News and events
Events
- Tuesday at 17:15 Uhr: Innsbruck Physics Colloquium
- Wednesday at 17:15 Uhr: Institute Seminar
- Conferences and Workshops
News reports in the "Newsroom" of the university
Below we have chronologically compiled the abstracts of recent reports (usually in German language) in the "Newsroom" of Universität Innsbruck related to our department. The links are leaving the web pages of the department and lead to the detailed reports in "Newsroom".
Iodic acid replaces ammonia in aerosol formation
Iodine from the world's oceans forms iodine oxoacids, which can accelerate the formation of sulfuric acid particles in the atmosphere by a factor of 10,000. This was discovered by scientists of the CLOUD experiment with the participation of the University of Innsbruck. The increasing iodine emissions have an impact on the climate that is still under-estimated in current models.
Negatively charged and yet pretty cold
Anions, negatively charged ions, are reluctant to be cooled. Physicists led by Matthias Weidemüller from Heidelberg University and Roland Wester from the University of Innsbruck have now developed a method for cooling molecular anions to below 3 Kelvin in a remarkably short time. This enables, for example, new investigations of chemical reactions in space.
Quantum Chemistry: Molecules caught tunneling
Physicists led by Roland Wester of the University of Innsbruck have now for the first time observed a quantum mechanical tunneling reaction in experiments. The observation can also be described exactly in theory. With the study published in Nature, the scientists provide an important reference for this fundamental effect in chemistry. It is the slowest reaction with charged particles ever observed.
Tracing the origin of life
A team of scientists from France and Austria has discovered a new abiotic pathway for the formation of peptide chains from amino acids - a key chemical step in the origin of life. The current study provides strong evidence that this crucial step for the emergence of life can indeed occur even in the very inhospitable conditions of space.
Spectral lines A look inside a molecule
Even the simplest molecular bonds are not fully understood yet. Researchers around the group of physicist Roland Wester from the Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics have now studied how negative ions bind to hydrogen molecules – the simplest molecules there are. Together with partners from theory the team has found a precise quantum mechanical description for this process.
Helium bath splash
While working with helium nanodroplets, scientists at the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics led by Fabio Zappa and Paul Scheier have come across a surprising phenomenon: When the ultracold droplets hit a hard surface, they behave like drops of water. Ions with which they were previously doped thus remain protected on impact and are not neutralized.
Top EU Research Award for Roland Wester
Physicist Roland Wester of the University of Innsbruck has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. It is the highest funding awarded by the European Research Council. The distinguished scientist and his team will receive up to 2.5 million euros for their research over the next five years.