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John W. Freeland, a senior physicist and staff scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, is a specialist in soft X-ray spectroscopy and supports scientists using the Advanced Photon Source (APS). As the APS is currently undergoing an intensive upgrade, John seized the opportunity to take a sabbatical and join us at PDI. Here he shares his thoughts about the experience.

At PDI, we recognize the profound importance of scientific outreach in fostering a connection between the research community and the world outside. In this article, we discuss why engaging with the community is so important for scientific institutions like ours.

On November 24th, PDI guest scientist John W. Freeland will speak at the virtual seminar at BESSY II, the 240 meter BESSY II storage ring in Berlin-Adlershof. John is based at Argonne National Laboratory where he focuses his research on the application of polarized X-ray techniques to probe the magnetism of surfaces and interfaces.

From November 2023 to January 2024, scientists from across Europe will visit PDI to speak about their work in 2D Magnetic Materials and Heterostructures. The first event takes place on November 24th with Arnaud Gloppe from the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and University of Strasbourg.

Over the years, we've brought science to the city in many unexpected formats, including the art-science festival STATE Experience Science, our artist-in-residence Sadie Weiss, and taking science underground in Mind The Lab. This year, in our fifth partnership with Berlin Science Week, we are bringing science to the streets in two new ways. Find out more here.

In a paper published in Advanced Science, researchers from PDI and the Xiamen University demonstrated that ferrimagnetic NiCo2O4 provides a solution for the long-term challenge of finding materials with a robust out-of-plane magnetization. Their findings pave the way for novel spintronic application, offering solutions for future high-density memories beyond current designs.

Roman Engel-Herbert, Director of PDI, and Joao Marcelo J. Lopes, a Senior Scientist at PDI, were honored recently with an invitation to review the field of two-dimensional layered materials (2DLM) in a paper for ACS titled 'Recent Advances in 2D Material Theory, Synthesis, Properties, and Applications'.

Introducing NanoNarratives — a series of conversations with the people at PDI. In the first of the series, we meet Ekaterina Paysen, a PhD student in the Microstructure department. Ekaterina won Best Student Oral Presentation at this year's International Conference on Silicon Epitaxy and Heterostructures and Silicon-Germanium Technology and Device Meeting (ISTDM-ICSI). She was recognized for her talk: 'Electron Tomography Analysis of Ge/SiGe Asymmetrically Coupled Quantum Wells'.

In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, researchers from the Paul-Drude-Institut in Berlin, and the Instituto Balseiro in Argentina, demonstrated that the mixing of confined quantum fluids of light and GHz sound leads to the emergence of an elusive quasi-particle: the phonoriton. This discovery opens a novel way to coherently convert information between optical and microwave domains, bringing potential benefits to photonics, optomechanics, and optical communication technologies.

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, researchers from the Paul Drude Institute in Berlin, Germany, and the Instituto Balseiro, Bariloche, Argentina, demonstrated that light emitters with different resonance frequencies can asynchronously self-lock their relative energies by exchanging mechanical energy. This finding paves the way for increased control of light sources and GHz-to-THz interconversion relevant to quantum technology.