State Research Center for Optics and Material Sciences (OPTIMAS)
Encyclopedia
The State Research Center for Optics and Material Sciences (OPTIMAS) connects two areas of research for which the University of Kaiserslautern
has a national and international reputation, founded upon relevant contributions to the development of laser physics
, photonics
and plasmonics. Researchers in Kaiserslautern
have also been prominent in the development of magnetic, electronic and molecular materials, as well as thin films, nanostructures and ultracold quantum gases. In order to continue building on this research foundation, OPTIMAS has been established at TU Kaiserslautern within the framework of the research initiative of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
The participating researchers bring together their expertise in the areas of
Their multifaceted projects include both fundamental and technologically oriented research, and fall under the general theme of "Light – Spin – Matter". Several OPTIMAS research objectives are thematically extremely broad and can only be pursued through the combination of multiple model-based and experimental approaches.
The "Light – Spin – Matter" core unites diverse cutting-edge research areas such as
A typical example of the wide range of OPTIMAS research objectives is Spin Engineering
.
This research area ranges from
Spin engineering also leads to applications, for example in the development of new materials for computer memory and novel sensors. Investigations into spin engineering have already been carried out at TU Kaiserslautern from various perspectives and will be advanced further in a more efficient way under the aegis of OPTIMAS.
The balance between theoretical, experimental, and applied research groups is characteristic for the Research Center. Since OPTIMAS is a dynamic research association whose primary research themes are on a path of continuous development, its membership composition is likewise continuously adapting.
Most of the scientists of OPTIMAS are in their international scientific community well known due to their publication activity in internationally journals (e.g. Nature
, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Physical Review Letters
, Journal of the American Physical Society
, Angewandte Chemie
, International Edition).
The current manager of operations at OPTIMAS, professor Martin Aeschlimann
is also a member of the External Advisory Board of PULSE Laboratory at Stanford University
. Another member of OPTIMAS is Burkard Hillebrands
in addition he is a member of various international scientific associations e.g. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
and APS (American Physical Society)
.
(DFG) are operated:
These research programs by the German Science Foundation
are internationally highly reputed due to their funding amount (e.g. 12 million € for SFB/TRR 88 for 2011–2014) and their long-term perspective. Although renewals after 4 years periods are required, a 12 year perspective of the research program is the most relevant criteria for approval of a SFB consortium and in the end, is the overall funding period.
In addition, one of the first German-Japanese joint Research Units by DFG
and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Research Unit FOR 1464 „Advanced Spintronics Materials & Transport Phenomena (ASPIMATT)“ is integrated in OPTIMAS. It brings together scientists of University of Kaiserslautern
with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Tohoku University
(Sendai, Japan).
A definitive expression of these goals was the implementation of the OPTIMAS graduate program (funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation) in 2009. OPTIMAS is furthermore actively involved in the appointment of highly acclaimed scientists as well as in the recruitment of young scientists (e.g. Junior Professors). OPTIMAS supports the funding acquisition of its associated research groups by strengthening their research infrastructure, such as by maintaining and upgrading research equipment, and by interdisciplinary networking.
University of Kaiserslautern
The University of Kaiserslautern is a university in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It was founded in 1970 and is organized into 12 faculties.-History:...
has a national and international reputation, founded upon relevant contributions to the development of laser physics
Laser Physics
Laser Physics is an international scientific journal published by Nauka/Interperiodica. It is distributed through the Springer.-Topics covered:The journal specializes in laser physics, but also publishes papers about:...
, photonics
Photonics
The science of photonics includes the generation, emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, detection and sensing of light. The term photonics thereby emphasizes that photons are neither particles nor waves — they are different in that they have both particle...
and plasmonics. Researchers in Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
have also been prominent in the development of magnetic, electronic and molecular materials, as well as thin films, nanostructures and ultracold quantum gases. In order to continue building on this research foundation, OPTIMAS has been established at TU Kaiserslautern within the framework of the research initiative of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
.
Research at OPTIMAS
OPTIMAS combines natural and engineering sciences in the research areas of optics and material sciences.The participating researchers bring together their expertise in the areas of
- quantum physics,
- applied opticsApplied OpticsApplied Optics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Optical Society of America three times a month. It was established in 1963 with John N. Howard as founding editor. The journal has four divisions of editorial scope: optical technology, information processing, lasers, photonics...
, - magnetismMagnetismMagnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
, - thin film physics,
- molecular and material sciences.
Their multifaceted projects include both fundamental and technologically oriented research, and fall under the general theme of "Light – Spin – Matter". Several OPTIMAS research objectives are thematically extremely broad and can only be pursued through the combination of multiple model-based and experimental approaches.
The "Light – Spin – Matter" core unites diverse cutting-edge research areas such as
- spintronics,
- plasmonics,
- meta-materials,
- Bose-Einstein condensates and
- optical switches.
