On Friday, July 4, 2025, the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) will host a seminar by Dr. Laura Cattaneo from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. The talk, titled “HHG in Liquid Crystals: A Close Look at Partially Ordered Systems,” will explore how high harmonic generation (HHG) can be used to study the ultrafast dynamics of liquid crystals (LCs).

LCs are materials that straddle the line between solids and liquids, offering tunable degrees of molecular order. Dr. Cattaneo’s research shows that HHG—a powerful technique typically used to probe electronic structure—can reveal how molecular alignment affects electron and nuclear dynamics in these unique systems. Her talk will highlight recent findings and ongoing challenges in this emerging area of ultrafast science.

Where: CFEL Seminar Rooms I–III & Online
When: 2:00 PM, Friday, July 4, 2025
More info:hhps.de

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Birgit Stiller from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (Erlangen, Germany) to the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics. As part of the Bothe-Kolloquium, Dr. Stiller delivered an inspiring talk titled: “Sound Waves Exploiting Optical Quantum Technologies and Photonic Machine Learning.” In her presentation, she shared recent advances from her research group on using acoustic waves to control and process light in both the classical and quantum domains. Among the highlights were the development of optoacoustic operators for photonic machine learning, non-reciprocal polarization processing, and photon-phonon entanglement via stimulated Brillouin scattering in waveguides and optical fibers. We thank Dr. Stiller for her visit and the stimulating insights into the intersection of photonics, acoustics, and quantum technologies.

This semester, PhD student Patrick Friebel presented his research titled “Ultrafast Liquid Crystal Dynamics: THz Vibrational Dynamics of Liquid Crystals – From Molecular Origin to Bulk Response.” In his talk, he showcased the use of terahertz spectroscopy to investigate vibrational dynamics in liquid crystals, revealing how molecular motions shape the bulk properties of these materials.

His presentation was part of the departmental seminar series Dynamics and Structure of Atoms and Molecules, which is designed to keep members of the division up to date with ongoing research across the various groups within the division. The seminar usually takes place on Wednesdays at 09:30 in the Central Seminar Room.

During these last two weeks, we were pleased to welcome Matteo Savoini and Mingyu Shi from the Ultrafast Dynamics research group led by Prof. Steve Johnson at ETH Zurich, for a scientific collaboration with the ULCD group. The main goal of the visit was to explore and enhance the understanding of potential nonlinear couplings between E modes in tellurium, using strong-field resonant excitation at our THz beamline. This collaboration builds upon a previous visit from the ETH group, continuing the productive exchange between our teams. We are excited about the insights gained during this visit and look forward to further developments from this ongoing collaboration.

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Simon Vendelbo Bylling Jensen to our institute. Simon is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the renowned group of Ángel Rubio at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD). He was recently awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, recognizing his scientific excellence and the promising impact of his ongoing research.

During his visit, Simon delivered an insightful talk focused on his PhD work, which explored the theoretical foundations of high-harmonic generation (HHG) in solids—a fundamental process for probing ultrafast electron dynamics on attosecond timescales. The visit also offered a great opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss the latest progress in his ongoing collaboration with the ULCD group, which seeks to interpret and contextualize HHG experimental results in liquid crystal systems obtained within our team.

We are sincerely grateful for Simon’s visit and look forward to continuing this inspiring and productive collaboration.

This week, our postdoctoral researcher Andrea Annunziata presented his work titled “Ultrafast Liquid Crystal Dynamics: HHG spectroscopy in solids and liquid crystals”. In his talk, he discussed the use of high-harmonic generation (HHG) as a spectroscopic method to investigate ultrafast dynamics in solids and liquid crystals. He particularly highlighted recent advances and the potential of this technique to uncover fundamental electronic and structural processes.

His presentation was part of the departmental seminar series Dynamics and Structure of Atoms and Molecules, which is designed to keep members of the division up to date with ongoing research across the various groups within the division. The seminar usually takes place on Wednesdays at 09:30 in the Central Seminar Room.

On March 12, 2025, the Engineering Physics Colloquia at Ca’ Foscari University featured a compelling seminar by Dr. Laura Cattaneo from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics. Her talk, “An Ultrafast Look at Liquid Crystals,” offered a deep dive into the unique properties of liquid crystals—materials that exist between solid and liquid states.

Dr. Cattaneo presented cutting-edge research using ultrafast spectroscopy techniques, including Nobel-recognized high harmonic generation, to study electron dynamics and molecular vibrations in various liquid crystal phases. These insights could open new doors in the field of light-matter interaction and materials science.

The hybrid event took place in Room Delta 1A and was also available via Zoom. Attendees enjoyed stimulating science—and complimentary coffee and cookies—thanks to organizers Domenico De Fazio and Stefano Bonetti.

The Working Group Inspiration Fair (AIM), organized by the Physics Student Council in collaboration with the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, was held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics (KIP) and the Physical Institute (PI). This event brought together research groups in physics and related fields, offering an excellent opportunity for students from all semesters to connect with researchers in a relaxed and informal environment.

