The German Research Foundation (DFG) announced a further renewal of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC)/Transregio 142, "Tailor-made nonlinear photonics: From fundamental concepts to functional structures". This collaborative project at PaderbornUniversity and TU DortmundUniversity focuses on the basic principles of photonics and quantum optics in order to make advances in the field of nonlinear photonic systems, e.g., in information and communication technology, through the targeted manipulation of light.
The CRC was initially approved by the DFG in 2013 for a period of four years and was provided with around ten million euros in funding. The second renewal, for an additional four years, was announced in 2018. Now the Transregio project is moving into its third phase. The project combines Paderborn University's expertise in the areas of photonic materials and quantum optics with TU Dortmund University's expertise in nonlinear spectroscopy.
"This latest renewal will allow us to continue driving fundamental research forward in the areas of optoelectronics and photonics, thereby developing concepts and applications that can promote faster, more efficient and above all secure communication," says Professor Christine Silberhorn from the Paderborn Department of Physics, who is the spokesperson for the CRC. Professor Manfred Bayer, the local spokesperson for the CRC and President of TU Dortmund University, adds: "For eight years now, we have been steadily expanding the partnership between Paderborn and Dortmund on the basis of our complementary expertise. We are very pleased that the reviewers have once again recognized this, along with our plans for the next four years."
Photons: Hope for a Revolution in Data Transmission
Thanks to their special properties, photons – small light particles that make up electromagnetic rays – are considered very promising for a revolution in data transmission. For instance, special methods for creating and shaping photons can potentially deliver new concepts for coding information.
The researchers are developing tailor-made photonic systems with innovative functionalities. The goal is to support their research activities – from fundamental light and material physics research up through the application stage. They pursue an interdisciplinary approach in order to realize innovative photonic systems. Critical technologies that form the basis for the development are established one step at a time as they move from fundamental research to application.
From TU Dortmund University, in addition to Professor Manfred Bayer, Dr. Ilya Akimov, Professor Marc Aßmann, Professor Mirko Cinchetti, Professor Christoph Lange, Dr. Claudia Ruppert, Dr. Alexey Scherbakov and Professor Dmitri Yakovlev are involved in CRC 142.
TU physicists also involved in new CRC 1491 at RUB
The DFG has also decided to establish a new Collaborative Research Center 1491 at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB). Despite the progress made in the field of astrophysics, the interaction between cosmic rays and matter is still far from being adequately understood. For this reason, the Collaborative Research Center "Cosmic Interacting Matters – From Source to Signal" seeks to systematically investigate the interplay between matter and energy with a particular focus on the energy transfer between magnetic fields, cosmic rays, thermal plasmas and dark matter. In this way, it aims to contribute to deciphering the fundamental properties of matter in the universe. Sixteen leading researchers are working to understand how regular galaxies like our Milky Way work, as well as the ones with an active, supermassive black hole at their core. To this end, theoretical astrophysical models are combined with experimental observations of all wavelengths and particles. Furthermore, CRC 1491 provides knowledge about the fundamental properties of matter from theoretical calculations, cosmological observations and terrestrial experiments on particle interactions. The CRC spokesperson is RUB Professor Julia Tjus.