MPI for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter

Matching vibrations is all it takes to modify materials

Quantum Fluctuations in a vacuum can change an adjacent materials properties - if they are in resonance. This prediction from our Theory Department has just been first observed by physicists from @columbiauniversity.bsky.social, MPSD and 15 other institutes.
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1167324/2026...

Tip-Enhanced Raman Images of Realistic Systems through Ab Initio Modeling Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is a powerful method for imaging vibrational motion and chemically characterizing surface-bound systems. Theoretical simulations of TERS images often consider systems in isolation, ignoring any substrate support, such as metallic surfaces. Here, we show that this omission leads to deviations from experimentally measured data, as demonstrated by simulations with a new finite-field periodic formulation of first-principles simulation of TERS spectra that can address extended systems. We show that TERS images of defective MoS2 monolayers calculated using cluster models are qualitatively different from those calculated when accounting for the periodicity of the substrate. For Mg(II)-porphine on Ag(100), a system for which a direct experimental comparison is possible, these simulations prove to be crucial for explaining the spatial variation of TERS intensity patterns and allow us to uncover fundamental principles of TERS spectroscopy. We explain how and why surface interactions affect images of out-of-plane vibrational modes much more strongly than those of in-plane modes, thereby providing an important tool for the future interpretation of these images in more complex systems.

Read the original publication here: dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsn...

New in @pubs.acs.org Nano: Scientists around @mahrossi.bsky.social from
@mpsdhamburg.bsky.social / @mpip-mainz.mpg.de have shown a new method to enhace Tip-Enhanced Raman Images by applying first-principle calculations. The new method will enhance the quality of TERS images as a nanoscale probe.

Distinguished visitors at MPSD! 🔬
Senator for Science Maryam Blumenthal from @bwfg.bsky.social visited us—and our researchers showed her what they are working on (click on the images for more information).
We are delighted about the great interest in basic research in Hamburg!

⚡ Wie Terahertz-Pulse Materialien kontrollieren können erklärt Dr. Michael Förster

❄️ Wie man Proben auf 1,5 Grad über dem absoluten Nullpunkt stabilisiert erläutert Doktorandin Sophia Rodehutskors

Hoher Besuch am MPSD! 🔬
Wissenschaftssenatorin Maryam Blumenthal von der @bwfg.bsky.social hat uns besucht – und unsere Forschenden haben gezeigt, woran sie arbeiten (für mehr Infos Bilder anklicken)
Wir freuen uns über das große Interesse an Hamburger Grundlagenforschung!

During the heavy snowfall in Hamburg our Institute really looked like a winter wonderland - our in-house photographer @jojoharham.bsky.social took some beautiful pictures of our institute and the campus around it.

A 90-Degree Twist creates Tunable Quantum Simulators

🚀 New research from @MPSD shows that a 90° twist of rectangular 2D materials creates tunable square-lattice moiré systems — a powerful new platform for quantum simulation and correlated electron physics!
Read more on our Website: www.mpsd.mpg.de/1116749/2025...

Light stirs atoms to twist and untwist in a moiré

🚀 Ultrafast light meets quantum matter: Light can make atoms twist and untwist moiré patterns in 2D materials — not random heat, but coherent motion! Breakthrough reshapes what we thought possible now published in @nature.com: www.mpsd.mpg.de/1114810/2025...

We’re delighted that Sam Holt, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow with us, received the Young Researcher Award at TMAG 2025 in Bari, Italy! 💐
Sam’s work explores novel Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions and combining advanced micromagnetic modelling with AI to classify complex magnetic structures.

📢 Wir suchen! Haben Sie Lust, ein international geprägtes Spitzenforschungsinstitut zu unterstützen und eine vielseitige Rolle im Personalwesen zu übernehmen – von Beratung über Personalverwaltung bis Entgeltabrechnung? ⬇️
jobs.b-ite.com/jobposting/c...

📢 Wir suchen! Haben Sie Lust, ein international führendes Forschungsumfeld zu unterstützen, Förderprojekte strategisch zu begleiten und als zentrale Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft, Administration und Förderinstitutionen zu wirken? ⬇️
jobs.b-ite.com/jobposting/a...

Drei Direktoren des MPSD als „Highly Cited Researchers 2025” ausgezeichnet

Beeindruckend: Laut @clarivate.com gehören 3 unserer Direktoren – Angel Rubio (Theorie) und Jie Shan & Kin Fai Mak (Nanoskalige Quantenmaterialien) – zu den besten 1% ihrer Fachgebiete, gemessen an der Anzahl der Zitationen! Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 💐
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1103964/2025...
#HighlyCited2025

Three MPSD Directors selected as Highly Cited Researchers 2025

According to @clarivate.com, 3 of our directors — Angel Rubio (Theory) and Jie Shan & Kin Fai Mak (Nanoscale Quantum Materials) — rank among the top 1% by citations in their field and are therefore Highly Cited Researchers 2025! Congratulations! 💐
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1103750/2025...
#HighlyCited2025

Andrea Cavalleri erhält die Stern-Gerlach-Medaille

Andrea Cavalleri, Gründungsdirektor des MPSD, wird von der DPG für seine bahnbrechende Arbeit im Bereich der lichtgesteuerten Kontrolle von Quantenmaterialien mit der renommierten Stern-Gerlach-Medaille ausgezeichnet. Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 🎉
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1104179/2025...

