Today, Matthias Geyer was awarded the Dissertation Prize from the Commerzbank Foundation Dresden. Congratulations!
In his Ph.D. project, Matthias derived and investigated models for electron transport in helical molecules aiming for a better understanding of the chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Discovered by Ron Naaman in 1999 the CISS effect is the property of chiral materials, which differ from their mirror image, to strongly filter certain directions of the electron spin, making these materials promising candidates for various applications in information technology and enantioselective catalysis as well as providing a possible explanation for natural homochirality.
With his two-fold approach of numerically and analytically investigating both a microscopically derived discrete model for a certain chiral molecule (helicene) and a simple continuous model with helix-shaped potential, Matthias could establish a new perspective on CISS as the result of the molecular potential acting as helical confinement. In the process, Matthias applied and further developed a broad variety of methods from condensed matter and material physics as well as mathematical physics like tight binding models, Landauer transport, or adiabatic perturbation of Schrödinger operators. He thereby managed to close the gap between a mathematically rigorous approach to quantum mechanics and a specific phenomenological application, proving that his explanation of CISS is rooted in basic physical principles.
The Dissertation prize is funded by Commerzbank AG and awarded to early-career scientists from TU Dresden. The prize is endowed with 1000 Euro. It is awarded for outstanding dissertations with innovative potential and social relevance.
Today, Matthias Geyer was awarded the Dissertation Prize from the Commerzbank Foundation Dresden. Congratulations!
In his Ph.D. project, Matthias derived and investigated models for electron transport in helical molecules aiming for a better understanding of the chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Discovered by Ron Naaman in 1999 the CISS effect is the property of chiral materials, which differ from their mirror image, to strongly filter certain directions of the electron spin, making these materials promising candidates for various applications in information technology and enantioselective catalysis as well as providing a possible explanation for natural homochirality.
With his two-fold approach of numerically and analytically investigating both a microscopically derived discrete model for a certain chiral molecule (helicene) and a simple continuous model with helix-shaped potential, Matthias could establish a new perspective on CISS as the result of the molecular potential acting as helical confinement. In the process, Matthias applied and further developed a broad variety of methods from condensed matter and material physics as well as mathematical physics like tight binding models, Landauer transport, or adiabatic perturbation of Schrödinger operators. He thereby managed to close the gap between a mathematically rigorous approach to quantum mechanics and a specific phenomenological application, proving that his explanation of CISS is rooted in basic physical principles.
The Dissertation prize is funded by Commerzbank AG and awarded to early-career scientists from TU Dresden. The prize is endowed with 1000 Euro. It is awarded for outstanding dissertations with innovative potential and social relevance.
