News

April 15, 2024

Das Doppelspalt-Experiment mit Elektronen:
The Double Slit Experiment

Ein hoch präziser Einblick in die Quantenwelt am Elektronenmikroskop

April 15th 2024 – 16:00 Live Stream

Das Doppelspalt-Experiment gehört zu den faszinierendsten Demonstrationen in der Physik und liefert einen eindrucksvollen Beweis für die Quantennatur der Materie. Ursprünglich mit Licht durchgeführt, zeigt es für Elektronen, dass auch Teilchen Welleneigenschaften aufweisen können. Aber wie kann man einzelne Elektronen gleichzeitig durch zwei Spalte schießen und dabei beobachten, wie sie ein Interferenzmuster erzeugen, ähnlich den Wellen auf einer Wasseroberfläche? Und noch erstaunlicher, wie kann man live beobachten, dass sich Elektronen plötzlich wieder wie Teilchen und nicht wie Wellen verhalten! Genau das ergründen wir, indem wir mit euch experimentell die Grundprinzipien der Quantenmechanik zu entschlüsseln und verstehen versuchen. Tauchen Sie mit uns ein, in eine Stunde voller Entdeckungen, die die Grenzen unseres klassischen Weltbildes herausfordern an der Universitären Service-Einrichtung für Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie (USTEM) der TU Wien.
Alexander Preimesberger, Isobel Bicket & Philipp Haslinger + Team

January 15, 2024

Our new preprint on Electron Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy is online!

Spin Resonance Spectroscopy with an Electron Microscope

Philipp Haslinger, Stefan Nimmrichter, Dennis Rätzel
arXiv:2401.06496

Coherent spin resonance methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance spectroscopy, have led to spectrally highly sensitive, non-invasive quantum imaging techniques. Here, we propose a pump-probe spin resonance spectroscopy approach, designed for electron microscopy, based on microwave pump fields and electron probes. We investigate how quantum spin systems couple to electron matter waves through their magnetic moments and how the resulting phase shifts can be utilized to gain information about the states and dynamics of these systems. Notably, state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopy provides the means to detect phase shifts almost as small as that due to a single electron spin. This could enable state-selective observation of spin dynamics on the nanoscale and indirect measurement of the environment of the examined spin systems, providing information, for example, on the atomic structure, local chemical composition and neighboring spins.

January 14, 2023

Join us at radical⇌matter Symposium

Friday 26 and Saturday 27 January, 2024
FJK3 – Contemporary Art Space
Franz-Josefs-Kai 3
1010 Vienna 

November 11, 2023

Philipp Haslinger receives the Kardinal-Innitzer-Förderungspreis

November 6, 2023

Johann Toyfl joined our group as a Master student and will develop novel quantum tools for transmission electron microscopy.
Welcome!!!

October 24, 2023

Congratulation!
There is a new Dipl. Ing. in town.
Dipl. Ing. Alexander Preimesberger
Who joins as a PhD student our quantum electron optics projects.


October 1, 2023

Santiago Steven Beltran Romero joined our group as a PhD student and will work on quantum electron optics.
Welcome!!!


October 1, 2023

Quantum Electron Optics @ USTEM is featured at TU-Alumni Bulletin – Elektronenmikroskopie in der zweiten Quantenrevolution


September 26, 2023

What a wonderful workshop at the Erwin Schrödinger Institut on
Blackbody Radiation Induced Effects and Phenomena“.


September 20, 2023

Group retreat –> Bike tour to Vienna – Bratislava


September 10, 2023

Andrea Pupic joined our group as a master student and will work on novel quantum probes for transmission electron microscopy. Welcome!!!


August 28, 2023

Antonín Jaros joined our group as a PhD student and will develop novel quantum tools for transmission electron microscopy.
Welcome!!!


July 10, 2023

Sergey Bogdanov joined our group as a PhD student and will work on quantum electron optics.
Welcome!!!


June 17, 2023

This workshop might have been the start of something very special!


May 10, 2023

Harsh Mishra joined our group as a master student and will work on quantum electron optics. Welcome!!!


