Kolloquien

In this talk I will provide a theoretical perspective on low-energy searches for physics beyond the Standard Model involving hadrons and nuclei. After presenting an overview of this exciting field, I will focus on two probes that illustrate the breadth of the field.   more...

The past 25 years have revealed a diversity of exoplanets far beyond what was imagined from the limited sample in the Solar System. With new and upcoming observing facilities and a rapidly growing number of nearby planets, we are beginning to bring this diversity into focus, with detailed follow-up characterization of the planets’ atmospheres.   more...

Neutron stars are among the most compact objects in the Universe and the detection of gravitational waves and electromagnetic signals from the merger of two neutron stars in 2017 has been a revolution. This breakthrough observation enabled studies about the history of our cosmos, the formation of heavy elements, and the physics on subatomic scales. Since then, another binary neutron star merger was seen in April 2019, and in January 2020, the detection of two black hole ? neutron star mergers completed the picture.   more...

Scale invariance, a concept first introduced in high energy physics, has recently found many applications in the physics of quantum gases and fluids. It applies to strongly interacting Fermi gases, to two-dimensional Bose gases, and to few-body systems exhibiting the so-called Efimov effect.   more...

Folding the World: Infinite growth on a finite planet Prof. Dr. Anders Levermann Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Potsdam We are at the end of an age – the age of expansion – and we need a new narrative for the next step. The limitations of our physical Earth collide with the necessity of rapid societal development. Accepting the harsh reality of both, we face a dilemma. The desperate call for renunciation and recession is understandable but counterproductive, because it does not resolve the dilemma. Where economists struggle, physicists know the answer: there is infinite opportunity in finite space. Therefore the mathematical concept of folding could provide a solution, because it allows for infinite motion in a finite world – through growth into diversity. Not growth into more, but into different – and not theoretically or esoterically but in a practical, applicable manner.   more...

I will first discuss how gravity can manifest itself geometrically. Using different geometrical properties of a spacetime I will formulate General Relativity in different but equivalent ways. This will allow me to introduce a generalization of gravity with distinct and interesting implications for cosmology and black hole physics and how we can test them.   more...

Soft exoskeleton or exosuits have been introduced in the last decade as possible candidates to overcome the limitations and acceptability of wearable technology. Although the Exosuits initially promised tangible improvements, yet their soft wearable architecture presents strong drawbacks, placing this technology more in a complementary position rather than on a higher step of the podium respect to their predecessors.   more...

In these days, we are witnessing amazing progress in both the variety and quality of platforms for quantum computation and quantum communication. Since algorithms and communication protocols designed for traditional 'classical' hardware do not employ the superposition principle and thus provide no gain even when used on quantum hardware, we are in need of developing specific quantum algorithms and quantum communication protocols that make clever use of the superposition principle and extract a quantum advantage.   more...

The dynamics within the Standard Model of particle physics play a central role in the properties of not only the microscopic world but also the biggest structures of our universe. The Higgs boson, for example, plays a critical role is how particles obtain their masses but also perhaps to how our universe evolved.   more...

he performance of electronic chips is to a large extent limited by the electrical resistance, which sets the maximum operation frequency and the minimum power consumption. It is expected that by replacing part of the electronic circuit by photonics, these limitations could be alleviated. For this goal, an integrated light source is required.   more...

The dynamics of the early universe and black holes are fundamental reflections of the interplay between general relativity and classical/quantum fields. The essential physical processes occur when gravitational and/or field interactions are strong and/or quantum effects are important. These situations are difficult to observe and impossible to experiment with, while the existing theoretical approaches are based on approximations that are in need of experimental verification.   more...

Mechanical stability and shape changes of cells are determined by the dynamic interplay of four distinct cytoskeletal networks, made of actin filaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments and septins. These four filamentous systems contribute different structural and dynamical properties, enabling specific cellular functions.   more...