News
Watching bandgaps in motion – attosecond interferometry of solids
Research team establishes a broadly applicable, all-optical probe of band-structure dynamics in solids:
The bandgap, i.e. the energy gap between the highest lying valence and the lowest lying conduction band, is a defining property of insulating solids, governing how they absorb light and conduct electricity. Tracking…
Technology park Adlershof hosted Photonic Days and Tech Tour Photonics
Over 400 participants and 3 days of Networking:
The photonics industry from Berlin-Brandenburg met from October 8-10, 2025, at the WISTA Conventions premises in the Adlershof Technology Park for the traditional Photonics Days. The Photonics/Optics, Microsystems,…
Rydberg Photonics develops key components for quantum applications
FBH spin-off targets a new generation of compact, scalable, and robust photonic solutions:
A new era of compact, scalable, and robust photonic solutions is being ushered in by Rydberg Photonics GmbH, a Berlin-based spin-off from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH). The company builds on FBH’s unique hybrid…
Novel technique shines light on next-gen nanomaterials
Team from HZB and Hebrew University uses spectroscopic microellipsometry to investigate how MXenes truly work:
Researchers have for the first time measured the true properties of individual MXene flakes — an exciting new nanomaterial with potential for better batteries, flexible electronics, and clean energy devices. By using…
FBH showcases latest R&D results at Photonics Days
Conference focusing on laser technology, microsystems technology and quantum technologies on 8 and 9 October in Adlershof:
For two days, experts from research and industry will meet in Berlin-Adlershof to exchange views on the latest trends in laser technology, heterogeneous integration, microsystems technology, and more. Once again,…
Markus Krutzik and Tim Schröder among the 100 most important minds in science 2025
Quantum researchers from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut honoured by Tagesspiegel newspaper:
Markus Krutzik and Tim Schröder have been named among the 100 most important figures in the Berlin science community for 2025. Through their work in quantum sensing and quantum photonics, they make crucial…
cosine expands German operations with new facility in Adlershof
Research laboratories opened at the Centre for Photovoltaics and Renewable Energies:
cosine GmbH has opened new offices and laboratory space in Berlin-Adlershof at the Centre for Photovoltaics and Renewable Energies (ZPV), where new X-ray optics labs and expanded testing capabilities will be installed…
PicoQuant Invests in FluoBrick Solutions to Simplify Access to Single Molecule Research
Partnering to make advanced fluorescence techniques intuitive, affordable, and accessible:
PicoQuant GmbH has invested in FluoBrick Solutions GmbH, a Berlin-based start-up dedicated to lowering the barriers to single-molecule techniques such as Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and Förster…
Pushing boundaries in ultrafast magnetization switching
Switching process does not proceed homogeneously but along a moving domain:
A single ultrashort laser pulse can change the magnetization of a suitable material. But even within a magnetic film of just a few nanometer thickness, this process is not homogeneous, but proceeds with a speed of…
Diodes for Fusion Power Plants
The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut is accelerating the development of a key component:
As part of the “Fusion 2040 – Research on the Way to a Fusion Power Plant” programme, the German government is investing around 1.2 billion euros over the next five years into the development of this climate-neutral,…
From laboratory to everyday life: UVC LEDs for disinfection on the way to widespread use
International research team publishes overview of the state of the art of commercial UVC LEDs:
An international team of researchers has, for the first time, comprehensively assessed the state of the art of commercial UVC LEDs and summarized the findings in an open-access review. These compact, efficient, and…
FBH joins IFE-STARFIRE Hub to advance inertial fusion energy
Diode laser systems are intended to enable real-world fusion power deployment:
The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) is proud to announce its participation in the newly expanded Diode Technology Working Group of the IFE-STARFIRE Hub. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and led by Lawrence…
IKZ launched four start-up companies in current evaluation period
The start-ups focus on advanced materials, precision instrumentation, and AI-supported data management:
During the evaluation period from 2019 to 2025, the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) has initiated four spin-offs. These spin-offs are a crucial part of technology transfer, as they translate research…
HZB team investigates lithium-sulphur batteries in real-time
Findings are helpful to design compact Li-S batteries with a high energy density:
Using a non-destructive method, a team at HZB investigated practical lithium-sulphur pouch cells with lean electrolyte for the first time. With operando neutron tomography, they could visualise in real-time how the…
MXene as a frame for 2D water films shows new properties
Research team investigates phase changes of confined water at BESSY II:
An international team led by Dr. Tristan Petit and Prof. Yury Gogotsi has investigated MXene with confined water and ions at BESSY II. In the MXene samples, a transition between localised ice clusters to…
Ten thousand molecules in time
Experiments at Max Born Institute on generating and controling collective vibrations in a liquid:
The ultrafast placement of an electron in a polar liquid generates collective molecular vibrations in a spherical nano-volume. The vibrations change the diameter of this sphere periodically for more than 100…
New method for the mechanical formation of three-dimensional molecular structures
HU researchers develop light-powered nano-motor and use it to create ring-shaped, intertwined molecules:
Threads or ropes can easily be used for braiding, knotting, and weaving. In chemistry, however, processing molecular strands in this way is an almost impossible task. This is because molecules are not only tiny, they…
Research team succeeds in controlled formation of skyrmion bags
The complex structures in thin ferromagnetic materials are important for future spintronic devices:
A team of researchers at the Max Born Institute and collaborating institutions has developed a reliable method to create complex magnetic textures, known as skyrmion bags, in thin ferromagnetic films. Skyrmion bags…
Scrolls from Buddhist shrine virtually unrolled at BESSY II
HZB team used 3D X-ray tomography and AI for non-destructive investigation:
The Mongolian collection of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin contains a unique Gungervaa shrine. Among the objects found inside were three tiny scrolls, wrapped in silk. Using 3D X-ray…
Advancing time-resolved X-ray science
Novel method gives researchers insight into ultrafast processes and dynamics of materials:
An international team of researchers around IKZ scientist Dr. Peter Gaal has demonstrated a novel approach to time-resolved X-ray diffraction, combining advanced Hadamard timing schemes with a novel device called the…