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English Logo - Department of Physics - TU Dortmund
Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund
Funding from the European Research Council

Prof. Christof Weitenberg Secures an ERC Advanced Grant

© Martina Hengesbach​​​/​​​TU Dortmund University
Christof Weitenberg has been a professor at TU Dortmund University since 2024 and conducts research on ultracold quantum gases.
The European Research Council (ERC) has selected Prof. Christof Weitenberg from the department of Physics at TU Dortmund University for one of the highly coveted ERC Advanced Grants. In the “InToCold” project, the physicist will investigate exotic quantum states using ultracold atoms. The ERC is providing 3.5 million euros in funding for the project. A total of 3,329 researchers from across Europe applied for an Advanced Grant, which is intended for established top researchers. The success rate stands at 9.6 percent.

Prof. Christof Weitenberg has been a professor of ultracold quantum gases in the Department of Physics since 2024. There, his research group investigates how atoms behave when they are cooled to extremely low temperatures near absolute zero using specialized laser and evaporation cooling techniques. These ultracold atoms help researchers gain insights into the behavior of quantum matter. To conduct novel experiments, the physicist is receiving an additional one million euros to fund new large-scale equipment, on top of the 2.5 million euros provided by a five-year ERC Advanced Grant.

“Our goal is to simulate exotic states of matter in the laboratory that otherwise occur only in complex solids,” explains Prof. Weitenberg. “To do this, we trap ultracold atoms in so-called optical lattices made of laser light, where they behave similarly to electrons in a solid.” The InToCold project is now focusing on topological quantum states. To create these exotic states, the team must elevate the ultracold atoms to higher-energy states within the lattice sites and also generate strong interactions between neighboring atoms. The researchers will then examine the resulting quantum states using a novel microscope that enables an effective resolution of just a few nanometers.

“We expect these experiments to provide new insights into the exotic behavior of topological quantum matter, which could be relevant for topological quantum computers in the future,” says Weitenberg.

About Prof. Christof Weitenberg

Prof. Christof Weitenberg studied physics and composition in Saarbrücken. He earned his Ph.D. in 2011 from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and subsequently spent a postdoctoral fellowship at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. In 2013, he joined the University of Hamburg as a research group leader and received an ERC Starting Grant in 2018 to conduct research on anyons. Since 2024, he has been a professor at TU Dortmund University and leads a research group on ultracold quantum gases.

ERC announcement

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