News
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…
When order gives way to chaos: the turbulent birth of magnetic nanovortices
Research team makes the effect of short electrical pulses on a skyrmion directly visible:
Magnetic switching processes are considered a prime example of controllable physics at the nanometer scale: in certain thin-film systems, a short electrical current pulse is sufficient to reverse the magnetization in…
Real-time analysis of magnetic bilayer systems at BESSY II
Femtoslicing enables ‘snapshots’ of the magnetic state of materials:
Spintronic devices enable data processing with significantly lower energy consumption. They are based on the interaction between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers. Now, a team from Freie Universität Berlin,…
Environmental Chemistry at BESSY II: Radicals in waterways
HZB research group unravels the light-induced formation of hydroxyl radicals from nitrite:
How do radicals form in aqueous solutions when exposed to UV light? This question is important for health research and environmental protection, for example with regard to the overfertilisation of water bodies by…
Smartphone rapid test detects microbiologically contaminated water in less than a minute
BAM research team developed a highly sensitive detection method for urobilin:
Microbiologically contaminated water poses a significant health risk worldwide – especially in areas where laboratories are scarce and rapid testing is crucial. Researchers at the Federal Institute for Materials…
TOPTICA EAGLEYARD expands its global position in the space market
Adlershof-based laser specialist strengthens international presence and scales structures for future space missions:
TOPTICA EAGLEYARD is advancing the expansion of its activities in the global space market. The Berlin-based company, which has contributed high‑performance laser diodes to numerous international missions, is…
Chance encounter in space: JANUS camera captures interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
ESA's Jupiter probe, JUICE, was unexpectedly perfectly lined up for observations of a comet from deep interstellar space:
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, en route to Jupiter on a journey lasting over seven years, was not originally scheduled to conduct scientific operations so early in its voyage. Then, in the summer of…
HU researchers develop molecular clamps controlled by light
The molecular photoswitches use light to adjust mechanical strain, enabling on-demand control of chemical reactions:
Controlling exactly when and where chemical reactions take place remains one of the central challenges in modern chemistry. Heat, mixing, or catalysts typically affect entire systems at once, offering little spatial…
Ultrafast laser pulses bring diamond-based quantum internet closer to reality
Researchers from Berlin have demonstrated a new method for generating single photons in a diamond-based quantum system:
The controlled generation of single photons is an essential element of numerous quantum technology applications, such as quantum networks and quantum computing. A research team from the Integrated Quantum Photonics…
Research team has developed an alternative spectral imaging method
Quantum interference makes MIR spectroscopy possible using simple camera technology:
Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy uses the molecular fingerprints of samples to perform biomedical or environmental analyses without chemical staining or labeling. Highly specific vibrational states of the different…