My scientific career started with the study of physics at the Friedrich-Schiller-University (FSU) Jena. In 1995 I then finished my diploma on the topic "Integrated planar gradiometers - SQUID structures for use in an electromagnetically disturbed environment" and then Institute for Physical High Technologies, today's Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies (Leibniz IPHT), started my PhD thesis and successfully finished it with the thesis on "Superconducting quantum interference detector gradiometer systems for geophysical use" in 2006.
My research, initially in the Quantum Detection Department and later in the Magnetometry Research Group at the Leibniz IPHT, has been dedicated for many years to the ultra-sensitive measurement of magnetic fields for a wide variety of applications. My work covers the complete chain from the development of highly sensitive magnetic field sensors in the femtoTesla range, the manufacturing and system technologies, to the development of adapted software for processing the sensor signals and the application of the new instruments. The range of magnetic field sensors spans from conventional measurement technology such as induction coils and fluxgates to recent developments in the fields of superconducting quantum interference detectors (SQUID) and integrated and miniaturized optically pumped magnetometers (OPM). With the newly developed sensors, magnetic fields and their gradients as well as all physical quantities transformable to them are detected with highest accuracy down to a few femtoTesla. The applications range from laboratory instruments for the resolution of weak magnetic fields and currents, such as non-destructive measurement of particle beams for new accelerator facilities, over new imaging techniques for biomedical applications to geophysical and archaeometric measurement techniques.
In the past few years, I extended this field of research towards quantum technologies and their applications for several years to address the following topics:
- Superconducting quantum circuits
- Hybrid quantum circuits
- Quantum engineering - how to get quantum circuits into applications?
[Cooling technology, drive and control, readout electronics and more]
- Applications in quantum simulation, quantum communication and especially quantum sensing.
For the last 10+ years I have been involved in teaching at FSU at the Institute of Geosciences. Topics are in magnetic and electromagnetic measurement methods especially also the new sensors, geoelectric and gravimetric methods and their application in exploration geophysics.
Web of Science Researcher ID: W-3760-2017
Orcid ID: 0000-0002-5629-4672
Google Scholar: scholar