April 5, 2023

Master/PhD/PostDoc Positions


We are looking for you to participate in our research on
Atom Interferometry and Electron Microscopy!


March 25, 2023

Generation |Y> Workshop @ Evo

Together with Robert Fickler, we organised the Generation |Y> workshop in Evo, Finland. This was a meeting of physicists and artists of the so-called Generation Y, who were spatially projected in Austria at a certain point in their careers. The meeting provided a perfect environment to exchange ideas for research and teaching, but also to discuss important topics such as equality, diversity, AI and a rethink of science. Many thanks to all participants for a great meeting with many interesting conversations in and around the Mökki, the hot tubs, the sauna and the ice hole :). … and a huge THANK YOU to our student helpers for the great food they prepared, you were fantastic !!!


February 16, 2023
Bernd Güßbacher

What a wonderful team of scientists at the Erwin Schrödinger Institut workshop on
Blackbody Radiation Induced Effects and Phenomena“.


December 1, 2022

The USTEM at the recently build Atominstitut ZE will receive an ultra-fast Transmission Electron Microscope (AQUTEM) dedicated to fundamental quantum science.
We are looking for you to participate in this exciting endeavor!


November 18, 2022
Bild der Wissenschaft is featuring our work on light induced dipole-dipole interactions.

September 12, 2022

That was fun!
Speed of light @

Wiener Forschungsfest 2022

in collaboration with

SEEC Photography

and the group of

Prof. Juffmann.


August 31, 2022

Speed of light @

Wiener Forschungsfest 2022

in collaboration with

SEEC Photography

and the group of

Prof. Juffmann.


August 28, 2022

We are looking for Master and PhD students to join our team to work on “Quantum Optics with Electron-Photon Pairs”!


August 25, 2022
Join us in Traunkirchen!

July 27, 2022
Experiments reveal for the first time how a laser illuminating a cloud of ultracold atoms triggers an effective force between the atoms, offering a new way to trap and control ultracold atoms.
Light induced dipole-dipole interactions are pretty cool 🙂

Observation of Light-Induced Dipole-Dipole Forces in Ultracold Atomic Gases

M. Maiwöger, M. Sonnleitner, T. Zhang, I. Mazets, M. Mallweger, D. Rätzel, F. Borselli, S. Erne, J. Schmiedmayer, P. Haslinger
Phys. Rev. X 12, 031018 (2022)

Light-matter interaction is well understood on the single-atom level and routinely used to manipulate atomic gases. However, in denser ensembles, collective effects emerge that are caused by light-induced dipole-dipole interactions and multiple photon scattering. Here, we report on the observation of a mechanical deformation of a cloud of ultracold 87Rb atoms due to the collective interplay of the atoms and a homogenous light field. This collective light scattering results in a self-confining potential with interesting features: It exhibits nonlocal properties, is attractive for both red- and blue-detuned light fields, and induces a remarkably strong force that depends on the gradient of the atomic density. Our experimental observations are discussed in the framework of a theoretical model based on a local-field approach for the light scattered by the atomic cloud. Our study provides a new angle on light propagation in high-density ensembles and expands the range of tools available for tailoring interactions in ultracold atomic gases.


June 15, 2022
“Towards driving quantum systems with the non-radiating near-field of a modulated electron beam”

Poster Prize at the “Quantum Electron Optics” 770. WE-Heraeus-Seminar goes to Matthias Kolb. Congratulations!


June 15, 2022

Yeahhh!!! The COST proposal “COSMIC WISPers in the Dark Universe: Theory, astrophysics and experiments” got approved.


April 20, 2022

Groupretreat (with Leonard group) @ Heizhaus: from Quantum to Steam Mechanics


February 2, 2022

Observation of Light-Induced Dipole-Dipole Forces in Ultracold Atomic Gases

M. Maiwöger, M. Sonnleitner, T. Zhang, I. Mazets, M. Mallweger, D. Rätzel, F. Borselli, S. Erne, J. Schmiedmayer, P. Haslinger
Now available on arXiv:2202.00562

We investigate an attractive force caused by light induced dipole-dipole interactions in freely expanding ultracold 87Rb atoms. This collective, light-triggered effect results in a self-confining potential with interesting features: it exhibits nonlocal properties, is attractive for both red and blue-detuned light fields and induces a remarkably strong force that depends on the gradient of the atomic density. The experimental data are discussed in the framework of a theoretical model based on a local-field approach for the light scattered by the atomic cloud.


