Professor Thorsten Ackemann
Physics
Personal statement
I studied physics at the University of Göttingen, Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh) and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. There I received my Diplom in physics in 1992, my Dr. rer. nat (PhD) in 1996, and my habilitation in 2002. In 1998 and 1999 I have been working as a postdoc at the Institut Non Lineaire de Nice with a Feodor-Lynen fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. In May 2005 I joined the Photonics Group of the Department of Physics at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) as a lecturer. I am Professor of Nonlinear Photonics since November 2012.
Prize And Awards
- Fellow of the Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Recipient
- 6/2012
- Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA)
- Recipient
- 1/2013
Publications
- Self-organization in cold atoms mediated by diffractive coupling
- Ackemann Thorsten, Labeyrie Guillaume, Baio Giuseppe, Krešić Ivor, Walker Josh G M, Costa Boquete Adrian, Griffin Paul, Firth William J, Kaiser Robin, Oppo Gian-Luca, Robb Gordon RM
- Atoms Vol 9 (2021)
- https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms9030035
- Vector vortex solitons and soliton control in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
- Ackemann T, Guillet T, Pulham H, Oppo G -L
- Springer Series in Optical Sciences (2022) (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97493-0_13
- Generating multiparticle entangled states by self-organization of driven ultracold atoms
- Krešić Ivor, Robb Gordon RM, Oppo Gian-Luca, Ackemann Thorsten
- Physical Review Letters Vol 131 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.163602
- Quantum enhanced SU(1,1) matter-wave interferometry in a ring cavity
- Krešić Ivor, Ackemann Thorsten
- Physical Review A Vol 108 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.108.043302
- Long-range interactions in a quantum gas mediated by diffracted light
- Robb G R M, Walker J G M, Oppo G-L, Ackemann T
- EMMI Workshop on Long-Range Ultracold Interactions 2022 (2022)
- Multiple self-organized phases and spatial solitons in cold atoms mediated by optical feedback
- Baio Giuseppe, Robb Gordon R M, Yao Alison M, Oppo Gian-Luca, Ackemann Thorsten
- Physical Review Letters Vol 126 (2021)
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.203201
Research Interests
My research interest covers several aspects of ‘Nonlinear Photonics’ with fundamental and applicative aspects in semiconductors and cold atoms.
One main activity is the exploration of self-organization in coupled light-matter systems, in particular the investigation of spontaneous phases and phase transitions in well-controlled cold atom systems with light-mediated coupling simulation of condensed matter phases. This includes self-organized magnetic ordering and atomic crystallization in self-organized optical lattices. We are working towards the realization of supersolids in quantum degenerate gases. Another focus is the investigation of solitons and structured light in vertical-cavity semiconductor lasers (VCSELs), nonlinear laser dynamics and spintronics and in general the understanding of the complex nonlinear processes determining and partially limiting the performance of semiconductor-based photonic devices and lasers and their control and applications. Many activities have strong interdisciplinary connections to self-organization phenomena in nonequilibrium system ubiquitous in Nonlinear and Complexity Science, technology and nature.
Professional Activities
- Photon thermalization in broad-area vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
- Speaker
- 4/7/2023
- ColOpt Winter School: Collective Effects, Structured Light and Quantum Matter
- Organiser
- 4/3/2019
- Complex solitons in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with frequency-selective feedback
- Invited speaker
- 6/6/2019
- Atomic interaction via diffractive light coupling
- Invited speaker
- 15/7/2019
- European Physical Society (External organisation)
- Member
- 7/2015
- European Quantum Electronics Conference, EQEC 2017
- Chair
- 25/6/2017
Projects
- SELF-ORGANIZATION OF COLD MATTER DUE TO OPTO-MECHANICAL COUPLING
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Arnold, Aidan (Co-investigator) Robb, Gordon (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2011 - 30-Jan-2015
- Collective effects and optomechanics in ultra-cold matter (ColOpt) (H2020 MCSA ETN)
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) Oppo, Gian-Luca (Co-investigator) Robb, Gordon (Co-investigator) Yao, Alison (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2017 - 31-Jan-2020
- Complex laser dynamics: Analysis and control
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Oppo, Gian-Luca (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2013 - 31-Jan-2016
- Supersolids and quantum droplets via light mediated interactions
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Haller, Elmar (Co-investigator) Kirton, Peter (Co-investigator) Robb, Gordon (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2028
- Cooperative effects and nonlinear optics in dense ensembles of cold atoms
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Arnold, Aidan (Co-investigator) Firth, William (Co-investigator) Oppo, Gian-Luca (Co-investigator) Robb, Gordon (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2011 - 31-Jan-2014
- High power Terahertz generation enabled by improved heat sinking
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator) Fraser, Helen (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2010 - 31-Jan-2011