News
AEMtec and Micross Sign Agreement to Drive Future Growth
Adlershof-based company AEMtec GmbH to become part of the US firm Micross Components, Inc.:
At the end of July, Micross Components, Inc. signed an agreement to acquire Berlin-based AEMtec GmbH. Through this acquisition, Micross is expanding its expertise in the fields of advanced packaging, photonics and…
Two attosecond flashes capture electrons in motion
Researchers at the Max Born Institute have developed a table-top technique in which attosecond pulses both initiate and probe electronic motion:
Using all-attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, the team resolved the oscillatory motion of an electron vacancy (an electronic “hole”) in xenon ions with a period of about three femtoseconds. The results have…
OptecNet Germany moves to Berlin
Umbrella organisation for optical technologies with new headquarters in Adlershof:
OptecNet Germany has relocated its headquarters to Berlin. With its new location, the association aims to be closer to federal policymakers and strengthen its dialogue with ministries and other key stakeholders. The…
PLATO space telescope – electronics ready for space
Telescope has passed all the necessary tests ahead of its planned launch in March 2027:
The PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission from the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully completed its electromagnetic compatibility tests – and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches…
New atomic trap boosts quantum performance by utilising surface forces
Researchers at HU have developed a new method for trapping and controlling atoms:
Trapping and controlling atoms is one of the technical foundations for utilising their quantum mechanical properties – for example, for secure communication in quantum networks or in quantum computing. Many novel…
New sample environment at BESSY II allows glimpse into thermocatalytic processes
A novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, X-ray investigations under high pressures and temperatures:
A novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, soft and hard X-ray investigations under high pressures of up to 20 bar and temperatures of up to 400°C. This provides new insights into thermocatalytic processes,…
Spectacular high-speed flyby of the asteroid Torifune
DLR will support the scientific analysis of data taken by the Hayabusa2♯ asteroid probe:
On Sunday 5 July 2026, the Japanese Hayabusa2♯ asteroid mission flew past asteroid (98943) Torifune at very close range and at an extremely high speed of approximately five kilometres per second (18,000 kilometres per…
IKZ impresses in Leibniz evaluation with top rating and strategic momentum
Funding for the institute confirmed for a further seven-year period:
The Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) has successfully completed its periodic evaluation by the Leibniz Association. The Leibniz Senate reviewed the evaluation report in July 2026 and confirmed the…
New insights into quantum materials using magnetic imaging
Micro-flowers increase the local magnetic field and expand the range of applications for photoemission electron microscopy:
Materials with magnetic nanostructures have many potential applications such as in spintronics. To explore such materials, nanoscale magnetic-sensitive imaging techniques are very useful, but up to now only weak…
Materials research: BESSY and the bronze sword
A historic artefact was examined at the Adlershof Particle Accelerator:
A weapon is not the sort of object you would expect to find at a particle accelerator. Yet earlier this year, a Bronze Age sword found its way to Berlin: 60 centimetres long, richly decorated, more than 3,400 years…
ISO honors Michael Krumrey for excellence
The International Organization for Standardization recognizes the PTB scientist for his many years of leadership:
The head of the department 7.2 “X-ray metrology with synchrotron radiation” at the National Metrology Institute of Germany, PTB, in Adlershof, Dr Michael Krumrey, has received the ISO Excellence Award. The award…
Superconducting TES array X-ray spectrometer goes into operation at BESSY II
The instrument is around 100 to 1,000 times more efficient at detecting photons than conventional devices:
The TES-Spectrometer was developed within a collaboration between the HZB, the MPI-CEC (Mühlheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany) and the NIST (Boulder CO, USA) and is now in operation at BESSY II, as the only TES-Spectrometer…
Artificial Star: How Berlin Laser Technology Helps Explore the Universe
TOPTICA EAGLEYARD demonstrated its Guide Star Laser, which generates an artificial guide star in the atmosphere:
On 8 June 2026, an artificial star above Potsdam became a visible symbol of a regional success story. During a joint event hosted by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) and TOPTICA EAGLEYARD,…
Tutorial on the analysis of liposomes and lipid nanoparticles published
PTB contributes to the measurement of key structural parameters for the characterisation of materials:
Liposomes and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are frequently used as carriers in drug delivery and are able to encapsulate active substances such as nucleic acids and peptides and transport them to the site of treatment in…
X-ray analysis reveals overpainted fascist symbols
At HZB, a work by painter Erich Mercker was examined:
Erich Mercker was a successful painter during the Nazi era and in the years that followed. After 1945, he covered up Nazi symbols in at least one of his paintings. With an interdisciplinary team, physicist Dr Ioanna…
Radiation damage or intrinsic material change?
PTB study reveals dose limits for reliable X-ray analysis of battery materials:
X-ray radiation provides insight into the chemical changes in battery materials during battery operation ("operando"), but is also the cause of radiation-generated effects that can superimpose and falsify measurement…
Magnon momentum microscopy: A new window into nanoscale spin-waves
A new type of momentum microscopy makes it possible to image magnons directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space:
An international team lead by the Max Born Institute has developed a new type of momentum microscopy to image magnons — the quanta of collectively excited spins — directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space using…
Dual-comb spectroscopy in the focus of research
A recent overview highlights the principles, advances and future potential of this groundbreaking technology:
Atoms and molecules are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Spectroscopy identifies and quantifies chemical species through the unique spectral fingerprints they imprint on light. Spectroscopy has many…
FBH to present space and quantum technologies at ILA 2026
The focus is on compact technologies designed for reliable operation under demanding conditions:
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), based in Berlin, will present recent developments for space and quantum technologies at ILA Berlin 2026. From June 10-14, 2026, the institute will present a broad technology portfolio…
Imaging Ellipsometry for Process Control of Thin-Film Devices
The method developed at HZB enables non-destructive characterisation and quality control of microstructured MXene thin films during device fabrication:
A German–Israeli research team led by Dr. Andreas Furchner has demonstrated how imaging ellipsometry enables non-destructive characterisation and quality control of microstructured MXene thin films during device…