1. Management and Structure
Prof. Dr. G. GompperInstitutes:
Institute 'Theory I'The Institute of Solid State Research (IFF) pursues research on condensed materials in the solid or liquid state. Based on its studies of bulk properties of condensed phases, the IFF is concerned with inhomogeneous systems and with the consequences of reduced dimensionality. This refers in particular to the physics of clusters, phase boundaries, thin films and membranes. With regard to both theory and experiment, the institute’s research can be understood in terms of three strategically distinct categories:
Phenomena oriented research: The search for, the discovery and explanation of general phenomena and behaviour in condensed matter systems, including the mathematical and physical concepts and structures underlying this behaviour.
Materials oriented research: The investigation of specific materials or classes of materials with a view of gaining an understanding of their special properties and, where appropriate, exploring their potential for practical application. Production of novel materials, and preparation as well as characterisation of well-defined samples.
Method oriented research: Development of new methods and the improvement of existing methods, both in the experimental and the theoretical/numerical sectors.
The general physical basis for these research areas is provided by statistical physics and quantum mechanics. Together they describe on a microscopic scale the behaviour and the reaction to external influences of electrons, atoms and molecules, the building blocks whose aggregation and cooperation is responsible for the formation of condensed phases. The issues to which these connections give rise in the context of current research form the basis of the work of theoretical and experimental groups within the institute.
Based on new techniques of preparation and characterization on a microscopic atomic scale, the experimental groups have increased their efforts to develop devices and taylor systems with new properties. This, in turn, has triggered the theoretical groups, employing modern techniques, to describe and come to an understanding of the extremely complex behaviour of these new systems.
The following specific foci of work in the IFF are symptomatic of the nature and purpose of a Helmholtz-Research Centre:
Contributions to the construction and operation of new experimental equipment and instruments for international sources of neutron and synchrotron radiation. In addition to the Jülich Research Reactor "DIDO", the neutron sources at Argonne, Berlin, Gaithersburg, Grenoble, München, Oak Ridge, Saclay and Appleton are used. Experiments with synchrotron radiation are carried out at BESSY, DELTA and HASYLAB in Germany, and internationally at Argonne (APS), Berkeley (ALS), Brookhaven (NSLS), Grenoble (ESRF) and Trieste (ELETTRA).
Over the long term, the research results of the IFF have led to a broad and internationally recognized status. Special technical and scientific excellence was achieved in the following areas: application of synchrotron-radiation and neutron scattering, electron-microscopy, electron-spectroscopy, high-temperature superconductivity, magneto-electronics, the physics of clusters, electron theory, dynamical features of phase-transitions, quasi-crystals, colloids, membranes and polymers.
A prerequisite for the focal areas of research in the IFF mentioned above and its position in the international community as a valued partner for cooperation is its strong position in basic research. The IFF carries out basic research in areas with potential for the future of condensed matter science, also as a hotbed for applied research projects.
Genuine innovation (as distinct from continuous development) occurs typically as a by-product of curiosity-driven research. This is exemplified particularly well by the discovery of the "giant-magnetoresistance" effect, which over the past years has become a very active area in solid state research. The effect has attractive applications for magnetic sensors e.g. as read heads for data storage and for control of moving parts. The license revenue from the patents on this effect represents the largest contribution to the total patent revenue of the Jülich Research Centre devolving from a single application! With this activity the IFF is also participating in the BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, i.e. Ministry of Education and Research) project "Magnetoelectronics" and also carries out accompanying basic investigations within the Strategy-Fund Project "Magnetoelectronics".
The Jülich Research Centre contributes to the RD Program for the European Spallation Source (ESS), a common project of 11 European countries. The IFF is strongly involved in the ESS project on several levels: by providing the scientific director and the chairman of the scientific advisory committee, via research into shock-wave effects in the liquid mercury target, the optimisation of the target and the moderators, and by the development of instrumentation.
In 2001, the scientific work of the IFF generated 349 publications (267 in refereed journals and 82 others), 8 patents and 9 patent applications. 340 scientific talks were presented. Among these were 230 invited talks. 134 posters were presented at conferences. In addition IFF staff members gave 52 educational seminars at universities. 25 staff members are lecturers at universities.
