Award for outstand­ing disser­ta­tion on magnetic polarons using quantum simulation

Hector Fellow Academy Alumnus Joannis Koepsell wins the 2022 Theodor Hänsch PhD Award from the LMU Munich Faculty of Physics for his outstand­ing disser­ta­tion entitled “Quantum simula­tion of doped two-dimen­sional Mott insula­tors”. The accolade recog­niz­ing his ground­break­ing research on magnetic polarons using quantum simula­tion was presented on May 8, 2023 by his former Hector Fellow Immanuel Bloch.

Joannis Koepsell's work involves using ultra­cold-atom-based quantum simula­tion to study magnetic polarons in electronic materi­als. Koepsell's research, published in Nature, allowed for the direct real-space obser­va­tion of these phenom­ena. Joannis was lead author of the paper describ­ing the first-ever success­ful photograph­ing of the magnetic struc­ture around a mobile charge carrier within a crystal lattice.

The Theodor Hänsch PhD Award donated to the Faculty of Physic­sis honors partic­u­larly excel­lent disser­ta­tions in the field of physics and is endowed with 4,000 euros.