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Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL)
@mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
270 followers 160 following 99 posts
MPL focuses on basic research into all aspects of the interaction between light and matter, from modern optics to photonics, quantum effects and their applications in the "real" world.

Impressum: https://mpl.mpg.de/de/impressum/
Posts Replies Media Videos
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
A #research team, including scientists at #MPZPM, discovered that the mechanical properties of the developing brain influence both synapse formation and the emergence of electrical signals.

👉 bit.ly/MPZPM-News-N...

📷© Eva Kreysing
November 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Lectures on Physics and Medicine

Prof Ana J. Garcia-Saez of Max Planck Institute of Biophysics will give her fascinating talk on Nov 13, 2025 at 3 pm CET.

@ Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin or:

👉 Zoom access: eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/6400249992...

Meeting-ID: 640 0249 9923
Kenncode: 399339
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
#Science thrives on ideas & people who promote them. The #MPL support association strengthens #research & young talents.

On Nov 28, we invite you to a public event at #MPZPM that offers insights into research & laboratories.

Register by Nov 19 📧 friends@mpl.mpg.de.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/about-us/sup...
From left to right: Prof. Florian Marquardt, Director at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light together with Dorothe Burggraf, Head of Administration at MPL, and Siegfried Balleis, Former mayor of Erlangen, are standing together promoting the support association “Verein der Freunde und Ehemaligen des Max-Planck-Instituts für die Physik des Lichts e.V.”.
November 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Our aftermovie shows some impressions of #NdW25 at #MPL & #MPZPM: from exciting insights into current #research projects and inspiring conversations to curious glances into our laboratories. It was truly a night, where #science came to life.

🎥 Billmann Event GmbH

#physics #medicine #light #matter
November 4, 2025 at 2:40 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Division Jochen Guck “Cell #Physics”

Scientists at #MPZPM and #MPL have developed novel #microscopy techniques like optical diffraction tomography (ODT) to study the mass density changes of cells under various conditions.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/divisions/ce...

📸 Kyoohyun Kim

#science #research
This image shows six human colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116), captured using optical diffraction tomography (ODT). The technique reveals fine details in each individual cell, such as nuclei, nucleoli, and mitochondria. Also, like figures in Henri Matisse’s painting ›Dance‹, neighboring cells link ‘hands’ – their membranes and filopodia, which are thin finger-like membrane protrusions – in a delicate, mechanical embrace.
November 3, 2025 at 8:35 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Visitor record at our locations during #NdW25

2,567 #science enthusiasts learned about #research at #MPL and #MPZPM. They got to know our research into the interaction of #light & #matter and at the interface of #physics & #medicine.

THANK YOU for this wonderful night! More here soon 👉 mpl.mpg.de.
People at MPL are learning about the science of light with interactive experiments. People at MPL are learning about the science of light with interactive experiments. MPL building illuminated in rainbow colors for the Long Night of Sciences. Girls with light sabors taking pictures in our photobox at MPL.
October 30, 2025 at 10:37 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
The #NdW25 at #MPL & #MPZPM is in full swing! We are thrilled that so many #science & #research enthusiasts have already found their way to us & are experimenting & asking questions with great curiosity.

Until midnight, you can learn all about #physics, #medicine & much more. Come by and visit us!
October 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Anticipation for #NdW25 is growing – at #MPL & #MPZPM, we are busy with the set up. We look forward to diving into the world of the #science of light, #physics & #medicine with you. Come by and experience #research up close!

📆 Oct 25, 5:00 p.m.
📍 MPL & MPZPM
👉 mpl.mpg.de/events/event...

📸 MPL
Flags with the logo of the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften are flying in front of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light.
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Experience the fascination of #research live

Only a few days left until #NdW25! Our preparations at #MPL and #MPZPM are in the final stages and the program is set. Want to know what’s coming up? 👉 mpl.mpg.de/events/event...

📆 Oct 25, 5:00 p.m.
📍 MPL & MPZPM

❓What are you most looking forward to?
At the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften at MPL and MPZPM you can visit the exhibition with hands-on experiments and exhibits. At the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften at MPL and MPZPM you can visit the exhibition with hands-on experiments and exhibits. At the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften at MPL and MPZPM you can visit the exhibition with hands-on experiments and exhibits.
October 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
With deep sadness, we share that Prof. Jochen Guck, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light passed away on October 3. His visionary work bridged physics and medicine. We have lost a brilliant scientist and dear friend.

mpl.mpg.de/news/article...
@fau.de

📸 Stephan Spangenberg
Professor Jochen Guck, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), He headed the division “Cell Physics” at MPL and the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM).
October 8, 2025 at 1:26 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
The coupling of invisible light in silicon nitride chips results in new frequencies or wavelengths that become visible to the naked eye. #MPL Scientists from #Microphotonics RG study microresonators on integrated platforms to explore optical effects.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/research-at-...

