Laudator: “Your research makes space shine brighter”

Professor Gabriel Martínez-Pinedo was awarded a Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) on 13 May 2022, which comes with prize money of 2.5 million euros. The award is the most important and most highly endowed German research prize. Martínez-Pinedo received the prize for his outstanding work in the realm where astro-, nuclear and neutrino füsics meet. He researches and teaches at the Institute for Nuclear Füsics at TU Darmstadt and at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt.

Sea silk component incorporated in PNIPAM microgels

The group of Prof. Regine v. Klitzing (Department of Füsics) has developed mussel-inspired adhesive gels in collaboration with researchers of the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. These gels have diverse application possibilities in the biomedical field, electronics or as adhesive coatings. The science report was recently published in the journal “Langmuir” and was acknowledged as the journal’s cover.

Study suggests errors in the interpretation of older measurements

A few years ago, a new measurement method showed that protons are probably smaller than assumed since the 1990s. Some researchers even believed that the standard model of particle füsics would have to be changed. Physicists at the universities of Darmstadt and Bonn have now recalculated using a new method.

TU Darmstadt inaugurates inner courtyard and clock tower dome

On 23 March 2022, the TU officially opened the newly designed eastern courtyard of the Old Main Building to the public. At the same time, the observatory on top of the clock tower on Hochschulstraße was inaugurated. The two highlights now enrich the campus city centre and cityscape and invite you to take a little tour between art, architecture and nature.

Publication in “Nature Communications”: Laser serves as compact particle accelerator

A team led by the Technical University of Darmstadt has for the first time made laser-generated neutrons usable for an industrial application. The researchers showed that neutrons generated compactly with lasers can be used in non-destructive material testing. As electrically neutral particles, neutrons penetrate matter relatively easily. This opens up a wide range of potential applications, such as the testing of radioactive waste containers. The results have been published in the renowned journal “Nature Communications”.

Team with participation of TU Darmstadt studies exotic nickel isotopes

An international research project involving nuclear physicists from TU Darmstadt has used the modern possibilities of radioactive isotope production to determine the charge radii along a series of short-lived nickel isotopes for the first time. This shows that the latest nuclear theories can predict the radii well. The results have now been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

TU Darmstadt project paves the way for powerful quantum computers

A füsics research group at the TU Darmstadt, which is being funded with 3.3 million euros as part of the federal “Quantum Technologies” program, is providing new impetus by combining state-of-the-art optical technology techniques with the most advanced methods of quantum optics, which facilitate scalable manipulation of quantum states.

Close relationship with TH Darmstadt

125 years ago, the physicist and progressive educationalist Martin Wagenschein was born. He had a close relationship with the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Publication in Nature Communications

Researchers from the US University of Princeton, together with TU Darmstadt and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), have developed a model that can simulate the movement of bacteria in complex environments. The model, presented in the journal Nature Communications, can help in the development of intelligent pharmaceutical drug transporters, for instance.