Single Review on past events

We were happy to welcome our former (and now Associated) Fellows Daniele Brida and Philip Rathgeb.

Daniele Brida (Associated Fellow / Dept. of Physics) spoke about "Starting an ERC project: ultrafast scanning tunneling microscopy (UpTEMPO)"
 
Abstract:
In this talk, I will present the scientific steps that stemmed from my initial proposal for the Zukunftskolleg fellowship and led me to the idea behind the ERC project that is currently ongoing.
In detail, UpTEMPO aims at imaging electronic dynamics in molecules with atomic precision and sub-femtosecond temporal resolution. This result will be achieved by establishing new experiments at the boundary of ultrafast optics and scanning probe microscopy where the electric field of single-cycle light pulses is harnessed to control currents in nanojunctions. The basic concept relies on the fact that state-of-the-art femtosecond optical wave packets exhibit only one cycle of radiation with a defined electric field maximum. These pulses need to be phase locked to a “cosine-like” electric field profile. If such radiation is focused onto a junction with a nonlinear current-voltage characteristics, a net charge flow results solely due to the bias induced by the optical field.
At the end of the talk, I will be open to discuss what I learned by writing an ERC proposal and by setting up a new lab for it.

Philip Rathgeb (Associated Fellow / Dept. of Politics and Public Administration) reported on “Between Brexit and Indyref2: The Scottish Election 2021”

Abstract:
The Scottish election on the 6th of May is characterised by Brexit, Covid-19, and the SNP's demand for another independence referendum. How do political parties position themselves in the campaign? What are the polls saying? And how does the election outcome influence demands for another independence referendum? Philip Rathgeb provides a brief overview on the election campaign and the question of Scottish independence.