October 18, 2021

Philipp Haslinger receives the “Anerkennungspreis Wissenschaft” (recognition award) of Lower Austria.


October 11, 2021

Discrimination of coherent and incoherent cathodoluminescence using temporal photon correlations

M. Scheucher, T. Schachinger, T. Spielauer, M. Stöger-Pollach, P. Haslinger
Now available on arXiv:2110.05126

We present a method to separate coherent and incoherent contributions of cathodoluminescence (CL) by using a time-resolved coincidence detection scheme. For a proof-of-concept experiment, we generate CL by irradiating an optical multimode fiber with relativistic electrons in a transmission electron microscope. A temporal analysis of the CL reveals a large peak in coincidence counts for small time delays, also known as photon bunching. Additional measurements allow us to attribute the bunching peak to the temporal correlations of coherent CL (Cherenkov radiation) created by individual electrons. Thereby, we show that coincidence measurements can be employed to discriminate coherent from incoherent CL and to quantify their contribution to the detected CL signal. This method provides additional information for the correct interpretation of CL, which is essential for material characterization. Furthermore, it might facilitate the study of coherent electron-matter interaction.


September 20, 2021

Alexander Preimesberger has started as a master student in our group to investigate electron-photon pairs. Very exciting project!!!


July 28, 2021

Controlling quantum systems with modulated electron beams

D Rätzel, D Hartley, O Schwartz, P Haslinger
Phys. Rev. Res. 3 (2), 023247; arXiv:2004.10168


February 25, 2021

Two-particle Interference in Double Twin-atom-beams

F. Borselli, M. Maiwöger, T. Zhang, P. Haslinger, V. Mukherjee, A.Negretti, S. Montangero, T. Calarco, M. Bonneau, J. Schmiedmayer
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 083603; arXiv:2009.13438


December 22, 2020

SEEC: Photography at the speed of light

Check out the new article on our science-art outreach project SEEC-Photography.


December 10, 2020

Music video at the speed of light

Watch the “slowest” music video!

The video was produced in collaboration with the Austrian soul band 5/8erl in Ehr’n and our arts and science collaboration SEEC photography.

Clemens Wenger (5/8erl in Ehr’n) and Philipp Haslinger will discuss it on the Austrian radio station Ö1 today:  https://oe1.orf.at/programm/20201210/621108/Vom-Lied-zur-Lichtgeschwindigkeit-und-zurueck


September 28, 2020

Congratulation to the new Dipl. Ing.!
Dipl. Ing. Matthias Kolb


July 29, 2020

Get involved !!!

We are looking not only for real “hands-on” experimentalists with a solid background in theory but also for theorists who like to see their formulas get turned to phenomena!

Contact us if you are curiosity driven and you want to work on quantum optics with atoms, electrons and photons:

-) On the Master level if you have excellent study grades.

-) On the PostDoc level if you have experience either in

  • Quantum Optics Theory
  • Experimental Quantum Optics with Photons
  • Experimental Quantum Optics with Electron
  • Cold Atoms
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Matterwave Interferometry

July 27, 2020

Good news! Our new ESQ Discovery project on electron-photon pairs got approved!


July 23, 2020

Congratulation!
There is a new Dipl. Ing. in town.
Dipl. Ing. Marion Mallweger


April 22, 2020

A Quantum Klystron —
Controlling Quantum Systems with Modulated Electron Beams

Dennis Rätzel, Daniel Hartley, Osip Schwartz, Philipp Haslinger
Now available on arXiv:2004.10168

Coherent control of quantum transitions generally relies on interactions of the quantum system with electromagnetic waves. We show that the electromagnetic near-field of a current-modulated free-space electron beam can be employed for coherent manipulation of quantum systems. Using Rabi oscillations between hyperfine levels of potassium atoms and magnetic sublevels in nitrogen vacancy centers as examples, we demonstrate that such manipulation can be performed with only classical control over the electron beam itself, and is readily realizable with current technology. Potential challenges like shot noise and decoherence through back action on the electrons are found to be insignificant for our implementation. These results provide a pathway towards electron-mediated delivery of spatially and spectrally tailored electromagnetic fields for quantum control on the nano-scale.