The traditional IFF-Spring School was held in 2001 with the topic "Neue Materialien für die Informationstechnik" (New Materials for Information Technology) and attracted 211 participants. In addition the IFF organises an annual two week lecture and practical laboratory course on "Neutron Scattering" in October. In the year 2001, we had 39 participants, 14 of which were from other european countries.
In 2001, 10 diploma students and 19 doctoral students completed their thesis; 17 diploma students and 63 doctoral students worked at IFF.
2. Scientific and Technical Infrastructure
In the context of a general reduction in the number of personell at the research center Jülich, the IFF was forced to tighten its technical infrastructure. Through organisational and strategic measures, the IFF tried to maintain the optimal efficiency of the central services despite the decrease in the number of staff. As a consequence the central facilities Electronics Laboratory and Numerical Methods and Data Processing were merged into a group Networks and Numerics. These measures have now reached a critical limit.
Research "at the cutting-edge" requires the capability to build and maintain experimental facilities in high-tech areas. This holds as well for the basic research performed by the IFF at national and international sources as for its applied research. Equipment must meet high international standards, and especially so when the work performed is to be "relevant for industry". A basic requirement for the work of the Department is an infrastructure, within the IFF and the Research Centre itself, which supplies the necessary expertise, effectiveness and facilities.
The group Networks and Numerics maintains the workstation cluster and computer networks, and supports scientific staff in the design and performance of experiments. It supplies expert assistance in hard- and software, maintains the system-software of the IFF-Workstation-Cluster and trains mathematical-technical assistants.
The Accelerator Group is responsible for the operation of the Compact-Cyclotron and the Tandetron.
Construction and Workshop develop and build equipment for the IFF, from simple mechanical components to sophisticated modern technology. The facility works closely together with the scientists and engineers of the Institute to achieve the ambitious quality and tolerance goals set by the experimentalists.
Staff members in the central facilities:
K. v. Ameln, S. Berger, H.P. Esser, A. Bremen, H. Cremer, P. Eickenberg, M. Emmerich, H. Feilbach, U. Funk-Kath, R. Gehlhaar, E. Gundt, R. Heckmann, J. Heinen, D. Henkel, K. Hirtz, R. Hölzle, K.H. Johnen, K. Kaulen., S. Krahe, J. Lingenbach, T. Matulewski, W. Noack, T. Nguyen-Vu, P. Pickartz, M. Pohl, B. Radermacher, H. Sachsenhausen, L. Schätzler, H. Schnitzler, J. Schramm, P. Stefelmanns, W. Stellmacher, H. Terberger, R. Thomas, E. Westphal, K. Wingerath.
J. Hengesbach (INC), L. Kasterke (IME), H. Schwalbach (ISG)
3. Other Scientific Activities: Collaborations with Universities. Institutes and Industry
The productivity of a Research Institute depends strongly on its capacity for scientific exchange and for scientific and technical cooperation. In this regard, the Jülich Research Center offers excellent possibilities. The Centre’s top class infrastructure offers efficient assistance, also for visiting scientists. Modern neutron scattering instrumentation appropriate for cutting-edge studies are available to many IFF guest scientists in the DIDO reactor hall and in the neutron guide hall ELLA. The wide variety of collaborations in which the institutes for Neutron Scattering and Scattering Methods of the IFF are involved leads to optimal usage of these large scale instruments. On the other hand, the availability of complementary facilities at other institutions is essential for the IFF. With the construction of instruments the IFF contributed to the development and improved usage of external large scale facilities such as ILL and CEN (Grenoble), APS (Argonne, USA), DELTA (Dortmund), HASYLAB (Hamburg), BESSY (Berlin), NSLS (Brookhaven), and NIST (Washington).
Bilateral agreements have been concluded with the Paul-Drude Institute, Berlin, RWTH Aachen, IBM Rüshlikon, and the Universities Bonn, Göttingen and Kiel for the use of the Jülich centre for high-resolution microscopy for specialized studies in the area of quantitative and high-resolution microscopy, and the use of the Jülich microscope with correction of spherical abberation.
