The Giessen Physics
Department
A Brief Introduction to its History and Institutes
History And Brief Description
Since the end of the 18th century physics has been taught at the university of Giessen. Several well known physicists have been professors in Giessen. Among them were Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Wilhelm Wien, Walther Bothe, Christian Gerthsen, and Wilhelm Hanle. The department of physics is located at the periphery of Giessen natural science campus. The Physics department is comprised of seven institutes. There are also two libraries and several mechanical and electronical workshops, which belong to the department and are at the disposal of the department members.
I. Physics Institute
(Prof.: Hermann, Meyer, Schartner)
Section Experimental Solid State Physics (Prof. Meyer)
Optical and electrical characterization of semiconductors, implemented devices, and other solid state materials regarding their physical and materials properties. Growth of compound semiconductor materials (III-V, II-VI). Experimental facilities for:
Section Laser Physics (Prof. Hermann)
Laser spectroscopy, applied spectroscopy, trace element analysis, direct solid sampling by laser ablation. Experimental facilities for:
Section Atomic Collision- and Plasma-Physics (Prof. Schartner)
Excitation and ionization processes in high-energy ion-atom collisions with gases and solids. Development of ion sources and ion-propulsion systems. Experimental facilities:
II. Physics Institute (Prof.:
Metag, Kühn, Düren, Geissel)
Research Activities
Heavy Ion and Hadron Physics
Large scale detector systems are developed in the framework of international
collaborations. The detector system TAPS (Two-Arm Photon-Spectrometer) has been used at
various European accelerator facilities including CERN, GANIL (France), GSI (Germany), KVI
(Netherlands), MAMI (Germany) to study hard photon and neutral meson production from
reactions with heavy ions, hadrons and photons. HADES, the High Acceptance Di-Electron
Spectrometer is currently under construction at GSI and will allow novel experimental
access to open problems in hadron physics.
Experiments at the HERMES detector at DESY in Hamburg are conducted to understand the
flavor and spin structure of the nucleon.
Mass Spectroscopy
Our research activities also include mass spectroscopy and here very much technology oriented instrument development which requires good ion optics as well as ion beam technology. Applications include the use of mass spectroscopy for the investigation of short lived nuclei whose masses are important for the formation of the elements in stars. Applications also include the use development and use of time-of-flight mass spectrometers for the trace analysis of gases for instance in the atmosphere of a comet or in a terrestrial application of mainly molecular gases that contaminate our environment and not the least the investigation of polypeptides and whole proteins that are important for medical applications. Also the development of ion optical instrumentation is promoted like the development of mass separators for modern ion beam facilities for short lived nuclei or the development of gantries for protons heavy ion tumor irradiation.
Facilities
The institute currently participates in experiments at several national and international accelerator facilities. The institute operates a detector laboratory concentrating on the development of inorganic scintillators for electromagnetic calorimeters as well as an electronics laboratory specializing in the development of high-speed programmable digital electronics for fast pattern recognition and data acquisition. The laboratory includes a facility for designing, producing and testing high-end electronics boards featuring SMT technology.
Institute
for Applied Physics (Prof.: Kohl)
Main Research Topics and Experimental Facilities
Research activities in the Institute of Applied Physics focus on solid state sensors such as semiconductur components for chemical gas sensors and superconducting components (SQUIDs) for sensitive detection of electromagnetic signals. These sensors are used for environmental surveillance on one side and for non destructive testing, e.g of aircraft components, on the other side. The sensors are made using modern methods of thin film technology. Special techniques needed for the efficient operation of the sensors are also developed, such as neuronal nets for the chemical sensors and low noise cryocoolers for the SQUIDs.
