Virtual Institut

Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes

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The Virtual Institute explores the governing principles of material’s function in an internationally highly visible centre of excellence, where through a series of interdependent investigations researchers from HZB and DESY and two German Universities join forces with the Virtual Institute’s national and international associated partners. Scientifically, we gain a unifying view on material classes whose properties are governed by coupled internal degrees of freedom (charge, orbit, spin, and nuclear motion) that interact with the environment (external fields and heat baths). These properties lead to functionality we can utilize and tailor to harvest and store energy, communicate and archive knowledge. Since low energy excitations, nanoscale order and ultra fast timescales are involved, we propose to engage in a science program along these three dimensions of energy, space and time. Thus, we intentionally cross the boundaries between solid, liquid and molecular systems.

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Scientific case of the virtual institute

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Functionality of complex materials

The materials considered in the Virtual Institute have in common that their dynamic response cannot be described by a single degree of freedom alone. Energetically, the coupling between different degrees of freedom and to the environment leads to highly non-trivial low-energy excitation spectra.

Complementary insights by means of multidimensional methods

Combined use of various spectroscopic as well as structural probes over a wide energy range is required in order to provide complementary selective access to all relevant degrees of freedom. Time-resolved probes are needed to directly follow the pathways through the multidimensional landscapes in real time, thus complementing techniques that identify the ground state and excitations based on an instantaneous response.

Science driven network and education

The Virtual Institute consistng of HZB, DESY, two german universities and a large number of national and international partners establishes an interdisciplinary science driven academic network and provides unique possibilities for training and education of young scientists.

Scientific board of the virtual institute

The VI is lead by a scientific board. It consists of M. Weinelt (FU Berlin), S. Eisebitt (TU Berlin and HZB), H. Chapman (DESY) and A. Föhlisch (HZB). A. Föhlisch serves as a spokesperson and, with the aid of the communications department of HZB, externally represent the VI. The national and international partners each send one person to the scientific board to represent their interests and coordinate activities with national and international partners.

The national partners are represented by S. Techert (MPIBPC). The interests of the international partners are represented by H. Dürr (SLAC). XFEL send a permanent representative, S. Molodtsov (XFEL), given the high strategic importance of the research of the VI for XFEL.

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Projects within Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes

The most intriguing and most promising materials for novel functionality are those in which the coupling between different internal degrees of freedom and the coupling to the environment lead to complex energy landscapes. These intra- and intersystem interactions determine the material’s dynamic response to external fields and thermodynamic heat baths. Ultimately, all functionality is coupled to the dynamic response of the system and therefore determined by the respective energy landscape.

The research projects uniquely combine insight from molecular systems (P1-P3), nanoscale materials (P4-P6) and complex solids (P7-P9). Some of the projects in addition focus on the development of methods (P4-P6) and address common aspects of the experimental projects with theoretical methods (P10).

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P1: Ultrafast isomerization dynamics of conformer-selected aligned gas-phase molecules
J. Küpper CFEL DESY

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P2: Ultrafast charge transfer and isomerization dynamics of molecules in solution
P. Wernet, A. Föhlisch HZB

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P3: Ultrafast energy and charge transfer dynamics in molecular systems at surfaces
C. Gahl, M. Weinelt Freie Universität Berlin

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P4: Time-resolved XFEL diffraction
H. Chapman CFEL DESY

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P5: Nanoscale structure information via coherent resonant X-ray scattering
S. Eisebitt Technische Universität Berlin, HZB

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P6: Switching functionality in long-range coupled 2D nanostructure arrays
S. Eisebitt Technische Universität Berlin, HZB

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P7: Correlation dynamics
C. Schüssler-Langeheine, A. Föhlisch HZB

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P8: Phase separation and domain dynamics
M. Sprung, G. Grübel DESY

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P9: Phase transformations driven by femtosecond laser excitation
M. Weinelt Freie Universität Berlin

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P10: Theory of terahertz pumping in the condensed phase
O. Vendrell, R. Santra CFEL DESY

Job Offers

The Helmholtz Virtual Institute Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes is a research partnership of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB, Berlin), the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY, Hamburg), the Technische Universität Berlin and the Freie Universität Berlin in a strong network with the international partners European XFEL in Hamburg, SIMES, SUNCAT, LCLS, PULSE at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the University of Amsterdam. Our National Partners are the Max Born Institute (MBI, Berlin), the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, the Universität Duisburg-Essen, the Universität Hamburg and the Universität Potsdam.

We are now looking for exceptional PhD students for the research projects P1-P10

Goal: The Virtual Institute Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes explores the governing principles of material’s function in an internationally highly visible centre of excellence. Applying cutting-edge X-ray tools our research covers the energy spectrum from soft to hard X-rays, the time scales from quasi-static to sub-femtoseconds and the length scales from sub-Ångström to micrometers. The goal is to explore the deep correspondence and complementarity between fundamental phenomena determining functionality of materials.

Offer: We offer exciting PhD positions in the international setting of uniquely brilliant X-ray sources. You will work with leading research groups, experience international summer schools and international workshops and shape as a team a young investigator workshop. We expect dedication to fundamental science and foresee extended stays abroad. The positions are appointed for three years. The salary is based on the German federal public service scale (50%TV-ÖD E13).

Qualifications: Outstanding Masters degree in physics or chemistry (or equivalent). Working language is English. Female students are strongly encouraged to apply for these positions.

For information on the Virtual Institute and the individual scientific projects (P1 - P10) please have a look at the project descriptions.

Please send your applications (research interests, including CV, list of publications, preferences on scientific projects) to vi419.position@helmholtz-berlin.de.

Events

The Virtual Institute will create a multidisciplinary academic network with unique opportunities for the education and development of young researchers. This will enable truly international recruiting of the PhD students. Close collaborations on an every-day basis, regular collaboration meetings, and sabbaticals open to all participating scientists, themed workshops, and international conferences are foreseen to drive the planned projects in a coordinated and complementary way, to promote cross-fertilization between the institutions joining in the VI, and to communicate the results to the international scientific community.