Newsroom
Stay informed with our latest news and announcements on this page. For more in-depth content, we also encourage visitors to explore our bimonthly STRUCTURES Newsletter magazine, which features a variety of articles, interviews with members, and background information on our latest research and activities.
Maria Beatrice Pozzetti, W3 Professor for Pure MathematicsWe are delighted to announce that STRUCTURES member Maria Beatrice Pozzetti has recently been promoted from tenure-track junior professor to W3 professor in Pure Mathematics in the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. Professor Pozzetti is a principal investigator of STRUCTURES and one of the coordinators of STRUCTURES' Comprehensive Project CP 7: Quantum Geometry and Topological Methods in Physics. Moreover, she has been leading the Emmy-Noether research group Discrete subgroups of semisimple Lie groups beyond Anosov, and she is a driving force of the Mathematics and Data line of research in our cluster, the Research Station Geometry + Dynamics and the Heidelberg Experimental Geometry Lab HEGL.
Congratulations, Beatrice, for this well-deserved promotion! We thank you for your excellent work and leadership and eagerly anticipate your continued contributions to the STRUCTURES Cluster of Excellence and to the broader academic community.
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How can cognitive science inform artificial neural network research and vice versa? This question was the focus of the interdisciplinary and collaborative workshop Human Intelligence meets Artificial Intelligence, jointly organized by STRUCTURES and Field of Focus IV: "Self-Regulation & Regulation: Individuals & Societies" at Heidelberg University, from Oct 4 to 5, 2023.
Over the course of two days, nearly one hundred participants with diverse academic backgrounds convened at Marsilius Kolleg to engage in a vibrant exchange of ideas with invited experts spanning the fields from cognitive and neuroscience to scientific machine learning, biomedicine and brain-inspired computing. Through instructive keynote talks and stimulating discussions, the workshop provided a unique multidisciplinary perspective on the phenomenon of intelligence and its emergence from neural structure and cognitive processes. The event generated novel insights about common principles, ideas and promising pathways for collaboration to advance our understanding of both human intelligence and modern AI tools, bridging both fields.
Further information:
Click the image to visit the MPIA event webpage.On October 14, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), a participating institute of the STRUCTURES Cluster of Excellence, will open its doors from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and offer a varied astronomical programme in collaboration with the Haus der Astronomie at Heidelberg Königstuhl. Lectures and hands-on stations will focus on new astronomical findings - from the formation of our galaxy and our solar system to planets around other stars. The scientists will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Laboratories and workshops show how astronomical instruments are made and the special demands of working on the largest ground-based telescopes in the world or on space telescopes.
Further information:
10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum – Inspiring Young Researchers in Mathematics & Computer Science
This September 24–29, at the 10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), 200 young researchers in mathematics and computer science will spend a week of scientific exchange with the recipients of the disciplines’ most prestigious prizes: the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal, the Nevanlinna Prize as well as its continuation, the IMU Abacus Medal.
Having over 30 groundbreaking and award-winning researchers in mathematics and computer science in one venue is not only a thrilling prospect for the next generation of scientists attending the 10th HLF, but for anyone who has an interest in these subjects and the pioneers they have produced. Livestream their lectures and panel discussions on the HLF website or catch them at your leisure on the HLF YouTube channel, which is regularly updated.
STRUCTURES is happy to take part in the 10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum by offering visits to its local institutions. On September 27, groups of young researchers will do on-site visits of several scientific institutes in Heidelberg. STRUCTURES is happy to take part and present the EINC building. Among others, the HLF will also visit BioQuant, Heidelberg Experimental Geometry Lab (HEGL), the Heidelberg Institute of Theoretical Studies (HITS), the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA).
Further information:
We are happy to announce the 51th Heidelberg Physics Graduate Days, organized by the Heidelberg Graduate School for Physics. The courses, which take place from October 9 to 13, 2023, are organized as parallel block lectures in the mornings and afternoons. The course program is open for advanced students, in particular those working on their Master's and doctoral theses. The aim is to broaden the physics knowledge of our students and to teach specialized techniques. Participants from other universities are welcome. An overview of the course program and the registration link can be found at the Graduate Days webpage:
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All-sky Faraday RM map of the Milky Way (top) as presented in Hutschenreuter+ 2020 compared to one of our computed maps (bottom) based on the cosmological galaxy simulation and a synthesized cluster population. We note that both maps show a comparable distribution of small-scale to large-scale features.STRUCTURES Scientists Reproduce Milky Way’s Magnetic Field Structure in Unprecedented Detail Using Galaxy Simulations.
Magnetic fields play a significant role in shaping the evolution of the interstellar medium and the process of star formation. In their new study published in Nature Astronomy, an international and interdisciplinary research team led by STRUCTURES scientists from Comprehensive Project (CP) 1 have derived an unprecedented first-principles prediction of the Milky Way's magnetic field structure. The scientists utilized cosmological magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of the Milky Way's formation, augmented with a new star-cluster population-synthesis model and detailed radiative transfer calculations to simulate the Faraday rotation measure – a primary observable signal encoding magnetic field topology and strength within polarized light. The results reproduce the observations of the Galaxy not only on large scales, but also replicate the intricate nuances of local individual star-forming clouds. Remarkably, the results emphasize the paramount influence of the Local Bubble — a region encompassing our Sun — whose rotation measure signal prevails across vast regions of the sky. This comprehensive analysis bridges a gap between observations and theoretical models, offering crucial insights into the Milky Way's origin and long-term evolution.
Weblinks:
- Original Publication: Reißl, S., Klessen, R.S., Pellegrini, E.W., Rahner, D., Pakmor, R., Grand, R., Gómez, F., Marinacci, F., Springel, V. Nat Astron (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02053-2
- Star Formation Group led by Ralf Klessen at ITA/ZAH: Webpage
The interplay between weak and strong elements or interactions in nature and society is the focus of the new issues of the RUPERTO CAROLA research magazine.The properties of materials around us are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. These laws describe how electrons and nuclei form atoms that assemble into molecules and solids. However, while it is possible to describe and predict the properties of a simple molecule or crystal using the microscopic laws of quantum mechanics, it is much more difficult to predict the behaviour of complex systems composed of many (1023) particles. This is because, at each complexity level, new phenomena can emerge that are not intuitively obtained – and cannot simply be extrapolated – from the underlying microscopic laws. These emergent phenomena arise from competing interactions between the constituents that form the material.
In the most recent edition of the RUPERTO CAROLA research magazine, Maurits Haverkort from STRUCTURES delves into the challenge of comprehending and predicting the characteristics of quantum materials with competing local and itinerant interactions. The article sheds light on innovative methodologies, developed within STRUCTURESto grasp the delicate balance between these interactions, revealing emergent properties. Being able to understand and predict these properties allows for advances in a variety of applications and fields. For instance, understanding the chemistry and physics of Actinides is important for the safe storage of nuclear waste, or comprehending how such elements bind to different ligands, which could be useful for future applications in nuclear medicine.
Article in RUPERTO CAROLA: