The Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Light is one of over 80 Max Planck Institutes worldwide and is engaged in basic research. It covers a broad research spectrum, including nonlinear optics, quantum optics, nanophotonics, photonic crystal fibers, biological optomechanics, quantum technologies, biophysics and the links between physics and medicine.
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Just as life pulsates in big vibrant cities, it also prospers in crowded environments inside cells. The interior of cells is densely packed with biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids. How is all this material distributed ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 25, 2025
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Our remarkable ability to perform complex tasks—such as thinking, observing, and touch—stems from proteins, the tiny nanometer-sized molecules in the body. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the structure ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 21, 2025
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Interactions between atoms and molecules are facilitated by electromagnetic fields. The bigger the distance between the partners involved, the weaker these mutual interactions are. In order for the particles to be able to ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 13, 2025
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The glycocalyx surrounds each cell in the human body like a coat. This complex sugar layer plays a key role in the progression of numerous diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Bio & Medicine
Jul 29, 2025
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Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise ...
Astronomy
Apr 15, 2025
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Optical fibers provide an excellent platform for transmitting light over long distances, manipulating it and enhancing light-matter interaction. Now, the "Ultrafast & Twisted Photonics" research group at the Max Planck Institute ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 18, 2025
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There is a trial of strength at the cellular level. Cells are in constant competition with each other and so eliminate diseased or unwanted cells. Cell competition is therefore a central principle for maintaining the health ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2025
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Epithelial tissues are in constant interaction with their environment. Maintaining their functionality requires dynamic balance (homeostasis) and that their cell numbers are tightly regulated. This is achieved by cell extrusion ...
General Physics
Jan 9, 2025
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For human researchers, it takes many years of work to discover new super-resolution microscopy techniques. The number of possible optical configurations of a microscope—for example, where to place mirrors or lenses—is ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 10, 2024
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Alongside carbon dioxide, methane is a key driver of global warming. To detect and monitor the climate pollutants in the atmosphere precisely, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 15, 2024
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