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 interests cover several aspects of nonlinear photonics and nonlinear quantum dynamics with fundamental and applicative aspects.
Self-organization in cold and ultracold atoms due to light-mediated interactions between atoms via feedback from a single mirror is explored to study complex phases and phase transitions including supersolids. A further activity is spontaneous magnetic ordering not only of dipolar but also quadrupolar degrees of freedom and potential connections to corresponding phases in condensed matter physics. These activities have strong interdisciplinary aspects being connected to self-organization phenomena in nonequilibrium system ubiquitous in Nonlinear and Complexity Science, technology and nature.
In semiconductor lasers, I investigate their highly nonlinear dynamics, especially in vertical-cavity devices like VCSELs and VECSELs, with a focus on polarization dynamics and spintronics on the one hand and transverse mode structure and solitons on the other. This aims in particular on the understanding of the complex nonlinear processes determining (and partially limiting) the performance of semiconductor-based photonic devices and lasers, their control and the utilization of nonlinearities for applications. Recently, I became interested in thermodynamics aspects like photon condensation providing a further fruitful link between my research fields.
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)
- 02-Jan-2026 - 01-Jan-2029
- Ultrafast Laser Facility for Advanced Spectroscopy Applications
- McKee, David (Principal Investigator) Ackemann, Thorsten (Co-investigator) Fedorov, Maxim (Co-investigator) Fraser, Helen (Co-investigator) Hoskisson, Paul (Co-investigator) Hunt, Neil (Co-investigator) Tucker, Nicholas (Co-investigator)
- Equipment sharing grant, £36,0000
- 01-Jan-2012 - 30-Jan-2012
- Lifetime measurements for characterization of THz antennas
- Ackemann, Thorsten (Principal Investigator)
- Strathclyde Links KE grant with Scimus Solutions Inc., £10000
- 18-Jan-2011 - 23-Jan-2011