Fascination

My educational and professional life is guided by my interest in the quantum nature of matter on the nanoscale, the world of electrons, atoms, or molecules, their wave-like behavior and their interaction with light. Also the vast possibilities these properties bring for novel quantum instrumentation in e.g. sensor technology, electron microscopy, and quantum information science. This fascination motivated me to study natural sciences and specialize in the field of experimental quantum physics and optics. 

Exciting times

I believe most people are not aware of how lucky we are to live in this exciting time when we possess the necessary technology for the direct observation of quantum phenomenons. This allows beautiful experiments, such as the proof of particles showing typical wave behavior like diffraction and interference. These matter waves open up a large field in fundamental and applied physics.

In my PhD-thesis: Optical Methods for Macromolecule Interferometry, we demonstrated that even the role of matter and light can be interchanged by interfering a matter wave of biomolecules on a standing laser light grating. For this reason, we developed optical methods for fluorescence detection of the molecules. Later in my career, being a postdoc, we studied the laser cooling and manipulation of ultracold quantum gases on a magnetic microchip and developed a method to detect single atoms by laser ionization of the atomic cloud. 

Scientific journey

The Emmy Noether grant from the German Research Foundation allowed me to continue my scientific journey by founding my own research group: Quantum Electron- and Ion-Interferometry at the University of Tübingen, Germany. The focus is to understand the wave nature of charged particles and their applications. Our research led to the development of a novel sensor type and the fundamental investigation of the transition between the quantum and the classical world, the so-called decoherence. We also study the interaction between an electron wave and a superconductor and demonstrated a method for secure signal transmission by a quantum modulation of an electron matter wave. In 2017, I got the wonderful opportunity to work as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, USA, to develop new pulsed laser-driven electron beam sources for future application in quantum microscopy. Starting in April 2018, I got an exciting position at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Molecular Foundry) in Berkeley, USA, to study novel electron beam emitters. Together with my colleagues, we received a research grant from the Department of Energy for the development of superconducting coherent electron emitters and the application of quantum decoherence for novel devices in the field of quantum information science and electron microscopy. The experience led me to the industry where I worked from Aug. 2022 to Feb. 2024 at the company Electron Optica Inc. as a Research Program Director. We develop novel superconducting electron beam sources for microscopy and spectroscopy with ultra-narrow energy distributions by leveraging the quantum nature of electrons. Starting with March 2024, I lead a research group as a Staff Scientist for Quantum Instrumentation at the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. One of our key instruments is the cryo-QSPLEEM, a cryogenic Quantum Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscope.

Beyond quantum physics

Besides my interests in quantum physics, I also like to explore other fields of research and search for applications in human sciences. One example is a cooperation with the Medical University of Graz, Austria. We studied new optical methods for pain analysis after knee surgery.

But certainly, physics is not everything! I love to socialize, science fiction movies, traveling, hiking, and do sports, such as skiing, squash, fitness training, and kite surfing.