The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light covers a wide range of research, including laser spectroscopy, quantum optics, nonlinear optics, nanophotonics, photonic crystal fibers, integrated optics, optomechanics, laser interferometry, quantum technologies, biophysics and – in collaboration with the Max Planck Zentrum für Physik und Medizin – the connections between physics and medicine. The MPL was founded in January 2009 and is one of over 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society that conduct basic research in the natural, biological, human and social sciences in the service of the general public.

Molecules on a surface reach the ultimate quantum limit

Scientists at MPL have developed a technique for interrogating molecules on surfaces with spectroscopic precision and thereby reaching the ultimate quantum limit for the first time. With their findings, published in Science, the researchers open new opportunities for the study of molecule-surface interactions and molecular quantum technologies.

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Physics meets Medicine – Scientific Symposium on July 20-21 @MPZPM

Candidates for new research groups at the MPZPM present their vision at the intersection of physics and medicine.

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Accuracy Record set: Research Group of Dr. Hanieh Fattahi awarded Helmholtz Prize

The 2026 Helmholtz Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of precision measurement has been awarded to, among others, Dr. Hanieh Fattahi and her research group “Femtosecond Fieldoscopy”. The award recognizes their contribution to the development of femtosecond fieldoscopy, a new measurement technique for the high-precision analyzation of optical electric fields under ambient conditions.

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How Do You Feel – Symposium in Memory of Jochen Guck

This symposium brings together colleagues and collaborators from across the field of cell physics to exchange ideas on how physical principles govern cellular organization, dynamics, and function – and to honor the memory and lasting impact of the late Prof. Dr. Jochen Guck.

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The Paris Week in Erlangen brings scientists in biophysics together

A scientific exchange at the intersection of physics and medicine: the three-day "Paris Week" in Erlangen brings together biophysics researchers from Paris and Erlangen from July 15 to 17, 2026.

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Quantum properties of multimode light observed despite extreme losses

Quantum properties of light are extremely delicate. When researchers attempt to measure them even small losses on the way to a detector can make them invisible, limiting their use outside carefully controlled environments. A collaborative team of researchers involving scientists at the Max Planck…

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Molecules on a surface reach the ultimate quantum limit

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed a technique for interrogating molecules on surfaces with spectroscopic precision and thereby reaching the ultimate quantum limit for the first time. With their findings, published in Science, the researchers open…

Read more

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Contact

Managing Director
Prof. Florian Marquardt


Please contact:
Anna Gesine Murphy (PA)
Email: marquardt-office@mpl.mpg.de
Phone: +49 9131 7133 401

 

Head of Infrastructure
Dr. Dorothe Burggraf

Please contact:
Lisa Spann (PA)
Email: lisa.spann@mpl.mpg.de
Phone: +49 9131 7133 801

MPL Research Centers and Schools