Two ERC Advanced Grants for FAU researchers

Around 5 million euros in research funding for projects in physics and chemistry

Further proof of the strength of Erlangen and Nuremberg as a location for cutting-edge research: two researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have now each been awarded one of the coveted Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC): physicist Prof. Dr. Maria Chekhova and chemist Prof. Dr. Sjoerd Harder. The grants raise funding of around 2.5 million euros each for five years.

New sources of quantum light

Quantum light plays a central role in modern technologies, for example enabling secret communication or particularly sensitive measurements such as the detection of gravitational waves. Quantum light is usually generated through non-linear optical effects, for example by splitting a light particle – a photon – into two lower-energy photons. This takes place in crystals, optical fibers or special light-guiding structures.

Maria Chekhova, Professor of Optics at FAU and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, has succeeded in generating quantum light from ultra-thin sources. Being only a few hundred nanometers thick, these sources enable very unusual physical effects – for instance, a single source can generate different types of quantum light simultaneously.

In the new project, Maria Chekhova wants to exploit the full potential of these flat, multifunctional sources and generate not only pairs of photons, but also much more complex quantum light states that have never been observed before. She also aims to convert photon pairs into other types of quantum light or to change their frequencies.

The project aims to expand the possibilities of existing quantum optics and pave the way for a new generation of compact, powerful and versatile quantum light sources.

Base metals for noble tasks

Prof. Dr. Sjoerd Harder, Head of the Chair of Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry at FAU, and his team will investigate main group metals such as calcium, magnesium and aluminum in the zero-valent oxidation state in their project.

These metals lose their electrons particularly easily when they form compounds with other elements. Metals that can be integrated into a compound in which they do not release any electrons are called zero-valent. Such compounds are extremely reactive and have the potential to break down other highly stable chemical compounds. All this opens up completely new application possibilities, which have hardly been researched to date. Sjoerd Harder has already carried out important preliminary work in this field and wants to further advance research into the molecular compounds of the zero-valent metals as part of his project.

Harder wants to take a particularly close look at one field of application in the second part of the project: catalysis. Contrary to all expectations, zero-valent main group metals are surprisingly good catalysts. This means that they are able to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed in the process, even under the mildest possible conditions, i.e. at relatively low temperatures, normal pressure and low energy input.

Until now, rare and therefore expensive precious metals such as platinum have been used for these reactions. Harder wants to develop hydrogenation catalysts made from commonly occurring main group metals or iron, which can be used to store hydrogen in a chemically stable form or even accelerate the conversion of nitrogen into ammonia, one of the most important large-scale industrial processes.

Further information

Prof. Dr. Maria Chekhova
Professorship for Optics
maria.chekhova@fau.de

Prof. Dr. Sjoerd Harder
Chair of Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry
sjoerd.harder@fau.de