Lichtenberg-Professuren / Lichtenberg Professorships

Bewilligungen / Grants 2007

Algebraic analysis of lattice models and its application to quantum field theory and condensed matter theory

Bewilligung: 10.12.2007  Laufzeit:  5 Jahre

The research activites will mainly focus on the development of new algebraic and analytic methods for many-particle quantum systems. Apart from the problem of unifying the known forces in nature, the quantum mechanical many-body problem still is nowadays biggest challenge in theoretical physics. One of the main objectives is to deepen the understanding of the critical phenomena. This demands essentially non-perturbative methods. One possibility is the numerical study of the lattice models like lattice gauge theories. It usually requires huge computer capacities and sometimes months of continuous computations. The direct analytical study of concrete models close to criticality is extremely hard. However, one believes that the behaviour of the system in a vicinity of the critical point is universal and determined by several numbers called critical exponents. The common belief is that there always exists at least one integrable model in the same universality class with a real system which has the same critical exponents and therefore provides a good approximation of the real system near the critical point. For this reason the critical phenomena are to be studied through the investigation of integrable lattice and field-theoretical models.

Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Fachbereich Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften
Prof. Dr. Herman Boos
Gaußstr. 20
42119 Wuppertal
Tel.: 0202-439 3986
Fax: 0202-439 3065

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Sensory and cognitive ecology

Bewilligung: 07.12.2007  Laufzeit:  5 Jahre

The knowledge about orientation in marine mammals is still limited. In the past, sensory capabilities of captive marine mammals were studied mostly by means of classic physiological, psychophysical, and anatomical methods. Following the approach to elucidate the integration of multimodal information two sensory systems so far unknown in marine mammals have been characterized: Pinniped vibrissae as a hydrodynamic receptor system and a dolphin receptor for elctronic fields. Nevertheless, the usage of multiple sensory capacities and cognitive skills during orientation at sea is still poorly understood. This may be due to the limited access to ocean waters, which makes sensory-biological and cognitive experiments with marine mammals in the wild difficult. The aim of the professorhip is, by using trained animals, to conduct laboratory experiments in the natural marine environment thus allowing controllable field work. The field projects shall set the stage for transfer experiments in marine orientation research, while the laboratory methods shall continue to provide basic knowledge that is necessary for the field studies as well. The floating "Marine Science Center" will be located directly at the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Universität Rostock
Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Institut für Biowissenschaften
Professor Dr. Guido Dehnhardt
Albert-Einstein-Str. 3
18059 Rostock
Tel.: 0381 498- 6010

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NMR-based computational structural biology

Bewilligung: 21.05.2007  Laufzeit:  5 Jahre  

NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy is one of the principal methods to study the structure, interactions, dynamics and function of proteins in atomic detail. The professorship will be dedicated to computational-theoretical methods that extend the range of application of biomolecular NMR: Complete automation of NMR protein structure determination will enable the analysis of a large number of proteins. Structures of proteins bound to membranes or larger than 30 kDa, which have virtually remained outside the scope of NMR structure determination, shall be solved by optimal stereo-array isotope labeling (SAIL), the use of non-traditional types of NMR data, and computational methods. Structure-based resonance assignment will decisively accelerate NMR studies of ligand binding to proteins of known structure and strenghthen the role of NMR in drug discovery. Eventually, NMR protein structure analysis shall be brought to the workbench of non-specialized molecular biologists.

Universität Frankfurt am Main
Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie
Prof. Dr. Peter Güntert
Max-von-Laue-Str. 9
60438 Frankfurt/Main

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Dynamic chemical defense reactions of algae: mechanisms and function

Bewilligung: 25.01.2007 Laufzeit: 5 Jahre

The extraction-approach of natural product chemistry has resulted in the elucidation of numerous defense metabolites from algae but this does not reflect the entire defensive potential of these organisms. Of special interest is the chemical defense of unicellular algae in the dilute pelagic environment and its impact on the community structure in the open ocean. Combining the direct analysis of plankton samples - thereby defining a metabolome of the entire phytoplankton community - with the development of ecological tools to monitor defensive reactions will allow to identify new ecosystem-shaping roles of infochemicals in this environment. In addition, tools to monitor defensive genes will be used and directly applied in the field. The unprecedented induced and wound activated defense mechanisms of macroalgae will be another central topic.

Key questions are
i) how can chemical defense be targeted efficiently in the plankton,
ii) how does chemical defense and chemical communication influence plankton community structures,
iii) how are chemical defense reactions in algae hormonally regulated,
iv) what are the processes involved in wound sealing of siphonous macroalgae,
v) and how can these mechanisms be exploited to develop new biopolymers? 

Universität Jena
Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry
Bioorganic Analytics
Prof. Dr. Georg Pohnert
Lessingstr. 8
07743    Jena
Tel.    +49 3641 948170   
Fax    +49 3641 948172
Homepage: http://www.uni-jena.de/Prof__Dr__Georg_Pohnert.html

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Atomic-scale science of adsorbates on insulating films

Bewilligung: 18.01.2007 Laufzeit: 5 Jahre

The aim is to study the physical and chemical properties of individual adsorbates and molecular-scale adsorbate structures on insulating films on the atomic length-scale. The central technique is low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which in the past has been used to study metal and semiconducting surfaces with great success. Similar studies on insulating surfaces are very promising, and, most importantly, many physical and chemical properties are not only quantitatively but also qualitatively different on an insulating surface from those on a (semi-)conducting surface. Therefore it is of key importance for the emerging atomic-scale science and technology to include also insulating materials in their investigations. New experimental possibilities include (meta-)stable charging processes of individual adsorbates and STM-induced single-molecule chemistry on insulators. In addtion, the study will open up new research avenues in the field of molecular electronics because it combines the following elements: the electronical decoupling of an adsorbate provided by the insulator and the ability of STM to analyze the structural environment of an adsorbed molecule on the atomic length-scale and to probe the electronic porperties of this individual, well-characterized structure.

Universität Regensburg
Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät II
Fakultät Physik
Prof. Dr. Jascha Repp
Universitätsstr. 31
93040 Regensburg
Tel.: 0941-943 4201
Fax: 0941-943 2754