News
Julia von Blumenthal elected President of Circle U.
The President of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin will lead the strategic development of the European university alliance:
At the General Assembly held on 31 May 2024 at UCLouvain in Brussels, Julia von Blumenthal, President of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, was elected as new president of Circle U. Succeeding Vincent Blondel, then…
Alkanes, laser flashes and BESSY's X-ray vision
An international research team has succeeded in observing an intermediate step in the catalysis of alkanes:
An international research team has succeeded in observing an intermediate step in the catalysis of alkanes. By understanding these reactions, existing catalysts can be optimized in the future and new ones found, for…
“Lucy” discovers a double moon around asteroid Dinkinesh
DLR scientists made a surprising observation when analysing the image data from the NASA space probe:
First a small surprise and then a big one: when NASA's Lucy space probe transmitted the first images to Earth after its flyby of the small asteroid Dinkinesh on 1 November 2023, it revealed a moon behind the 720-metre…
Dynamic measurements in liquids now possible in the laboratory
Newly developed laboratory spectrometer works with a plasma light source and provides a time resolution of 500 picoseconds:
A team of researchers in Berlin has developed a laboratory spectrometer for analysing chemical processes in solution - with a time resolution of 500 ps. This is of interest not only for the study of molecular…
Nathalie Picqué receives the 2024 William F. Meggers Award
The MBI Director and Professor of Physics at HU Berlin was honored for her path-breaking work on broadband molecular spectroscopy using interfering frequency combs:
The Meggers Award of OPTICA (formerly the Optical Society) was established in 1970 to honour the memory of William F. Meggers, an American physicist specialising in spectroscopy. It is awarded annually in recognition…
Agile furnishing
System 180 provides people with flexible spatial design:
The pandemic has triggered a surge in flexibility in the professional world. The demands to spaces and furniture are changing. When hybrid work and agile methods bring together diverse teams, it is essential to have…
How accurate is physics depicted in the movies?
“As long as the film stays in its own logic, I can accept other theories”, says Çiğdem İşsever from HU Berlin:
Caution is required whenever physics appears in films, says Çiğdem İşsever. She dedicates herself to the fundamentals of particle physics at Humboldt Universität’s Lise Meitner House in Adlershof. Entertainment…
Successful start of the BMBF project "UV-KrisP - Coherent continuous wave radiation in vacuum UV"
IKZ and Fraunhofer IPM will develop a new crystal material together:
Over the next three years, the IKZ will develop a new crystal material together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in Freiburg. This material is capable of generating laser radiation…
The defiant
At the Adlershof-based Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), Christine Kühnel is working towards a future in which energy is 100 percent renewable:
The German government just recently cut funding for the Climate and Transformation Fund. This affects Reiner Lemoine Institut (RLI), among many others. “The consequences are dramatic,” says Christine Kühnel, who has…
RLI designs a digital twin for the local heating market in Berlin
On behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, scientists design a digital heat register:
Berlin is ready to tackle the challenges of climate change and take on a pioneering role in the use of renewable energies. A powerful team of energy market, heat market and digital experts will provide support. On…
Prof. Dr. Joachim Sauer receives the Blaise Pascal Medal 2024 in Chemistry
European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) honours the renowned chemist for his outstanding research in the field of catalytic reactions:
Professor Joachim Sauer is honored with the Blaise Pascal Medal in Chemistry for his exceptional contributions to understanding catalytic reactions on the basis of quantum chemistry at all levels and through his…
Scientists decipher the contribution of electrons to molecular chirality
A new approach offers a way to control physical and chemical properties that result from chiral interactions:
A new experimental approach provides the long-awaited tools to understand the role of electrons in the molecular chiral reactivity and offers a way to control physical and chemical properties that result from chiral…
Know-why, -what, -how, -who? What we need to know about the future world of work
Essay by Katja Ninnemann, Professor of Digitalization and Workspace Management at HTW Berlin:
Faced with current challenges like disruptive technology developments, the increasing shortage of skilled workers, and the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic, many people are posing questions about the future…
Watching indium phosphide at work
Research team from HZB, TU Ilmenau and Paderborn University gained insights into the electron dynamics in the surface of the semiconductor:
Indium phosphide is a versatile semiconductor. The material can be used for solar cells, for hydrogen production and even for quantum computers – and with record-breaking efficiency. However, little research has been…
Living like in a village community
The Student Village Adlershof opened ten years ago:
Wood-clad façades with an accordion look, colourful blinds, and floor-to-ceiling windows: Construction on the Student Village Adlershof was completed ten years ago. Since then, 400 students from all over the world…
In conversation with Daniela Theile
The user coordination officer at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin works as a volunteer swimming coach:
Around 31 million Germans give back to society through volunteer work. Helmholtz employee and swimming coach Daniela Theile is one of them. She waxes lyrically: “How many people have the key to a public swimming…
A stroke of luck – The meteorite from the Havelland
Planetary researcher Jörn Helbert examined the very rare object in the DLR laboratory:
Sunday, 21 January 2024. It’s about half past two. The night over Brandenburg is clear when, suddenly, a fiery streak illuminates the sky. A chunk of a rock from space, half a metre long and weighing about 140 kilos,…
The rainmakers – Flourishing balconies for a greener city
A start-up team in Adlershof is developing a smart watering system for balconies:
With great precision, the start-up Plances—funded by the Adlershof Founder’s Lab (AFL)—will deliver valuable moisture to the balconies of renters across the city. Their mission: Greener, more liveable cities in which…
How our knowledge of artists influences our perception of their works
A new study from Humboldt-Universität approaches the question from a psychological perspective:
A neurocognitive study by researchers at the Institute of Psychology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) shows that negative knowledge about an artist influences the perception of the artwork, regardless of the…
Adlershof Journal May/June 2024
A seedbed of creative minds – What makes the work environments in Adlershof unique?:
Agile furnishing: System 180 provides people with flexible spatial design // The rainmakers: Flourishing balconies for a greener city // A stroke of luck: The meteorite from the Havelland