Our latest press releases and news
Magnetic with a pinch of hydrogen: Research team develops new idea to improve the properties of ultra-thin materials
Press Release of 22.04.2024
Magnetic two-dimensional materials consisting of one or a few atomic layers have only recently become known and promise interesting applications, for example for the electronics of the future. So far, however, it has not been possible to control the magnetic states of these materials well enough. A German-American research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Dresden University of Technology (TUD) is now presenting in the journal Nano Letters (DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04777) an innovative idea that could overcome this shortcoming - by allowing the 2D layer to react with hydrogen.
New Materials for Energy-Efficient AI: HZDR materials scientist receives prestigious ERC Advanced Grant
Press Release of 11.04.2024
Dr. Denys Makarov from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant in the amount of 2.5 million euros. Over the next five years, this funding will enable him and his team to investigate a promising class of materials known as multiferroics. The aim is to develop novel materials on the basis of which computer chips could work with much higher energy efficiency in particular for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Nanocubes as interpreters: German-French project aims to manipulate tiny magnets with light
Press Release of 10.04.2024
Spintronics is considered a seminal research field in physics. It promises faster electronic components, more delicate sensors, and new approaches for quantum computing. Nevertheless, fundamental questions remain to be answered. For example: How can spintronic components be easily and selectively manipulated with light? Starting in April, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Interdisciplinary Center of Nanoscience of Marseille (CINaM) will be looking for answers to these questions in their joint research project Nano-PLASMAG. The focus is on nanometer-sized, regularly shaped cubes of pure gold. They are intended to serve as "interpreters" and couple light as effectively as possible to nanomagnets in order to influence their state. The project is being funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the French National Research Agency (ANR) with half a million euros over three years.
How to keep data safe on the long run
Press Release of 04.04.2024
With the development of the internet, social media or cloud computing, the amount of data created worldwide on a daily basis is sky-rocketing. This calls for new technologies which could provide higher storage densities combined with secure long-term data archiving far beyond the capabilities of traditional data storage devices. An international research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) now proposes a new concept of long-term data storage based on atomic-scale defects in silicon carbide, a semiconducting material. These defects are created by a focused ion beam, providing high spatial resolution, fast writing speed and low energy for storing a single bit.
EU project RIANA launched: A hub for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
News of 02.04.2024
More than 100 participants gathered on a hybrid meeting at DESY on March 14 and 15 to officially kick-off the new EU project RIANA. RIANA (standing for Research Infrastructure Access in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology) has officially been launched on March 1, 2024. The project aims to offer access to Europe’s leading facilities in nanoscience and nanotechnology that are at the heart of the development of new materials for prosperity and sustainability – including the Ion Beam Center (IBC) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
Quantum Talk with Magnetic Disks: HZDR team develops new method for addressing qubits
Press Release of 20.03.2024
Quantum computers promise to tackle some of the most challenging problems facing humanity today. While much attention has been directed towards the computation of quantum information, the transduction of information within quantum networks is equally crucial in materializing the potential of this new technology. Addressing this need, a research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is now introducing a new approach for transducing quantum information: the team has manipulated quantum bits, so called qubits, by harnessing the magnetic field of magnons – wave-like excitations in a magnetic material – that occur within microscopic magnetic disks. The researchers presented their results in the journal Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2042).
Der Weg nach Europa führte die ersten Menschen vor 1,4 Millionen Jahren in die heutige Ukraine
Press Release of 06.03.2024
Die älteste menschliche Besiedlung Europas liegt nach heutigem Wissensstand in der Nähe der Stadt Korolevo in der Westukraine. Neue Erkenntnisse eines internationalen Teams unter Leitung des Instituts für Kernphysik der Tschechischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und maßgeblicher Beteiligung des Helmholtz-Zentrums Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) bestätigen, dass Steinwerkzeuge, die in der untersten und damit ältesten Ausgrabungsschicht in Korolevo gefunden wurden, 1,4 Millionen Jahre alt sind. Bisher ging man davon aus, dass der früheste bewohnte Ort Atapuerca in Spanien sei, doch die Korolevo-Funde sind etwa zwei- bis dreihunderttausend Jahre älter. Die heute in der Fachzeitschrift Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07151-3) veröffentlichten Ergebnisse zeigen auch, dass die frühen Hominiden die warmen Zwischeneiszeiten nutzten, um Europa von Osten oder Südosten her zu besiedeln.
Quantum films on plastic
Press Release of 28.02.2024
A research team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University of Salerno in Italy has discovered that thin films of elemental bismuth exhibit the so-called non-linear Hall effect, which could be applied in technologies for the controlled use of terahertz high-frequency signals on electronic chips. Bismuth combines several advantageous properties not found in other systems to date, as the team reports in Nature Electronics (DOI: 10.1038/s41928-024-01118-y). Particularly: the quantum effect is observed at room temperature. The thin-layer films can be applied even on plastic substrates and could therefore be suitable for modern high-frequency technology applications.
Innovative computational method unveils high-performance ceramics for extreme environments
Press Release of 29.01.2024
An international research team has developed a method for rapidly discovering new types of materials that function at extremely high temperatures of several thousand degrees Celsius. These high-performance ceramics could one day form the basis for more robust coatings, batteries and radiation-resistant devices.
Focused ion beam technology: a single tool for a wide range of applications
Press Release of 11.01.2024
Processing materials on the nanoscale, producing prototypes for microelectronics or analyzing biological samples: The range of applications for finely focused ion beams is huge. Experts from the EU collaboration FIT4NANO have now reviewed the many options and developed a roadmap for the future. The article, published in “Applied Physics Review” (DOI: 10.1063/5.0162597), is aimed at students, users from industry and science as well as research policy makers.
