Research networks
Participation in research programmes

Scientists from the Department of Physics are involved in various research programmes funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the European Union, the federal government or the state of Hesse.

Nuclei: From fundamental interactions to structure and stars (Spokesperson: Prof. Achim Schwenk)

The Collaborative Research Center SFB 1245 coordinates the work of more than 100 scientists who, based on effective field theories of the strong interaction, investigate the structure of atomic nuclei and the formation of elements in the universe. As one of the most important university centres for experimental and theoretical nuclear structure physics and nuclear astrophysics, the TU Darmstadt combines its outstanding expertise with the top research of the Johannes Gutenberg University in the field of particle physics.

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Strong-interaction matter under extreme conditions (Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Guy Moore)

How does matter behave under extreme pressure and temperature conditions where atoms overlap and fuse together? Such states of matter can be generated in particle accelerators for extremely short periods of time and provide information about the strong interaction that holds atomic nuclei together. In the cosmos, such extreme states of matter occur when, for example, neutron stars collide with each other. In addition to TU Darmstadt, Goethe University and Bielefeld University are also involved in this project.

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Quantum Key Hubs (CRC 1119 CROSSING)

Based on the so-called quantum key distribution, physicists at TU Darmstadt have developed a novel, tap-proof communication network. The system developed by the Darmstadt group from the Collaborative Research Centre CROSSING is based on a special protocol. The system distributes photons from a central source to all users in the network and establishes the security of the quantum keys through the effect of so-called quantum entanglement.

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Strongly Secure Connection Establishment (SFB 1119 CROSSING)

The project addresses the question of how quantum-resistant key exchange protocols can be developed and used. Known functional features are transferred from classical scenarios such as low-latency connections to this quantum-resistant environment.

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Nanoscale investigation of wetting (SFB 1194)

Wetting phenomena are described on the macroscopic scale by the Young equation. A high resolution of the three-phase contact line on a nanometer scale is required for a deeper understanding of the phenomena. Researchers at the Institute for Condensed Matter Physics use scanning force microscopy to find out more about this area.

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RTG 2128 AccelencE (Spokesperson: Prof. Joachim Enders)

AccelencE trains early-career researchers in the interdisciplinary field of accelerator science. The focus is on energy recovery linacs (ERLs): A new and still little-researched class of particle accelerators that allow the energy used to accelerate the particle beam to be largely recovered.

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Research Unit REASSEMBLY (FOR 5207)

The regeneration capacity of former pasture and cacao plantations in a forest reserve in northwestern Ecuador is investigated. The scientists are looking at interaction networks between different animal species and their functions in the rainforest ecosystem in differently regenerated secondary forests. In cooperation with local Ecuadorian partners, they want to find out how disturbed ecosystems can recover. Scientists from the Institute of Condensed Matter Physics are carrying out computer simulations for the project.

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LOEWE Research Cluster ELEMENTS (Co-spokesperson Prof. Norbert Pietralla)

Understanding the dynamics of neutron stars, investigating the formation of gravitational waves and the heaviest chemical elements – this is the research aspiration of physicists from Goethe University Frankfurt and TU Darmstadt in the joint ELEMENTS project. They are combining their expertise in gravitational physics and the physics of nuclear reactions and will use the outstanding infrastructure of accelerator facilities in Hesse – including the FAIR facility being built at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt.

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LOEWE Research Cluster Nuclear Photonics

Nuclear Photonics is a new field of research that combines the investigation and application of high-power laser-based particle sources with techniques in nuclear physics, in particular photonuclear reactions. Establishing an International Center for Nuclear Photonics is aimed at providing a “home base” for Hessian, German, and International Groups for projects using new major research infrastructure.

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Helmholtz Research Academy Hesse for FAIR

The Helmholtz Research Academy Hesse for FAIR is a unique "think tank" at the forefront of fundamental physics research. In particular, the aim is to use the properties and behavior of particles to gain new insights into the past of the cosmos and to make predictions about how the universe will develop.

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Darmstadt Neutral Atom Quantum Technology Platform (DaNaQTP)

Intensive research is being conducted worldwide to develop novel technological platforms for quantum computers and quantum simulators that make it possible to increase the number of qubits with a reasonable use of the additional resources required for this purpose. Within the framework of the project, an integrated neutral atom quantum technology platform based on the innovative technological basis of micro-optical and micro-electromechanical systems will be built and put into operation.

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ERC Advanced Grant EUSTRONG (Prof. Achim Schwenk)

The goal of the EUSTRONG project is to explore the Strong Interaction, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, in the Universe. The Strong Interaction is responsible for holding neutrons and protons together in the atomic nucleus and for understanding the densest observable matter inside neutron stars. In addition, atomic nuclei play a key role in the search for dark matter and in the study of the lightest neutrino particles. EUSTRONG will enable new discoveries in the physics of the Strong Interaction by developing innovative theories and methods.

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ERC Advanced Grant BARB (Prof. Marco Durante)

Particle therapy is growing rapidly as an effective and precise radiotherapy technique. However, range uncertainty and poor image guidance still limit its applications. In the project, tumour therapy with charged particles is to be further developed. Improving accuracy is the key. This could also allow better treatment of smaller metastases or tumours near critical structures and small targets in non-cancerous diseases.

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ERC Advanced Grant KILONOVA (Prof. Gabriel Martínez-Pinedo)

The synthesis of heavy elements in a neutron star merger leads to a characteristic electromagnetic signal called kilonova, which was also experimentally detected in 2017. In the KILONOVA project, these approaches are to be further developed with the aim of answering one of the fundamental questions of physics: How and where do the heavy elements from iron to uranium form?

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ERC Consolidator Grant PUMA (Prof. Alexandre Obertelli)

The goal of the PUMA project (antiProton Unstable Matter Annihilation) is to investigate neutron skins and halos, which are characterised by the development of low-density pure neutron matter at the surface of neutron-rich radioactive nuclei. PUMA will develop an innovative technique aiming at probing the tail of the nuclear density with antimatter.

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