A typical example of the wide range of OPTIMAS research objectives is Spin Engineering
Spin Engineering
Spin engineering describes the control and manipulation of quantum spin systems to develop devices and materials. This includes the use of the spin degrees of freedom as a probe for spin based phenomena....
.
This research area ranges from
- spin chains,
- artificial materials such as ultra-cold gases,
- chemical systems such as poly-nuclear transition metal complexes,
- organic and inorganic semiconductors and
- ferromagnetic nanostructures.
Spin engineering also leads to applications, for example in the development of new materials for computer memory and novel sensors. Investigations into spin engineering have already been carried out at TU Kaiserslautern from various perspectives and will be advanced further in a more efficient way under the aegis of OPTIMAS.
Members
Research groups from three different departments at TU Kaiserslautern – Physics, Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering – are members of OPTIMAS. Several additional research centers and institutions are also members:- the Nano+Bio Center of TU Kaiserslautern,
- the Institut für Oberflächen- und Schichtanalytik (Institute for Surface Science and Thin-film Analysis, IFOS)
- the Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe (Institute for Composites Materials, IVW),
- the Terahertz Measurements and Systems Department from the Fraunhofer Institut für Physikalische Messtechnik (Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques, Freiburg), which is an associate of TU Kaiserslautern.
The balance between theoretical, experimental, and applied research groups is characteristic for the Research Center. Since OPTIMAS is a dynamic research association whose primary research themes are on a path of continuous development, its membership composition is likewise continuously adapting.
Most of the scientists of OPTIMAS are in their international scientific community well known due to their publication activity in internationally journals (e.g. Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Physical Review Letters
Physical Review Letters
Physical Review Letters , established in 1958, is a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society...
, Journal of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, Angewandte Chemie
Angewandte Chemie
Angewandte Chemie is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all aspects of chemistry. Its impact factor was 12.730 in 2010, the highest value for a chemistry-specific journal that publishes original research...
, International Edition).
The current manager of operations at OPTIMAS, professor Martin Aeschlimann
Martin Aeschlimann
Martin Aeschlimann is a Swiss professor of physics and the vice dean of the physics department at the University of Kaiserslautern. Since 2008 he is the spokesman of the State Research Center for Optics and Material Sciences ....
is also a member of the External Advisory Board of PULSE Laboratory at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Another member of OPTIMAS is Burkard Hillebrands
Burkard Hillebrands
Burkard Hillebrands, Prof. Dr. is a German professor of physics and since 2006 the Vice President for Research and Technology at the University of Kaiserslautern. Furthermore he is the leader of the magnetism research group at the Department of Physics.- Academic career :Burkard Hillebrands was...
in addition he is a member of various international scientific associations e.g. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
and APS (American Physical Society)
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
.
Transregional Collaborative Research Centers
Under the roof of OPTIMAS two Transregional Collaborative Research Centers (CRC = Sonderforschungsbereich SFB) of the German Science FoundationDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
(DFG) are operated:
- SFB/TRR 49 „Condensed Matter Systems with Variable Many-Body Interactions”, together with University of Frankfurt and University of Mainz, as well as Max Planck Insitute for Polymer Research, and
- SFB/TRR 88 3MET „Cooperative Effects in Homo- and Heterometallic Complexes“ together with Karlsruhe Institut of Technology (KIT)Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyThe Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a German academic research and education institution with university status resulting from a merger of the university and the research center of the city of Karlsruhe. The university, also known as Fridericiana, was founded in 1825...
.
These research programs by the German Science Foundation
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
are internationally highly reputed due to their funding amount (e.g. 12 million € for SFB/TRR 88 for 2011–2014) and their long-term perspective. Although renewals after 4 years periods are required, a 12 year perspective of the research program is the most relevant criteria for approval of a SFB consortium and in the end, is the overall funding period.
In addition, one of the first German-Japanese joint Research Units by DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Research Unit FOR 1464 „Advanced Spintronics Materials & Transport Phenomena (ASPIMATT)“ is integrated in OPTIMAS. It brings together scientists of University of Kaiserslautern
University of Kaiserslautern
The University of Kaiserslautern is a university in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It was founded in 1970 and is organized into 12 faculties.-History:...
with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Tohoku University
Tohoku University
, abbreviated to , located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region, Japan, is a Japanese national university. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is a member of the National Seven Universities...
(Sendai, Japan).
Goals of OPTIMAS
The strategic aim of OPTIMAS is to further advance research and education in the interdisciplinary areas of photonics, spintronics, molecular and magnetic functional materials, and nanostructures.A definitive expression of these goals was the implementation of the OPTIMAS graduate program (funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation) in 2009. OPTIMAS is furthermore actively involved in the appointment of highly acclaimed scientists as well as in the recruitment of young scientists (e.g. Junior Professors). OPTIMAS supports the funding acquisition of its associated research groups by strengthening their research infrastructure, such as by maintaining and upgrading research equipment, and by interdisciplinary networking.