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By Christoph Pelzl Researchers from Graz University of Technology and the University of Vienna are demonstrating for the first time how the energy flow between strongly interacting molecular states can be better described. Additional at the end of the text Since the 1990s, femtochemistry has been researching ultrafast processes at the molecular level.

Actually they had been looking for something completely different, but they found a previously unknown quasi-particle: A bound state of two electrons, two holes and light. In physics, there are very different types of particles: Elementary particles are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Other particles, such as atoms, are bound states consisting of several smaller constituents.

Developing a quantum description for a many-body system is extremely hard. TU Wien (Vienna) and Heidelberg University found a way to obtain quantum theories directly from the experiment. Many of the biggest questions in physics can be answered with the help of quantum field theories: They are needed to describe the dynamics of many interacting particles, and thus they are just as important in solid state physics as in cosmology.

Researchers in Austria use lasers to levitate and cool a glass nanoparticle into the quantum regime. Although it is trapped in a room temperature environment, the particle's motion is solely governed by the laws of quantum physics. The team of scientists from the University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published their new study .

Until now, complex experimental equipment was required to measure the shape of a light pulse. A team from TU Wien (Vienna), MPI Garching and LMU Munich has now made this much easier. Today, modern lasers can generate extremely short light pulses, which can be used for a wide range of applications from investigating materials to medical diagnostics.

A new, extremely efficient source of terahertz radiation has been developed at TU Wien (Vienna): Lasers turn air into plasma, thereby producing terahertz rays for many possible applications. Terahertz radiation is used for security checks at airports, for medical examinations and also for quality checks in industry.

For years, a new synthesis method has been developed at TU Wien (Vienna) to unlock the secrets of "strange metals". Now a breakthrough has been achieved. The results have been published in "Science". Superconductors allow electrical current to flow without any resistance - but only below a certain critical temperature.

By Birgit Baustädter Water is all around us and essential for life. Nevertheless, research into its behaviour at the atomic level - above all how it interacts with surfaces - is thin on the ground. Thanks to a new experimental method, TU Graz researchers have now delivered insights into the atomic-level movement of water molecules, which they outline in a paper in Nature Communications.

An international team of researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna established a quantum encrypted connection between Sicily and Malta via a submarine cable. The record distance of 192 kilometres was a further step in the development of a secure quantum internet.

Physicists at the University of Vienna in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have discovered a new type of glass formed by long, cyclic molecules. The scientists successfully demonstrated that by making parts of the rings more mobile, the rings become more strongly entangled and the molecular fluid glassifies.

By Christoph Pelzl Newly discovered properties of magnetically doped topological insulators could significantly accelerate the development of quantum computers. The transmission electron microscope ASTEM, located at Graz University of Technology, played a major role in the success of these discoveries.

Atoms, molecules or even living cells can be manipulated with light beams. At TU Wien a method was developed to revolutionize such "optical tweezers". They are reminiscent of the "tractor beam" in Star Trek: special light beams can be used to manipulate molecules or small biological particles. Even viruses or cells can be captured or moved.

A new type of material generates electrical current very efficiently from temperature differences. This allows sensors and small processors to supply themselves with energy wirelessly. Thermoelectric materials can convert heat into electrical energy. This is due to the so-called Seebeck effect: If there is a temperature difference between the two ends of such a material, electrical voltage can be generated and current can start to flow.

By Christoph Pelzl A team from Graz University of Technology succeeded in using the FEBID method to produce complex 3D-printed nano-components for the first time without additional support structures. Additional at the end of the text In the nanometer range, complex, free-standing 3D architectures are very difficult to produce in a single step due to the required precision.

A team from Graz University of Technology succeeded in using the FEBID method to produce complex 3D-printed nano-components for the first time without additional support structures. Additional pictures for download at the end of the text In the nanometer range, complex, free-standing 3D architectures are very difficult to produce in a single step due to the required precision.

By Birgit Baustädter Materials researcher Florian Lackner "wraps" highly reactive alkali metal atoms in gold and examines them in his laser laboratory. A job he dreamed of when he was a child. "What I'm doing now is exactly what I've always wanted to do." Florian Lackner has achieved what many wish for.

The identification of new chemical bonds is crucial for the design of new material structures. A team led by Jani Kotakoski at the University of Vienna and Jannik Meyer at the University of Tübingen has found unexpected new configurations of oxygen and nitrogen in graphene. Direct images of the actual atoms and the analysis of Life as we know it is based on just a handful of different types of atoms (called elements), among them carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

Researchers at TU Wien have developed a new type of sensing element for atomic force microscopy, which enables a high measurement speed and can even image sensitive processes in living cells. High-definition images of minute objects are standard these days including the imaging of bacteria and viruses, and even molecules and individual atoms in extremely fine details.

A very special kind of light is emitted by tungsten diselenide layers. The reason for this has been unclear. Now an explanation has been found at TU Wien (Vienna). It is an exotic phenomenon that nobody was able to explain for years: when energy is supplied to a thin layer of the material tungsten diselenide, it begins to glow in a highly unusual fashion.

By Birgit Baustädter Did you know that the first Austrian satellite to go into space was built in TU Graz's labs? TUGSAT-1 has been observing stars for more than six years - and it's not the only object made in Graz that is hurtling through space. "The night after the launch I was lying awake in bed and I thought to myself: amazing! This is something that I held in my hands and now it's flying through space," recalls Otto Koudelka, sitting at a glass conference table at the Inffeldgasse site in Graz.