People

Max Planck Institute for the Structure
and Dynamics of Matter / CFEL
Building 99 (CFEL)
Luruper Chaussee 149
22761 Hamburg / Germany

Hamburg phone prefix: +49 (0)40 8998-

Laboratory Bldg. 49b-002: -6292

Laboratories CFEL (Bldg. 99):
Adrian L. Cavalieri (EG.031) -86009
Michael Först (EG.039) -86011
Michael Först (EG.043) -86013
Prep Lab (EG.052) -86014
Chemistry Lab (EG.054) -86015
ARPES-lab (EG.129) -86057
Laser-lab (EG.131) -86058

Andrea Cavalleri

Director Condensed Matter Department

Andrea is founding director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter. He heads the Condensed Matter Department at the MPSD located in the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL).
He's a Professor of Physics at the University of Hamburg and at the University of Oxford.

See his full bio.

Hamburg → Contact
Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.079, Phone:-5354
andrea.cavalleri@mpsd.mpg.de

→ Andrea's selected publications

Senior Staff Scientist

Michael Först

Michael investigates nonlinear phononics in the solid state. The goal of this research is the full control of ultrafast lattice-driven phase transitions in correlated electron systems, such as light-induced superconductivity in high-TC cuprates and magnetic switching in manganites and nickelates. Michael’s research involves ultrafast hard and soft X-ray diffraction at the Stanford LCLS free electron lasers, as well as ultrafast optical spectroscopy. He also works on the generation and shaping of high-intensity phase-stable femtosecond pulses at mid-infrared wavelengths.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.071, Phone: -5360
michael.foerst@mpsd.mpg.de
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Scientists

Michael Fechner

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.059; Phone: - 6625
michael.fechner@mpsd.mpg.de
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Wanzheng Hu

Wanzheng investigates the photo-induced dynamics of strongly correlated electron systems over the whole far-infrared range, particularly following coherent mid-infrared excitation. Wanzheng is working on the dynamical control of cuprate superconductors and complex oxide heterostructures.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.049; Phone: - 6216
wanzheng.hu@mpsd.mpg.de
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Daniele Nicoletti

Daniele studies the coherent control of complex materials using strong laser fields at Terahertz frequencies. He is mainly performing experiments on the control of superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates and organic molecular solids, but his interests extend more generally to the coherently excited many-body dynamics in strongly-correlated systems. He is combining the use of intense Terahertz pump pulses (generated with both table-top sources and Free-Electron Lasers) with different probing techniques, including time-resolved THz spectroscopy and femtosecond X-ray diffraction.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.061, Phone: -6208
daniele.nicoletti@mpsd.mpg.de
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PostDocs

Kenneth Beyerlein

Ken is interested in imaging the ultrafast structural changes in strongly coupled electronic materials induced by THz and mid-IR laser pulses. The goal is a time resolved depiction of lattice coupling, showing the atomic motion and tracking coherent domain dynamics.

Bldg. 99, Rm. O2.059, Phone: -5787
kenneth.beyerlein@mpsd.mpg.de

Eliza Casandruc

Eliza's work focuses on understanding how high-Tc superconductors such as cuprates respond to strong electromagnetic radiation, and how can this be used to impinge on their properties. The study bases on nonlinear control of low frequencies excitation in LSCO and infers both simulation and experimental work.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.055, Phone: -5371
eliza.casandruc@mpsd.mpg.de

James McIver

James is interested in using coherent light-matter interactions as a means of manipulating the topological order of materials. To this end, he is investigating how light can be used to drive topological phase transitions in various materials by coupling to the lattice and electronic degrees of freedom.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.061, Phone: -6208
james.mciver@mpsd.mpg.de

Roman Mankowsky

Roman investigates the nonlinear lattice dynamics in complex oxides following coherent excitation of selected phonon modes. The aim of his research is to understand the dynamic interplay between the structural and electronic degrees of freedom and to find new routes for light-induced phase transitions by coherent control of atomic motions.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.056, Phone: -6261
roman.mankowsky@mpsd.mpg.de

