SpectER is a joint project with the atmospheric remote sensing group of André Butz at the Institute of Environmental Physics, as the quantum dynamics group of Thomas Pfeifer at the Max Planck Institue for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. We bring together expertise in precision laser spectroscopy and atmospheric science to address open questions about greenhouse gas emissions and environmental processes.
Dual comb spectroscopy (DCS) is a powerful laser-based technique that combines high spectral resolution, high brightness, and broad spectral coverage — properties that are difficult to achieve simultaneously with conventional spectrometers. This makes it particularly well-suited for identifying and quantifying multiple gas species in a mixture at once, such as the greenhouse gases CO₂ and CH₄ in the atmosphere.
The method relies on two pulsed laser frequency combs — light sources whose spectra consist of tens of thousands of narrow, evenly spaced lines. The line spacing of the two combs is set to differ by a tiny amount. When the two combs are overlapped on a photodetector, each pair of nearly coincident lines produces a distinct beat signal at a unique radio frequency. The result is a precise map of the optical absorption spectrum, now encoded in the radio-frequency domain, where it can be recorded with a single photodiode and no moving parts — making the technique both robust and fast.
We operate a dual comb spectrometer along a 3.1 km open-air absorption path over Heidelberg, continuously monitoring atmospheric trace gases. Our research focuses on pushing the boundaries of what DCS can tell us about the environment: improving measurement precision and stability, validating spectroscopic databases such as HITRAN, and exploring how the technique can be deployed to track emission sources and inform our understanding of local and regional atmospheric processes.
We are always looking for motivated bachelors, masters, PhD students, and PostDocs!
In particular, we are currently looking for motivated Master students, who show interest in:
If you are interested in applying, please send your CV, a transcript, and topics of interest to application@matterwave.de.