In the past years, the IFF has expanded its activities as a sub-contractor to large companies (e.g. Bosch, Siemens, Daimler-Benz, Thompson, Philips) and contract work has become the main focus of the scientific work of several groups, especially in the context of large national (German) and international projects. Of special importance is the IFF’s participation in the BMBF-Project "Magnetoelectronics". Under the auspices of the Technology Transfer Bureau of the Jülich Research Centre, the IFF leases equipment to companies that have established themselves in the Jülich Technology Centre. In addition, the IFF has designed and built pilot equipment for industrial companies.
One of the most important duties of a Research Centre is to make its large scale instruments available to universities and other research organisations for research projects that need not necessarily have a direct connection with active research programs of the Centre. In this context it is of paramount importance for the IFF to keep the 16 neutron scattering instruments at the research reactor DIDO operating and to improve them further. In the year 2000, neutrons were available for users at 177 days altogether. During this time 87 experiments were performed by IFF scientists and 114 experiments by external groups (19 groups from each national and international universities, 4 groups from national and 11 from international research institutes and 5 groups from industry).
Many staff members of the IFF serve in scientific committees (e.g. advisory boards for institutes and scientific societies, program committees for international meetings, editors of proceedings, journals and databases, members or presidents of the boards of directors of scientific societies as well as referees, e.g. for the German Research Community, special research areas and prize committees).
Personal Honours, Awards, and Distinctions
Dr. D.E. Bürgler has received an offer for a C4 professorship at the Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, Experimental Physics
Prof. Dr. J. Dhont has been nominated guest member of the "Netherlands Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM)", Division: "Vloeinstoffen en Grensvlakken"
Prof. Dr. W. Eberhardt and Dr. J. Morenzin have been awarded the first prize of the "Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk", MDR, of the series "Einfach genial" for the invention of counterfeit-prove magnetic stripes
Dr. P. Ebert completed successfully his "Habilitation" at the RWTH Aachen, Department of Physics
Dr. B. Jahnen received a prize for the best poster at the conference of the Royal Microscopical Society in Oxford
Dr. H.H. Kohlstedt completed successfully his "Habilitation" at the University of Cologne, Experimental Physics
Prof. Dr. H. Müller-Krumbhaar has been appointed editor-in-chief for the Journal "Europhysics Letters" by the European Physical Society
Prof. Dr. H. Müller-Krumbhaar represents the European Physical Society in the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Journals "European Physical Journal B,D, and E"
Prof. Dr. H. Müller-Krumbhaar has been elected member of the board of management of the "Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft"
Prof. Dr. H. Müller-Krumbhaar has been elected chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee "Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics" at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot and at the Technion, Haifa, Israel
Dr. G. Nägele has been appointed extraordinary professor at the University of Konstanz
Prof. Dr. D. Richter has been appointed Scientific Director of the European Spallation Source (ESS) Project
Dr. R. Rzehak received the "Dr. Eduard Martin Preis" of the University of Saarland for his PhD
Prof. Dr. R. Waser received the prize for "Outstanding Achievement" for his work in the area of characterization and physical interpretation of ferroelectric thin films for applications in memory devices on occasion of the "International Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics 2001" in Colorado Springs
Prof. Dr. R. Waser was awarded together with Dr. K. Prume, Dr. K. Franken, and Prof. H. Meier (IKKM, RWTH Aachen) the "Edward C. Henry Award" – Electronics Division Best Paper Award 2000 – for the paper "Finite-Element Analysis of Ceramic Multilayer Capacitors: Modeling an Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy for a Nondestructive Failure Test" on the occasion of the Annual Meetings 2001 of the American Ceramic Society
Dr. R. Winkler has been appointed extraordinary professor at the University of Ulm
Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize
Prof. F. Spaepen, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Prof. N. Smith, Law. Berkeley Nat. Lab., Berkeley, USA, Institute "Electronic Properties"
Alexander von Humboldt Scholars
Dr. Z. Dogic, Brandeis University, USA
Prof. H. Ishida, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan