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Prof. Dr. Gert Viertel, retired ETH professor of physics, passed away on 31 July 2019, at the age of 76.

The group of Tilman Esslinger has developed a new approach to engineer quantized gauge fields coupled to ultracold matter. The method might be the basis for a versatile platform to tackle problems ranging from condensed-matter to high-energy physics.

ETH physicists have measured how electrons in so-called transition metals get redistributed within a fraction of an optical oscillation cycle. They observed the electrons getting concentrated around the metal atoms within less than a femtosecond. This regrouping might influence important macroscopic properties, such as electrical conductivity, magnetization or optical characteristics. The work therefore suggests a route to controlling these properties on extremely fast time scales.