📸 Alekhya Ghosh
The image shows an integrated ring resonator that can store light and generate light pulses. The wide range of colors results from optical nonlinearities. Scientists from the #Microphotonics research group at #MPL study microresonators on integrated platforms to explore linear and nonlinear optical effects.
October 1, 2025 at 6:46 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
The female reproductive tract transports eggs and sperm, protects embryos, and renews tissue. Many processes involve mechanical forces. Dr. @stephmoellmert.bsky.social #research group at #MPZPM studies these forces to explore their role in e.g. female health.

👉 mpzpm.mpg.de/news/news-de...

📸 MPL
Dr. Stephanie Möllmert is starting her research group “Reproductive Mechanobiology” at MPZPM.
September 30, 2025 at 2:34 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
The #NdW25 is a unique opportunity to get up close with researchers. The press conference will take place at #MPZPM. Representatives of Kulturidee & from the program partners @fau.de, UTN, & TH Nürnberg recently met to clarify the last remaining questions.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/events/event...

📸 MPL
In the picture are sitting representatives of the organizer Kulturidee and communicators from the participating universities and colleges, from left to right: Matthias Wiedmann (TH Nürnberg), Agnes Pelzl (UTN), Laura Kneppe (FAU), Anna Gerkens (Kulturidee), Nadine Ballenberger (Kulturidee), Edda Fischer (MPL/MPZPM)
September 30, 2025 at 8:42 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
If you haven't submitted your abstract for the BioBrillouin Conference yet, you still have the chance to do so for one more week!
biobrillouinsoc.bsky.social International BioBrillouin Society @biobrillouinsoc.bsky.social · Sep 29
Deadline extended ‼️
The abstract submission deadline of the 9th International BioBrillouin Meeting (Berlin, 25-27 Nov 2025) is now extended to Oct 7, 2025.

Don't forget to submit your contribution: www.biobrillouin25.com

Looking forward to seeing you in Berlin!
@mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
September 30, 2025 at 6:33 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Researchers from #MPZPM and @mpiib-berlin.mpg.de have now compared the ratio of nuclear and cytoplasmic density in different organisms and come to a surprising conclusion: the cell nucleus in eukaryotes is less dense than the rest of the cell.

👉 mpzpm.mpg.de/news/news-de...

#Physics #Medicine
A cell nucleus reconstituted in vitro in Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) egg extract. Left image shows a fluorescence image where DNA has been stained and right image shows a density map of the same nucleus aquired using Optical Diffraction Tomography (ODT).
September 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
We’re in! – The Long Night of Science 2025

We’re participating in #NdW25 in the #IYQ2025 with double the energy: both at #MPL and #MPZPM, we’re opening our (laboratory) doors and letting anyone interested experience research up close.

📆 Oct 25, 5:00 p.m.
📍 MPL & MPZPM
👉 mpl.mpg.de/events/event...
Visual of the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2025.
September 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
We are already looking forward to the BioBrillouin Conference, organized by MPL and MPZPM!
biobrillouinsoc.bsky.social International BioBrillouin Society @biobrillouinsoc.bsky.social · Sep 12
Don't forget to submit your abstract until October 1, 2025 to join this amazing lineup of speakers at the 9th International BioBrillouin Conference from Nov 25-27 in Berlin! Looking forward to seeing you there 🤩
September 17, 2025 at 7:18 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Lectures on Physics and Medicine

Prof. Frauke Gräter, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, will give her fascinating talk on September 18 at 3 pm CET.

👉 Zoom access:

eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/6249564969...
Meeting-ID: 624 9564 9691
Identification code: 582716
The lecture will take place at MPZPM. It will also be streamed via Zoom, as well as recorded and added to our YouTube channel for anyone who misses the talk. ▶️ Radical bursts from tissue stretch? New mechanobiology uncovered by experiments and AI 🕒 Thursday, September 18 at 3 pm CET 📍 Seminar Room 0.125 at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen
September 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
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Division Vahid Sandoghdar ›Nano-Optics‹

This image shows cultured cells infected with Vaccinia virus. Cells (magenta) express a fluorescent protein (cyan) when infected successfully and begin to fuse into syncytia, large multinucleated cell aggregates.

