news 2017

Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona reveal the dynamical mechanism of protein association in atomic detail ' 167/2017 from Jun 22, 2017 Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona, have for the first time, simulated the association and dissociation of protein molecules in atomic detail, and validated their results with experimental data.

Research news In the quantum world, our intuition for moving objects is strongly challenged and may sometimes even completely fail. An international team of physicists of the Universities of Innsbruck, Paris-Sud and Harvard as well as the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has found a quantum particle which shows an intriguing oscillatory back-and-forth motion in a one-dimensional atomic gas instead of moving uniformly.

An international team of physicists has monitored the scattering behavior of electrons in a non-conducting material in real-time. Their insights could be beneficial for radiotherapy. We can refer to electrons in non-conducting materials as 'sluggish'. Typically, they remain fixed in a location, deep inside an atomic composite.

Scientists from Freie Universität, University of Innsbruck, University of Cologne, and University of Sydney Developed New Method ' 123/2017 from May 17, 2017 Together with colleagues from Germany, Austria, and Australia, scientists from Freie Universität Berlin developed a new method for investigating quantum mechanical processes, and they tested their method experimentally.

Tomorrow's computers will run on light, and gold nanoparticle chains show much promise as light conductors. Now LMU scientists have demonstrated how tiny spots of silver could markedly reduce energy consumption in light-based computation. Today's computers are faster and smaller than ever before. The latest generation of transistors will have structural features with dimensions of only 10 nanometers.

Research news Tumors, inflammation and circulatory disorders locally disturb the body's acid-base balance. These changes in pH value could be used for example to verify the success of cancer treatments. Up to now, however, there has been no imaging method to render such changes visible in patients. Now a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a pH sensor that renders pH values visible through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - in a non-invasive, radiation-free manner.

Research news Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a holographic imaging process that depicts the radiation of a Wi-Fi transmitter to generate three-dimensional images of the surrounding environment. Industrial facility operators could use this to track objects as they move through the production hall.

Two researchers at Heidelberg University have developed a model system that enables a better understanding of the processes in a quantum-physical experiment with ultracold atoms. Using computer-assisted methods, Sandro Wimberger and David Fischer from the Institute for Theoretical Physics discovered physical laws that point to the universal properties of this system.

Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin Demonstrated Existence of Unusual Organic Molecule with a Hexacoordinated Carbon Atom ' 052/2017 from Mar 14, 2017 Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin have isolated an organic molecule whose structure seems to contradict fundamental principles of organic chemistry.

Three working groups from Heidelberg, Cologne and Potsdam are involved in a joint project to develop a new technology for astronomical research. The researchers intend to render micro-optic systems used in telecommunications suitable for use in large telescopes. The collaborative project is being supported by the Königstuhl State Observatory of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University, the Institute of Physics I of the University of Cologne, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam.

Heidelberg researcher Selim Jochim has received a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for excellent young researchers from the European Research Council (ERC). The funds will be used to support a research project in the field of quantum physics. The project's aim is to assemble many-body systems from familiar components and thus simulate the properties of complex quantum systems.

In the current issue of the "Science" magazine, chemists at Münster University present a new approach which for the first time enables three - and not, as previously, two - chemical components to be "coupled" in one single reaction, without any metals to aid the process. The researchers succeeded in producing not only pharmaceutically relevant compounds containing fluorine, but also various γ-lactones.

Research news Compared to white fat, brown body fat burns through energy at an extraordinary rate. However, until now the proportion of brown fat in humans was thought to be quite small. Now a study conducted by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has shown: The quantity of brown fat in humans is three times greater than previously known.

A Heidelberg physics project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) will focus on a new type of dating method for use in the earth and environmental sciences. The research team will deploy a special radioactive isotope of the noble gas argon (Ar) for the purpose of water dating. This isotope is useful for determining age in the range of 50 to 1,000 years.

Research news The most prevalent method for obtaining images of clogged coronary vessels is coronary angiography. For some patients, however, the contrast agents used in this process can cause health problems. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now demonstrated that the required quantity of these substances can be significantly reduced if monoenergetic X-rays from a miniature particle accelerator are used.

Research news Rechargeable lithium batteries with cathodes comprising nickel, manganese, and cobalt, are viewed as the most potent today. But they, too, have a limited lifespan. Already in the first cycle they lose up to ten percent of their capacity. Why this happens and what can be done to alleviate the ensuing gradual loss of capacity has now been investigated in detail by a team of scientists using positrons at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Scientists detected a very specialized type of electron transfer in an aqueous salt solution ' 036/2017 from Feb 21, 2017 Scientists of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Universität Heidelberg, and the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague have empirically detected a very specialized type of electron transfer in an aqueous salt solution, one which had only been predicted theoretically up to now.

Research news Modern computer technology is based on the transport of electric charge in semiconductors. But this technology's potential will be reaching its limits in the near future, since the components deployed cannot be miniaturized further. But, there is another option: using an electron's spin, instead of its charge, to transmit information.

Campus news Three teams received the TUM IdeAward last night for their business ideas: a new method for synthesizing peptides, a disposable sample holder which speeds up laboratory work and an electric car for rural regions in Africa. The competition is intended to motivate scientists to turn their inventions into marketable products.

Research news When James Bond asks the barkeeper for a Martini, 'shaken, not stirred', he takes it for granted that the ingredients of the drink are miscible. In the quantum world, however, he might be in for a surprise! A team of physicists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) has now prepared a form of quantum matter that is robust to shaking - a property that would make life difficult for cocktail lovers.