Peter-Debye-Institut

Current Research Foci

On the basis of a tradition in physical chemistry and statistical physics represented by scientists such as Peter Debye, the Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics (formerly Institute for Experimental Physics I) has become an international renowned focal point for soft matter physics and its applications in biological physics, thereby developing and utilizing predominately photonic techniques. On the molecular scale the institute’s research is entrenched in the thermal and driven dynamics of macromolecules such as DNA and cytoskeletal filaments (Kremer, Käs, Seidel) and of nano- as well as microcobjects such as microswimmers (Cichos). Understanding soft matter from the bottom up has a defining moment on the active and passive material properties of biological cells (Käs, Mierke). Consequentially, the institute has a pioneering role in the Physics of Cancer (Käs, Mierke) acknowledged by leading Cancer Institutes. This research is possible due to ground-breaking technical developments of the institute in areas such as optical trapping (Käs), magnetic tweezing (Seidel), photothermal microscopy and thermal single molecule trapping (Cichos), which led to the founding of start-ups and close ties to national and international industry. The institute has very active collaborations with the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the university (Prof. Klaus Kroy, Prof. Wolfhard Janke, Prof. Ulrich Behn) and is well embedded in the research landscape in Leipzig with close contact to many research institutions in Leipzig and Saxony.
Units
- Biological Physics
Prof. Dr. Claudia Mierke - Molecular Biophysics
Prof. Dr. Ralf Seidel - Molecular Nanophotonics
Prof. Dr. Frank Cichos - Soft Matter Physics
Prof. Dr. Josef A. Käs
Prof. Dr. Mareike Zink - Molecular Physics
Prof. Dr. Friedrich Kremer
Cooperating Departments
- Biophysical Chemistry (Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology)
Prof. Dr. Tilo Pompe
News
In the Thermal Molecule Trap: New Experimental Approaches to Investigate the Molecular Causes of Amyloid Formation
26.06.2019
More than 24 million people worldwide suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's. The molecular causes of...
Soft Matter Day and Peter Debye Lecture on July 5, 2019
17.06.2019
On July 5, 2019, the "Soft Matter Day", organized by the Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics at the Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences,...
Third Funding Period of the Collaborative Research Center Transregio 102 Granted
03.06.2019
The Collaborative Research Center Transregio 102 "Polymers under Multiple Constraints", established in 2011 by Martin Luther University...
How Maxwell’s Demon Herds Sheep: Information-based Interaction of Artificial Microswimmers
24.09.2018
Scientists from the universities in Leipzig and Princeton have found out in experiments how new structures with special properties can emerge through...