Andrea Cavalleri to be awarded the Stern-Gerlach Medal

Great news: Andrea Cavalleri, founding director of the MPSD, will be awarded the prestigious Stern‑Gerlach Medal by the German Physical Society (DPG) in recognition of his groundbreaking work in light-driven control of quantum materials. Congratulations! 🎉
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1103632/2025...

Herausragende Forschung gewürdigt: DPG ehrt exzellente Physikerinnen und Physiker Die Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft verleiht ihre höchsten Auszeichnungen, die Max-Planck-Medaille und die Stern-Gerlach-Medaille, sowie weitere Preise für unterschiedliche physikalische Disziplin...

Die DPG ehrt 2026 herausragende Wissenschaftler:innen, darunter:
🎖️ Max-Planck-Medaille: Kurt Kremer (@mpip-mainz.mpg.de)
🎖️ Stern-Gerlach-Medaille: Andrea Cavalleri (@mpsdhamburg.bsky.social/@ox.ac.uk)
Zusätzlich wurden weitere renommierte Preise verliehen: www.dpg-physik.de/veroeffentli... /SE

Wenn Elektronen harmonisch schwingen – und ihre Umgebung spüren

🚀 Durchbruch! In sternförmigen Kagome-Kristallen bewegen sich Elektronen nicht nur – sie singen auch gemeinsam!
Eine neue Studie von MPSD-Wissenschaftlern & Kollaborateuren in @nature.com zeigt, wie Geometrie das Quantenverhalten beeinflusst. Weiterlesen 👉 www.mpsd.mpg.de/1101386/2025...

When Electrons Sing in Harmony — and Sense the Shape of Their Home

🚀 Breakthrough alert! In star-shaped Kagome crystals, electrons don’t just move — they sing together!
A new @nature.com study from MPSD scientists & collaborators shows how geometry shapes quantum behavior.
🎶 Curious how a crystal’s form can tune electrons? Read 👉 www.mpsd.mpg.de/1101253/2025...

Das MPSD gewinnt Preis für Grüne Bauten

Wir freuen uns, dass unser Dachgarten den "Hamburger Preis für Grüne Bauten" gewonnen hat! 🌱🥇 Es gibt auch eine kostenlose Ausstellung. Mehr dazu in unserer Meldung:
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1097247/2025...

The MPSD wins award for green buildings

We are delighted that our roof garden has won the “Hamburg Award for Green Buildings”! 🌱🥇 There is also a free exhibition. Read more about it in our news:
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1097017/2025...

📢 Want a PhD in Ultrafast Science and Quantum Materials? 🎓 Our PhD school IMPRS UFAST is offering 29 PhD projects starting in summer/autumn 2026! Apply by November 6.
jobs.b-ite.com/jobposting/9...

📢 You're aiming to push the limits of state of the art nanofabrication? We're looking for a Clean room Engineer (m/f/d) 🥼 to support the common clean-room activities & coordinate the device fabrication of non-standard materials into hybrid devices between our partners!
jobs.b-ite.com/jobposting/d...

📢 Wir suchen eine*n erfahrene*n Einkäufer*in 🛒 mit Teamfähigkeit, Kommunikationsvermögen, interkultureller Kompetenz & Verhandlungsgeschick! Wir bieten: eine abwechslungsreiche Tätigkeit in einem internationalen Forschungsinstitut mit langfristiger Perspektive!
jobs.b-ite.com/jobposting/2...

Cavity electrodynamics of van der Waals heterostructures - Nature Physics Integrating an electronic device with a cavity can cause the electrons to couple to photons strongly enough to form hybrid modes. Now, the cavity effects induced by intrinsic graphite gates are shown ...

if you want to check out the original publication, see here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

see also this great post by one of the lead authors @hope-ful.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/hope...

New exciting publication in Nature Physics 📢:
www.mpsd.mpg.de/1093587/2025...
A team of Researchers at MPSD has found a new capability of 2D-quantum materials: they can act as a cavity:

Hamburger Preis für grüne Bauten verliehen Die Umweltbehörde hat Projekte zur Begrünung von Dächern, Fassaden und Innenräumen ausgezeichnet. Insgesamt wurden 39 Projekte eingereicht.

Working in an award-winning building? Our new Institute building has won the Hamburg Prize for Green Buildings 2025 - which also got us featured in the local news🏆(in German)
www.ndr.de/fernsehen/se...

Photo-induced nonvolatile rewritable ferroaxial switching Ultrafast switching of ferroic phases is an active research area with technological potential. Yet, some key challenges remain, ranging from limited speeds in ferromagnets to intrinsic volatility of s...

Ultrafast memory, powered by light:
Researchers at MPSD and the @ox.ac.uk switch ferroaxial states with circularly polarized terahertz pulses — enabling stable, non-volatile data storage beyond ferroelectrics and magnets. ⚡
Just published in @science.org 🚀
dx.doi.org/10.1126/scie...

Linear-response quantum-electrodynamical density functional theory based on two-component X2C Hamiltonians Linear-response quantum electrodynamical density functional theory (QEDFT) enables the description of molecular spectra under strong coupling to quantized photo

You can find the paper here: doi.org/10.1063/5.02...

Linear-response quantum-electrodynamical density functional theory based on two-component X2C Hamiltonians Linear-response quantum electrodynamical density functional theory (QEDFT) enables the description of molecular spectra under strong coupling to quantized photo

Cover Story: A recent paper from our theory group has been selected for the cover of the @aip-publishing.bsky.socialAPL Computational Physics Journal 🚀.
They showed that four-component relativistic strong cavity-matter interactions can be approximated by an effective theory with two components.