2022

Traffic obstructions are not only a nuisance for our everyday mobility; they can also have negative consequences for the smallest particles such as electrons. If physicists want to study very fast dynamics in matter using soft X-rays, a clear path for electrons is required.

Tobias Donner, Senior Scientist and lecturer in the Quantum Optics Group at the Institute for Quantum Electronics, has received a SERI-financed ERC Consolidator Grant. He plans to use the funding to explore the fundamental principles behind the interaction between quantum many-body systems and light.

Various applications of pulsed laser sources rely on the ability to produce a series of pulse pairs with a stepwise increasing delay between them. Implementing such optical delay scanning with high precision is demanding, in particular for long delays. Addressing this challenge, ETH physicists have developed a versatile ‘dual-comb’ laser that combines a wide scanning range with high power, low noise, stable operation, and ease of use — thereby offering bright prospects for practical uses.

ETH physicists demonstrate how atoms can be pumped through a synthetic crystal without having to apply external periodic driving. These experiments combine several key aspects of quantum many-body physics in unexpected ways, thus paving a novel path to understanding and creating exotic states of quantum matter.

In 2022, the Swiss team won the World Physics Championship, the International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT). Singapore and Poland came second and third.