Christof Weitenberg joined the Department of Physics as Teacher for Ultracold Quantum Gases in 2024. His research study group analyzes how atoms act when they are lowered to extremely low temperatures– close to absolute zero– by means of special laser and evaporative cooling. These ultracold atoms allow the researchers to acquire insights into the behavior of quantum matter. In addition to the regular ERC Advanced Grant of EUR2.5 million over 5 years, Weitenberg is getting a more EUR1 million to fund new major equipment.
“Our objective is to imitate exotic states of matter in the laboratory that otherwise just happen in complex solids,” explains Teacher Weitenberg. “To do this, we trap ultracold atoms in so-called ‘optical lattices’ formed by laser light, where they behave analogous to electrons in a solid.” The job “InToCold” is now concentrating on topological quantum states. To produce these unique states, the team needs to move the ultracold atoms to energetically higher bands in the lattice sites and engineer strong interactions between neighboring atoms. To investigate the resulting quantum states, the scientists will then utilize an unique kind of microscope that allows an efficient resolution of just a few nanometers.
“We hope these experiments will give us new insights into the exotic habits of topological quantum matter, which could be of relevance for topological quantum computers in the future,” says Weitenberg.
About Professor Christof Weitenberg
Teacher Christof Weitenberg studied physics and musical composition in Saarbrücken. He made his doctoral degree at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in 2011 before signing up with the École Normale Supérieure in Paris as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2013, he moved to the University of Hamburg as group leader and got an ERC Starting Grant in 2018 to examine unique particles called anyons. He has been a professor at TU Dortmund University because 2024, where he heads a research group on ultracold quantum gases.
To the ERC statement
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