DFG is funding a research project on integral deformations in holography at HU
Early-career researcher Stijn van Tongeren focuses on highly complex quantum field theories in theoretical physics
Three new research groups and projects funded by the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) Heisenberg Programme are now active at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), including the group led by physicist Dr Stijn van Tongeren, “Integrable Deformations in Holography”, at the Institute of Physics in Berlin Adlershof.
Integrable deformations in holography
In his research, Stijn van Tongeren focuses on highly complex quantum field theories in theoretical physics, which are used to describe the behaviour and interactions of elementary particles. “However, as the desired exact calculations can usually only be performed approximately, we investigate idealised, highly symmetric quantum field theories that are so simple that we can determine exact solutions,” says the physicist, who holds a PhD.
What makes his project – which has been funded by the Heisenberg Fellowship since September 2025 – unique is that it systematically moves away from these simplified initial theories: “We deform them in a controlled manner so that we retain the ability to perform exact calculations whilst simultaneously describing a broader spectrum of possible theories.” To implement this technically, the existing mathematical methods must be adapted in a suitable manner. The results, in turn, are intended to help improve our understanding of complex models of the real world.
In the project, holography refers to the linking of different theories of particle physics across various dimensions: “This is comparable to holography in the real world, where the information of a three-dimensional image can be captured in a two-dimensional object – though this is merely an analogy,” says van Tongeren. “My research is basic research with no immediate industrial applications. It is intended to help deepen our understanding of the mathematical structure of our universe.”
Further information on the project
The Heisenberg Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
The aim of the Heisenberg Programme is to enable outstanding researchers who meet all the requirements for appointment to a long-term professorship to prepare for a senior academic position and to pursue advanced research topics during this period.
Heisenberg Programme of the DFG
Contact:
Stijn van Tongeren, PhD
Head of junior research group (project: ERIEH)
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Department of Physics
+49 30 2093-66393
svantongeren(at)physik.hu-berlin.de
www.hu-berlin.de/en/people-detail-page/stijn-van-tongeren-phd
Source: excerpt from HU press release, 28 May 2026