News

IKZ has joined the international Einstein Telescope collaboration
Growing particularly large silicon crystals will support the construction of a gravitational wave observatory:
The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a planned next-generation gravitational wave observatory in Europe, designed to detect and study gravitational waves with unprecedented sensitivity. It will use a network of underground…

Modernisation of BESSY II light source
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin presents the BESSY II+ upgrade programme:
At the 2024 meeting for the users of the electron storage ring BESSY II, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) presented the BESSY II+ upgrade programme. It enables world-class research at BESSY II to be further expanded and…
![[Translate to English:] Dr. Kazuki Morita (links), Dr. Qingping Wu (rechts), HZB Berlin](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/4/csm_hzb-fellows_afc8411f23.webp)
Two Humboldt-Fellows join HZB
Kazuki Morita and Qingping Wu contribute their expertise in materials and energy research at HZB:
In 2024, two young scientists joined HZB as Humboldt Fellows. Kazuki Morita joined Prof. Antonio Abate's group and brings his expertise in modelling and data analysis to solar energy research. Qingping Wu is an expert…

Planet Mercury seen ‘in a different light’ for first time
Fifth flyby of Mercury by BepiColombo space probe:
Mercury is the innermost and smallest of the eight planets. Outwardly, it bears a strong resemblance to Earth's Moon, but the planet differs considerably from it in terms of its structure and composition. Planetary…

Community-driven mini-grids in Nigeria
RLI research project shows ways to sustainably electrify rural regions:
In the project ‘Communities of Practice Nigeria’ (CP Nigeria), researchers from Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), together with experts from partner organizations, have developed results for the promotion of clean and…

ERC Consolidator Grant for quantum physicist Tim Schröder
2.5 million euros funding for the research project „Multidimensional Hyperentangled Photon Graph States“:
Prof. Dr. Tim Schröder from the Departement of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), has been awarded a Consolidator Grant from…
Why an economical Iridium catalyst works so well
An HZB team revealed that the special chemical environment in the P2X catalyst promotes water splitting during electrolysis:
Iridium-based catalysts are needed to produce hydrogen using water electrolysis. Now, a team at HZB has shown that the newly developed P2X catalyst, which requires only a quarter of the Iridium, is as efficient and…

20 years of promoting science in the school lab
38,000 schoolchildren visited the school lab at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin:
Twenty years ago, on 29 November 2004, Klaus Böger, then Senator for Education in Berlin, opened one of the capital's first school laboratories. Since then, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), in cooperation with the…

Award for FBH researchers from MyoQuant project
At the Berlin Quantum Pioneer Days the young scientists were awarded the jury prize:
A successful week came to an end for Sascha Neinert and Kirti Vardhan. The two young scientists from the Joint Lab Integrated Quantum Sensors (IQS) were awarded the jury prize of the Berlin Quantum Pioneer incubation…

High-performance charging for e-buses in public transport also possible without grid expansion
Successful outcome of the ‘Buffered-HLL’ pilot project for energy- and cost-efficient charging with flywheel mass storage systems:
The nationwide pioneering pilot project ‘Buffered-HLL’ for energy- and cost-efficient high-performance charging with flywheel mass storage for electric buses in local public transport successfully concludes its…

Absolute measurement of electronic properties with a THz nanoprobe
At PTB, a novel calibration approach for scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy has been developed:
In scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM), THz radiation (e.g. from the electron storage ring MLS) is focused onto a metallised probe to enable THz-spectroscopy below the diffraction limit on…

Advanced low-loss materials for quantum technologies
Kick-off for the ‘MagSQuant’ project coordinated by IKZ:
The joint project ‘Low-loss materials for integrated magnonic-superconducting quantum technologies’ (MagSQuant) is the start of a new initiative to significantly increase the performance and scalability of…

Battery research with the HZB X-ray microscope
Experiments at BESSY II have clarified chemical changes in lithium-ion batteries:
New cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. However, their capacity…

Adlershof Research Forum 2024: Innovations and strategic impulses for the science campus
AFF poster prize was awarded to Juliane Scholl:
Almost 100 scientists, young researchers and founders came together to the Adlershof Research Forum on 11.11.2024 at Erwin Schrödinger Centre to discuss current developments and challenges facing the science location…

The molecule sleuth
Carsten Engelhard monitors the reliability of chemical analyses:
Searching for a needle in a haystack. Is that the appropriate metaphor? It could make it easier for a layperson to understand how Carsten Engelhard spends his workdays. In both research and teaching, his home has been…

BAM develops new standards for the surface analysis of nanoparticles
New EU project launched for greater security in the use of nanoparticles:
In a new EU project, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is developing standardized measurement methods for investigating the surfaces of nanoparticles. The goal is to further improve the…

New procedure for better thermoplastics
Research team at BESSY II was able to increase the performance of environmentally friendly materials:
Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the…

New Educational Initiative for the German Chip Industry
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut will coordinate a national academy for microelectronics and microsystem technology:
Securing skilled workers for the chip industry – with this goal in mind, the nationwide flagship project “Skilled workers for microelectronics: skills4chips” funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research…

Explanation found for encrusting of the Martian soil
Temperature measurements of the HP³ Mars mole have provided new insights:
Mole, the Martian mole: for four years it had a small but highly regarded 'career' in planetary research. The experiment, unprecedented in the field, was named after the recognisable tunnel-digging mammal, but its…

Forschungsverbund Berlin honours young female scientists with the Marthe Vogt Award
The awardees are bioinformatician Dr. Sara Hetzel and mathematician Dr. Alexandra Quitmann:
In 2024, the Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V. (FVB) will honor two early career researchers with the Marthe Vogt Award, endowed with €3,000. Both Dr. Sara Hetzel and Dr. Alexandra Quitmann have presented outstanding…