April 22, 2020

Congratulation to the new doctor! Dr. Daniel Hartley


September 24, 2019

1st Generation |Y> Meeting in Austria

Together with Robert Fickler, we organised the first Generation |Y> meeting in Ramsau, Austria. This was a gathering of around 30 quantum physicists from the so-called generation Y, who have been spatially projected at some point of their career in Austria. The meeting offered a perfect environment to exchange research and teaching ideas but also to discuss important topics such as equality, diversity, and rethinking academia. It was a great success and follow-up workshops are already planned.

More information in this link.


September 1 – 3, 2019

We spent a wonderful group retreat at the National Park Thayatal with a lot of physics and biking. 🙂


June 6, 2019

Good news. Our ESQ Discovery project got approved!


May 14, 2019

Thomas Weigner joined our group and will work on cold atoms and electrons. Welcome!!!


April 10, 2019

Philipp Haslinger receives the Young Scientist Prize 2019 of the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Division of the European Physical Society (ESP).


February 26, 2019

Kick-off-meeting (26.-28.2.2019) of our ESI-Research in Teams Project on Black body Radiation Induced Inertial Effects and Collective Phenomena.


February 18, 2019

Matthias Kolb has started as a master student in our group on cold atoms and electrons. Very exciting project!!!


January 28, 2019


Felix Feichtinger and Felix Korbelius are joining us for their bachelor projects.
Welcome!!!

Dezember 1, 2018

Marion Mallweger has started as a master student in our group on black body radiation induced forces.
Welcome!!!

November 23, 2018

Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics 
Research in Teams Project:
Black body Radiation Induced Inertial Effects and Collective Phenomena

Today we got our ESI Research in Teams project on inertial effects of black body radiation approved!
Over the next two years we will work in close collaboration with Dr. Dennis Rätzel (Humboldt University Berlin), Dr. Francesco Intravaia (Humboldt University Berlin) and Dr. Matthias Sonnleitner (University Innsbruck). The aim of this project is to establish a theoretical description for non-equilibrium thermal radiation forces on particles and to investigate the feasibility of new exciting experiments to measure such effects with cold atoms, in particular, by using matter wave interferometric techniques.

September 29, 2018

PhD/Master positions available!

We are looking for motivated students to work on the project
Lattice Atom Interferometry (LATIN) – new frontiers in quantum sensing with ultra-long interaction times “

 Atom interferometers have enabled us to measure forces with exceptionally high precision. Inevitably, these forces are averaged over the free-fall trajectory of the atoms (up to 10 m), since sensitivity scales with the free-fall time. This precludes measurements of localized forces. To shrink these distances we will use the optical lattice of a high finesse cavity to hold the atoms against gravity in order to perform lattice atom interferometry with ultra long interaction times.

Please send relevant documents, (CV, study records, list of talks and publications), as one single PDF file to philipp.haslinger(at)tuwien.ac.at

September 2, 2018

“Bis an die Grenzen des Messbaren”

Our popular science publication on recent atom interferometry research  has been published by Physik in unserer Zeit.

Holger Müller, Philipp Haslinger. Physik in Unserer Zeit, 228-235 (2018).

“Atominterferometer zählen derzeit zu den genauesten Instrumenten zur Messung von Naturkonstanten und anderen Größen. So lässt die jüngste Messung der Feinstrukturkonstante interessante Rückschlüsse auf das Standardmodell zu. Auch Vorhersagen für exotische Phänomene wie Dunkle Photonen, Chamäleon‐Felder oder eine Fünfte Kraft sind damit überprüfbar. Zudem wurde mit einem Atominterferometer erstmals eine anziehende Kraft der Schwarzkörperstrahlung auf Atome gemessen.”

Cold Cesium atoms approaching a dense source mass, shortly before forming a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in order to sense for fifth forces or an attractive interaction due to black body radiation.