Falk-Ulrich Stein

Falk seeks to investigate the changes in electric transport across light-induced phase transitions in complex oxides. To this end, he will combine radio frequency transport measurements with strong laser field excitation at THz and infrared wavelengths.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.045, Phone: -5373
falk-ulrich.stein@mpsd.mpg.de

Michele Buzzi

Michele joined Andrea's group in February 2016 on a fellowship of the Swiss National Science Foundation. He aims to investigate light-induced effects in organic superconductors by using both ultrafast x-rays techniques and ultrafast optical spectroscopic techniques under pressure.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.051, Phone: -6215
michele.buzzi@mpsd.mpg.de

Ankit Disa

Ankit’s research focuses on the design and control of novel electronic and magnetic phases in complex oxide heterostructures. He is particularly interested in exploring how optically driven lattice and electronic excitations can be employed to induce/enhance emergent interfacial phenomena in such systems.

Bldg. 99, Rm. O2.057, Phone: -6214
ankit.disa@mpsd.mpg.de

Gregor Jotzu

Bldg. 99, Rm. O2.045, Phone: -6207
Gregor.Jotzu@mpsd.mpg.de

Srivats Rajasekaran

Srivats is interested in detecting the pair density wave (PDW) order in cuprates, a phase end, he is studying the Josephson physics in single-layered cuprates using intense THz pulses from both, table-top sources (tilted pulse front optical rectification) and the THz Free-Electron Laser FELBE.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.065, Phone: -6559
srivats.rajasekaran@mpsd.mpg.de

PhD Students

Matthias Budden

Matthias investigates lattice driven phase transitions in complex oxides with a focus on dynamic coherent stabilization of the transient state. To this end, he is developing a high power mid-infrared source with pico- to nanosecond tunable pulse length.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.052, Phone: -6574
Matthias.Budden@mpsd.mpg.de

Andrea Cartella

Andrea develops a pulse shaper for mid-infrared femtosecond pulses, which shall be applied to the quantum control of strongly correlated electron materials.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.054, Phone: - 6284
andrea.cartella@mpsd.mpg.de

Biaolong Liu

Biaolong joined our group in fall 2014 and will investigate new schemes for the generation of intense mid-infrared light pulses.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.056, Phone: -6252
biaolong.liu@mpsd.mpg.de

Benedikt Schulte

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.045, Phone: -5373
benedikt.schulte@mpsd.mpg.de

Alice Cantaluppi

Alice is working on the development of a tunable mid-infrared source that is capable of generating both, broad- and narrowband pulses: This source will be applied to the mode-selective control of correlated materials.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.055, Phone: -6280
alice.cantaluppi@mpsd.mpg.de

Dawei Fu

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.065, Phone: -6209
dawei.fu@mpsd.mpg.de

Tobia F. Nova

Tobia investigates the light-induced dynamics of YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x superconductors following mid-infrared excitation, with a particular focus on the transient properties in the presence of static magnetic fields.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.052, Phone: -6574
tobia.nova@mpsd.mpg.de

Alexander von Hoegen

Alexander investigates the nonlinear lattice dynamics in ferroelectric materials induced by resonant large-amplitude phonon excitation. The goal of this work is to coherently control the ferroelectric polarization potentially leading to its ultrafast switching.

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.054, Phone: -6551
alexander.von-hoegen@mpsd.mpg.de

Beamline Scientists

Thomas Gebert

Thomas is developing an optical scheme capable of generating of mid-infrared pulses of tunable duration in the nanosecond range. In addition, he is involved in ARPES experiments.

Bldg. 99, Rm. O2.075, Phone: -6589
thomas.gebert@mpsd.mpg.de

Master Students

Antonio Picano

Bldg. 99, Rm. 02.065 , Phone: -5359
Email: antonio.picano@mpsd.mpg.de

Guests

Stephen Clark

Stephen is frequently visiting our group within the ERC project Q-MAC. He provides theoretical support in understanding THz driven complex systems, such as cuprate high-TC superconductors or nickelates.

Lecturer at the University of Bath, Department of Physics
s.r.clark@bath.ac.uk