Learn more 👉 mpl.mpg.de/divisions/sa...
Scientists at the MPL investigate different routes by which poxviruses spread. These include cell-cell contacts and cell merging by virus-mediated fusion of neighboring cells.
September 1, 2025 at 2:09 PM
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In a new work that appeared in ›Science Advances‹, scientists at the MPL show that optical microscopy under cryogenic conditions can resolve specific sites within the mechanosensitive protein PIEZO1 with Ångström precision – even within native cell membranes.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/news/article...
Ångström-scale optical microscopy deciphers conformational states of single membrane proteins 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 and function of such molecular machines within the cellular environment remains limited. In a new work that appeared in ›Science Advances‹, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) show that optical microscopy under cryogenic conditions can resolve specific sites within the mechanosensitive protein PIEZO1 with Ångström precision – even within native cell membranes. Fluorescent image of PIEZO1 in native cell membrane (left) and an artistic representation of its conformational states resolved with Ångström precision (right). © Hisham Mazal
August 29, 2025 at 8:48 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
With a special microscopy technique, different colors and brightnesses of the pDCB become visible. These reflect the microscopic orientations of the molecules. Dye molecules are doped into these transparent crystals and serve as the basis for highly efficient single photon sources.

📸 Siwei Luo
Some organic hydrocarbons form crystals at room temperature. The image shows structures of the chemical compound 1,4-dichlorobenzene (pDCB) in an etched cross-shaped channel. In this channel – with a depth of only one micrometer – the previously melted crystals recrystallize and form variously oriented domains. With the help of a special microscopy technique, cross-polarization imaging, different colors and brightnesses become visible. These reflect the microscopic orientations of the molecules in the domains of the crystal structure. Dye molecules are doped into these transparent crystals by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and serve as the basis for highly efficient single photon sources.
August 28, 2025 at 8:27 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Prof. Vahid Sandoghdar shares in a recent interview what makes the two Symposia unique and introduces the concept of ›near-field cell biology‹.

🧬 ›Symposium on Virus Entry and Egress‹
👉 indico.mpl.mpg.de/event/21/

🧬 ›Symposium on Near-Field Cell Biology‹
👉 indico.mpl.mpg.de/event/23/
August 27, 2025 at 3:33 PM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Curiosity and science are inseparable – this was impressively demonstrated to 10th grade students from the Emil-von-Behring-Gymnasium in Spardorf (Erlangen-Höchstadt district) during their visit to the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light.

👉 mpl.mpg.de/news/article...
With a keen interest in science and many thoughtful questions, they immersed themselves in the fascinating world of modern basic research on the subject of light – from the fiber optics laboratory to the institute’s infrastructure. With a keen interest in science and many thoughtful questions, they immersed themselves in the fascinating world of modern basic research on the subject of light – from the fiber optics laboratory to the institute’s infrastructure. With a keen interest in science and many thoughtful questions, they immersed themselves in the fascinating world of modern basic research on the subject of light – from the fiber optics laboratory to the institute’s infrastructure.
August 26, 2025 at 9:06 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Two related symposia will bring together experts at the interface of virology, cell biology, and biophysics to explore fundamental processes at the cell surface.

Symposium on Virus Entry and Egress
👉 indico.mpl.mpg.de/event/21/

Symposium on Near-Field Cell Biology
👉 indico.mpl.mpg.de/event/23/
August 22, 2025 at 9:29 AM
mpi-scienceoflight.bsky.social
Meet Arghadeep — Exploring the Nonlinear World of Light

Arghadeep Pal is a 4th-year PhD student in the Del’Haye group (Microphotonics). Within the Del’Haye group he contributes to the design and characterization of resonators.

👉 Learn more about the Research Group: mpl.mpg.de/research-at-...
Arghadeep Pal is a 4th-year PhD student in the Del’Haye group (Microphotonics). Originally from India, he completed his Master’s in Advanced Optical Technologies (MAOT) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and his Bachelor’s in Electronics at Calcutta University. During his Master’s studies, he received the ›Deutschlandstipendium‹. He first joined the Del’Haye group in December 2020 as a Master’s student and began his PhD in June 2022. His research focuses on microresonators—micron-scale cavities that confine light—to investigate their nonlinear dynamics. What fascinates him most is how microresonators act like magicians, transforming light beyond the visible spectrum into vivid new colors. These nonlinear interactions have the potential to advance optical computing, offering faster and more energy-efficient alternatives to conventional electronics. Arghadeep’s interest in physics began during school and deepened during his Bachelor’s studies in optoelectronics, which ultimately drew him toward optics and photonics. Within the Del’Haye group he contributes to the design and characterization of resonators ranging from ultrahigh-quality crystalline glass rods to integrated microresonators on different platforms. The group explores novel nonlinear phenomena such as ›frequency comb generation‹ and ›spontaneous symmetry breaking‹, with broad applications in spectroscopy, ›LiDAR‹, optical communication, and all-optical circuits.
August 21, 2025 at 12:07 PM