Institute for Nuclear
Physics (Prof.: Müller, Salzborn)
Research Topics
Atomic physics, collision processes of atomic particles: electron-ion interactions (ionization, excitation, recombination, elastic scattering); electron-atom collisions (e, 2e - experiments); ion-atom collisions (ionization, electron stripping, charge transfer, transfer ionization); ion-ion collisions (ionization, electron transfer, angular scattering, translational spectroscopy); ionization and fragmentation of neutral and charged fullerenes; production of highly charged ions in ECR plasmas; neutralization of energetic negative ions in a plasma target; plasma cleaning of surfaces
Applications
Atomic data base for fusion research and astrophysics, ion source technology, plasma technology
Experimental facilities
Heavy-ion research facility (with 10GHz ECR ion source and attached experiments on electron impact ionization of ions in crossed beams and on transfer ionization with time-of-flight and electron spectrometers); ion-ion crossed beams facility (with two accelerator beam lines, UHV-chamber, complex ion optics and particle detection devices); 14.6GHz ECR ion source test stand; 2.45GHz plasma cleaning set-up, H- neutralization experiment; ECR ion sources based on permanent magnets (2.45 GHz and 10 GHz); electron-ion scattering experiment (crossed beams of electrons and ions, electron spectrometer coincidence set-up for simultaneous detection of electrons and ions emerging from a collision process); (e,2e) scattering experiment
Institute for
Biophysics (Prof. Kiefer)
The research concentrates on the effect of radiations on cellular functions, with a main emphasis on radiation-induced alterations of genetic information and the use of the knowledge gained for risk assessment. Radiation sources include monochromatic UV, X- and gamma-rays, alpha particles and accelerated heavy ions (in co-operation with GSI Darmstadt and HMI Berlin). The main study objects are different mutants of yeast and a large range of various mammalian cell lines. DNA lesions are studied by pulsed field gel electrophoresis, chromosomal aberrations by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and mutations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) apart from other techniques of molecular biology. Computer aided image analysis is applied in conjunction with all these techniques for the evaluation of data. The group is furthermore engaged in the investigation of space radiation problems and has a flown a number of experiments on recent NASA shuttle missions, this programme is being continued. The lecture programme includes General Biophysics, Radiation Biophysics, Biophysical Methods, a practical course in these methods, Radiology for Veterinary Medicine and Radiation Biology for medical students.
Institute for
Theoretical Physics I (Hadrons and Nuclei) (Prof.: Mosel, Cassing)
The main research fields of the institute cover the reaction dynamics of photon, pions, proton and heavy-ion induced reactions on nuclei, the properties of hadrons at finite nuclear density and temperature as well as the expected transitions of hadronic matter to a chirally symmetric phase or a quark-gluon-plasma. The theoretical investigations are carried out in close collaborations with accellerator facilities at CERN, Darmstadt, Jülich, Mainz and Bonn.
Institute for Theoretical Physics II (Atoms and Molecules) (Prof.:
Grün, Scheid)
The research of the institute is directed to atomic reactions with highly charged ions. Dielectronic recombinations, resonant scattering of electrons, excitation and ionization of few-electron heavy ions, and electron-positron pair creation with relativistic ions are investigated. In addition we work on the calculation of nuclear fusion cross sections, nuclear structure and on the solution of the inverse scattering problem. Collaborations exist with GSI (Darmstadt), Dubna, Budapest and Bucharest.
Institute for Theoretical Physics III (Solid State Physics) (Prof.:
Bolterauer, Bunde)
The general topic of our institute is theoretical solid state physics. Here we are mainly interested in the physics of disordered systems and investigate how the physical properties are modified by structural disorder. Examples include polymers, ionic glasses and, quite general, percolation systems. We are also interested in the structure and the dynamics of biological polymers like Microtubules and Actin, where we study the very interesting interplay between chance and necessity, which is also seen in many other biological systems.
Center
for Philosophy and Foundations of Science (Prof. Kanitscheider)
Regularily we offer lectures on philosophy of science, cosmology, interpretation of quantum mechanics, theory of selforganization and related topics in which factual science is utilized in order to solve philosophical problems. Above that we arrange seminars on applied ethics comprising a host of controversial queries with the aim to open a critical mind in the consciousness of the students.
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