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The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most capable space telescope ever launched into space. It started its journey to the stars on December 25. The telescope is expected to provide groundbreaking insights into scientific deep space sensing and the early history of the universe - and perhaps even discover life in space. On board: high-precision mirrors manufactured at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena.

For more than ten years, astronomers have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. It will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been stationed in space since 1990, and will provide an even deeper and more brilliant view of the universe than its prominent predecessor.

to the german press release

Friedrich Schiller University Jena is currently advertising two new professorships in the field of quantum information as well as a leadership position for a junior research group.

Already today, the "City of Light Jena" in the center of Germany is known worldwide for its excellence and tradition in optics and photonics. With its new professorships, the University of Jena is now dedicated to implementing a scientific interface between quantum technologies and photonics. For the main research areas of quantum communication and quantum computing, FSU Jena is looking for scientists who will develop innovative solutions with light in close cooperation with the university's Institute of Applied Physics and the Fraunhofer IOF.

More information under the following links:

Professor in Experimental Quantum Information

Professor for Quantum Information Theory

Junior Research Group Leader (m/f/d) in the Field of Theory of Optical Quantum Information

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the winners of the German Future Prize 2020 in a ceremony on November 25, 2020, this year on a smaller scale than usual due to the corona virus pandemic. For their project "EUV Lithography - New Light for the Digital Age", the German President awarded his prize for technology and innovation to the team of experts led by Dr. Peter Kürz (ZEISS), Dr. Michael Kösters, (TRUMPF), and Dr. Sergiy Yulin (Fraunhofer IOF).

In addition to the innovation performance, the top-class jury also evaluates the economic and social potential of the development. This is the ninth time that Fraunhofer has received the German Future Prize and it is the third time the prize went to the Jena-based Fraunhofer IOF. The German Future Prize has been awarded annually since 1997, is one of the most important scientific awards in Germany and carries a purse of 250,000 euros. It honors outstanding technical, engineering and scientific achievements that lead to products ready for application.

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The Jena-based start-up SPACEOPTIX has been awarded the Thuringian Innovation Prize 2020 in the "Light and Life" category. The company, which was founded as recently as this year, develops optical components and systems for applications in the aerospace industry. The start-up emerged from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. The spin-off was supported by the "Digital Innovation Hub Photonics" (DIHP), an initiative to promote start-ups in the field of optics and photonics.

further information about SPACEOPTIX

At the latest since the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 2010 for research into graphene, 2D materials have been the focus of scientific attention. This is because these materials, which consist of only one layer of atoms, offer great potential for applications in very different fields due to their low thickness and versatile properties. In combination with optical waveguides, for example, 2D materials with outstanding optical properties enable entirely new applications in the fields of sensor technology, nonlinear optics and quantum electronics. However, bringing the two components together has so far been very complex. This is because the ultra-thin layers usually had to be produced separately and then transferred to the waveguide by hand.

Jena researchers, together with Australian colleagues, have now succeeded in growing 2D materials directly on optical fibers for the first time. This significantly simplifies the production of such hybrid nanomaterials. The team reports on their findings in the research journal "Advanced Materials".

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To avoid having to wire premature babies unnecessarily for medical examinations, researchers from Jena and Ilmenau have developed a technology of contactless 3D measurement. The core of the concept is an optical sensor that can measure vital parameters such as heart rate, blood oxygen content and respiratory volume by combining high-resolution 3D measurement technology and nano-optical filters. The measurement is performed without connecting the newborn to any devices or cables and at a distance of a few meters.

For their research idea, Jan Sperrhake (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) and his team members Chen Zhang (Ilmenau University of Technology) and Maria Nisser (Jena University Hospital) received the Edmund Optics Educational Award in the "Gold" category. The award, which comes with 7,000 euros in prize money, was presented to the winning team by representatives of the optics supplier on the morning of March 4, 2020 at the Abbe Center of Photonics in Jena.

Further information in German

Quantum imaging is a diverse field of research that promises highly efficient imaging in extreme spectral regions as well as microscopy at the lowest light intensities. Since the first proof-of-concept experiments over 30 years ago, the field has evolved from more science-driven research to the threshold of numerous real-world application scenarios for imaging and microscopy. Fraunhofer IOF scientists provide an overview of promising approaches to quantum imaging and their prospects for future practical use in the journal Laser & Photonics Reviews.

to the publication

Light is capable of so much more! A team from the University of Jena and other research institutions wants to further demystify the secrets of optics. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has now approved Collaborative Research Center 1375 "Nonlinear Optics down to Atomic scales"; NOA for short. The team led by physicist Prof. Dr. Ulf Peschel and chemist Prof. Dr. Stefanie Gräfe will receive funding of around nine million euros for an initial period of four years. The large-scale research project will start on July 1.

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