Theoretical Physics
Complex Systems
The Complex Systems group focuses on the physics of soft condensed matter and biomaterials. These complex materials exhibit rich dynamics as well as material properties intermediate between conventional solids and liquids. They pose fundamental challenges, for instance as model systems to study such basic questions as non-equilibrium physics.
Granular materials such as sand consist of macroscopic grains which collectively can exhibit properties superficially similar to solids, liquids and gases. The principal interest in these systems is their dissipative or non-equilibrium nature which results in complex dynamics.
Nature expresses chirality (the lack of mirror symmetry) at all levels, from molecules to individual seashells. Quantitative prediction, however, of the spontaneous assembly of small molecules to form larger chiral structures remains a challenging theoretical problem of interest.
Biological cells exhibit a range of materials with properties quite different from conventional synthetic materials. Specific interests of this group range from the dynamics of individual biopolymers to the dynamic and structural properties of the networks they form.
Quantum Electronics and Quantum Optics
The research deals with the interaction of light and matter. A prominent object of our studies is the semiconductor laser. Because of its many applications (the CD player, optical communications) this device is becoming more and more important. Under certain circumstances the intensity of the light that the laser emits fluctuates wildly: its behavior has become chaotic. The physics of this process is analyzed with nonlinear dynamics and bifurcation theory.
Another topic is the possible application of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers as elements in ultrafast and broad-band telecommunication networks, for which we study theoretical models and perform numerical simulations.
A third line of research is near-field optics. With this new technique individual atoms can be imaged. We study how light is scattered by objects that are much smaller than the wavelength, the key role played by optical vortices and how this light can best be detected.
The complete list of research topics in Quantum Electronics and Quantum Optics is: Optical Amplifiers, Nonlinear Dynamics in Diode Lasers, Ultra Short Pulse propagation in non-linear media, Quantum Optics of Small Structures, and Near-Field Optics.
Subatomics Physics
The main focus is on elementary particles and their fundamental interactions. One of these interactions, the strong force, is described within a gauge field theory, quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The strong force binds colored quarks and gluons through the exchange of gluons into color-neutral objects, the hadrons, such as nucleons and pions. The nucleons, proton and neutron, are the building blocks of the atomic nuclei, where the exchange of pions manifests itself as the long-range remnant of the strong force. Bound states in QCD are studied in light-cone quantization.
Leptons, such as electrons or muons, do not feel the strong force, but only the electroweak forces mediated by photons or W- and Z-bosons. This makes them suitable particles to probe the quark and gluon structure of hadrons, in particular at high energies which implies high spatial resolution. From a theoretical point of view it is possible to describe the short-distance behavior of field theories in a very precise way and compare its surprisingly rich structure with the results of high-energy scattering processes.
The study of the fundamental interactions of matter, including gravity, also has cosmological impact because these forces have governed the dynamics of the universe during the first seconds after the big bang. In the earliest phases of the expanding universe, quantum gravity effects must have been important, but such effects are not well-understood. Classical and quantum properties of gravity are studied, emphasizing the concept of supersymmetry. In a slightly later époque of the universe all kinds of phase transitions may have preceded the formation of the protons and neutrons, such as color-superconductivity. The possible existence of such phases is studied.
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The Complex Systems group focuses on the physics of soft condensed matter and biomaterials. These complex materials exhibit rich dynamics as well as material properties intermediate between conventional solids and liquids. They pose fundamental challenges, for instance as model systems to study such basic questions as non-equilibrium physics.
Granular materials such as sand consist of macroscopic grains which collectively can exhibit properties superficially similar to solids, liquids and gases. The principal interest in these systems is their dissipative or non-equilibrium nature which results in complex dynamics.
Nature expresses chirality (the lack of mirror symmetry) at all levels, from molecules to individual seashells. Quantitative prediction, however, of the spontaneous assembly of small molecules to form larger chiral structures remains a challenging theoretical problem of interest.
Biological cells exhibit a range of materials with properties quite different from conventional synthetic materials. Specific interests of this group range from the dynamics of individual biopolymers to the dynamic and structural properties of the networks they form.
Quantum Electronics and Quantum Optics
The research deals with the interaction of light and matter. A prominent object of our studies is the semiconductor laser. Because of its many applications (the CD player, optical communications) this device is becoming more and more important. Under certain circumstances the intensity of the light that the laser emits fluctuates wildly: its behavior has become chaotic. The physics of this process is analyzed with nonlinear dynamics and bifurcation theory.
Another topic is the possible application of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers as elements in ultrafast and broad-band telecommunication networks, for which we study theoretical models and perform numerical simulations.
A third line of research is near-field optics. With this new technique individual atoms can be imaged. We study how light is scattered by objects that are much smaller than the wavelength, the key role played by optical vortices and how this light can best be detected.
The complete list of research topics in Quantum Electronics and Quantum Optics is: Optical Amplifiers, Nonlinear Dynamics in Diode Lasers, Ultra Short Pulse propagation in non-linear media, Quantum Optics of Small Structures, and Near-Field Optics.
Subatomics Physics
The main focus is on elementary particles and their fundamental interactions. One of these interactions, the strong force, is described within a gauge field theory, quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The strong force binds colored quarks and gluons through the exchange of gluons into color-neutral objects, the hadrons, such as nucleons and pions. The nucleons, proton and neutron, are the building blocks of the atomic nuclei, where the exchange of pions manifests itself as the long-range remnant of the strong force. Bound states in QCD are studied in light-cone quantization.
Leptons, such as electrons or muons, do not feel the strong force, but only the electroweak forces mediated by photons or W- and Z-bosons. This makes them suitable particles to probe the quark and gluon structure of hadrons, in particular at high energies which implies high spatial resolution. From a theoretical point of view it is possible to describe the short-distance behavior of field theories in a very precise way and compare its surprisingly rich structure with the results of high-energy scattering processes.
The study of the fundamental interactions of matter, including gravity, also has cosmological impact because these forces have governed the dynamics of the universe during the first seconds after the big bang. In the earliest phases of the expanding universe, quantum gravity effects must have been important, but such effects are not well-understood. Classical and quantum properties of gravity are studied, emphasizing the concept of supersymmetry. In a slightly later époque of the universe all kinds of phase transitions may have preceded the formation of the protons and neutrons, such as color-superconductivity. The possible existence of such phases is studied.