We're proud to share that our postdoc, Marta Murillo, has successfully completed the prestigious “Sign Up! Careerbuilding” programme – an initiative by the Max Planck Society in collaboration with EAF Berlin. EAF Berlin is a renowned network that supports equal opportunities, diversity, and work-life balance in politics and industry.

This year-long programme, tailored for female postdocs, focuses on developing leadership skills, preparing participants for leadership roles in science, and fostering a strong, career-oriented network. It aims to empower women in the crucial early stages of their scientific careers, helping them navigate their individual career paths with confidence and clarity.

Marta was selected from a pool of applicants across all Max Planck Institutes in Germany and took part in four intensive training modules over the course of the year. She successfully completed the programme in December, gaining valuable experience and connections along the way.

We’re thrilled to celebrate Marta’s achievement and can’t wait to see where her career takes her next!

This year, Christmas was celebrated at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics with a special event featuring the choir and a small Advent wreath-making activity. Furthermore, this year the institute's official Christmas greeting cards featured an image from the ULCD group, a microscope image of a liquid crystal.

The symposium brought together two quite different communities, the THz device and measurement community with the liquid crystal device, molecular design and modelling community.

Dr. Laura Cattaneo, has been honored within the Mildred Dresselhaus Guest Professorship Program 2024 of the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), that acknowledges outstanding established scientist and highly promising young scientists. The Program includes an extended research stay at the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter" as well as prize money of € 10,000 for the Junior Award. Congratulations, Laura, on this well-deserved recognition!

After several years, the division, led by Professor Thomas Pfeifer, held a retreat at Ebernburg Castle. The program included short talks and poster presentations on the latest scientific advances by our group leaders, students, and postdocs. It provided us with a unique opportunity to gain an overview of our broad spectrum of research activities, as well as to ask questions, share ideas, and contribute to the future direction of our divisions' scientific explorations.

​The Max Planck Annual Meeting – Networking Symposium 2024 was a new addition to the Max Planck Society's annual gathering, held on June 13, 2024, at the Harnack-Haus in Berlin. Designed to foster cross-sectional exchange, the symposium provided group leaders from various sections an opportunity to present their research. Nineteen selected group leaders delivered concise three-minute presentations, akin to elevator pitches, followed by moderated discussions. This format aimed to make complex research topics accessible to a broader audience within the Max Planck community

During the academic semester, the Pfeifer Division organizes a weekly seminar led by predoctoral students and postdoctoral staff where the progress of research conducted to date is presented. In this case, our Master's student, Natalia Copete, presented her work entitled Temperature Controlled LC Based Flat Jet.

The 5th AttoChem Workshop, organized under the umbrella of the COST Action CA18222 (www.attochem.eu), was held from February 28 to March 1, 2024, at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The workshop took place in the heart of the historic city of La Laguna, a UNESCO World Heritage site, providing a beautiful and culturally rich backdrop for the event.

The workshop brought together leading researchers from chemistry, physics, and materials science to discuss the latest advancements in attosecond science and its applications in chemical dynamics. Participants had the opportunity to explore innovative techniques for probing ultrafast processes in molecules, with a special focus on attosecond spectroscopy, ultrafast electron dynamics, and the role of attosecond science in advancing our understanding of chemical reactions.

In this case, the Group leader, Laura Cattaneo, had the opportunity to give a plenary talk about the research progress made in the Group, while postdoc Marta Murillo presented her recent results in high harmonic scopteroscopy in liquid crystals using a flatjet device.

The 15th Femtochemistry Conference took place from Sunday, 30 July 2023 to Friday, 4 August 2023, at the Henry Ford Building on the Freie Universität Berlin campus (Garystraße 35, 14195 Berlin). The conference brought together leading experts and emerging researchers from around the world to explore the latest breakthroughs in femtochemistry, a field dedicated to understanding chemical reactions on the timescale of femtoseconds (10^-15 seconds).

The event featured a rich program of cutting-edge research, with presentations on ultrafast spectroscopy, molecular dynamics, and the role of femtosecond lasers in probing the fundamental processes of chemistry. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with pioneering work in areas such as energy conversion, reaction dynamics, and material science, where femtochemistry plays a crucial role in observing and controlling reactions as they unfold.

Our PhD student Patrick Friebel gave a talk titled “Ultrafast Terahertz Response of Thermotropic Liquid Crystals” during the event, where he presented his latest research on the ultrafast dynamics of liquid crystals under terahertz excitation.

The ULCD research group has initiated a collaboration with the University of Bern group led by Professor Andrea Cannizo to conduct transient absorption experiments on dilute liquid crystal samples. Thanks to this collaboration, the device, currently under development for the delivery of liquid crystals, has been tested for the first time, yielding satisfactory results.

Dr. Laura Cattaneo was selected by the MPG for a position as an independent Max Planck Research Group (MPRG) leader. She will set up her group from May 2020 "ULCD - ultrafast liquid crystal dynamics" at the MPIK.