state-of-the-art labs and computers at other University locations. Further global facilities are available thanks to international cooperation, including the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Lund.
New methods and materials
Photo: UHH/CUI, Peter Garten
The scientific research continues to yield new methods and applications— for example, research with laser radiation has made it possible to develop a more precise laser scalpel for use in surgery and innovative storage media. Research also gives rise to previously unknown materials, while work with nanoparticles inspires new treatments in medicine. The teams benefit from global networks and complementary expertise.
Good connections, interdisciplinary
A major key to success is interdisciplinary cooperation in large research projects that include the University of Hamburg and its nonuniversity partner institutions, such as the Cluster of Excellence CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter, which was established in 2019 and focuses on the observation of ultrafast processes at atomic and molecular level in real time. Goals include decoding how bonds are created and broken in order to purposefully steer mechanisms and develop new functionalities.
Participating faculties and research centers
The questions addressed in the core research area are so complex that they can be answered only if researchers in different fields and faculties in the natural sciences work together.
Cooperation and research partners
In Hamburg, researchers cooperate with renowned partner institutions working in the fields of photon and nanosciences.
Researchers, programs, and projects
The research in the core research area is conducted in various interdisciplinary projects. Research teams comprised of renowned experts in their field initiate and implement the projects. Nurturing early career researchers is always a key feature of their work.