Controllable materials: ERC Consolidator Grant for OPTIMAS-Physicist Mirko Cinchetti

The physicist works on equipping materials with novel functions in order to make them controllable in a targeted manner. For this, he combines magnetic solids with organic molecules, which leads to a bonding between the two materials and, thus, the creation of an interface. "The electrons contained in it have an intrinsic angular momentum, the so-called spin, which can be controlled by light," says Professor Cinchetti. "In this way, the magnetism of the solid can also be switched on and off."

In order to control these processes, the researcher focuses on light beams. "This allows you to influence the functionality of such interfaces very quickly, namely within the duration of some so-called femtoseconds," he explains. In this time frame, the light covers a distance of just one thousandth of the thickness of a hair. In his work Cinchetti examines ultrafast processes and uses special measuring methods.

The aim of his research is to control not only magnetic solids, but also other materials in order to use them, for example, for the fast processing and storage of large amounts of data.

Cinchetti had already worked on the proposal for his project "Coherent optical control of multi-functional nano-scale hybrid units" (short: hyControl) before his call to Dortmund and submitted it together with the University of Kaiserslautern. He has developed the scientific basis for the now honored research within the framework of the collaborative research centers SFB / TRR 88 3MET and SFB / TRR 173 Spin+X. Since October, he holds a professorship for spin phenomena in solids at the TU Dortmund.