News

Nano but Mighty: Innovations in confined spaces

At the University of Graz, Peter Banzer and his team (OpNaQ group) are controlling light in extremely confined spaces, enabling entirely new applications in physics, biology, and medicine. By precisely tailoring light fields at the nanometer scale, they can exert forces, extract information, and make hidden features visible.

Flawlessness defying imperfection

Researchers from the OpNaQ group (Banzer) at the University of Graz and international partners have demonstrated a miniaturized silicon‑nitride photonic chip that can precisely measure the polarization of visible light, even though some of its own components are imperfect. The work, published recently in Advanced Photonics Nexus, demonstrates a new class of passive, compact, and high‑speed on‑chip polarimeters designed for applications ranging from biomedical imaging to quantum communication.

Shaping the Future of Sensing, Together

The Christian Doppler Laboratory for Structured Matter Based Sensing (CDL-SMBS) is entering a new phase following its successful first evaluation at the end of 2024, and two expansions in 2024 and more recently in 2026.

Committed to the highest standards

Three young researchers from the OpNaQ group gain insight into the world of standardization.

Research on the International Stage

Visiting Award 2025 Takes Marko Šimić to Stanford University The Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Graz has awarded Marko Šimić the Visiting Award 2025. This mobility fellowship is granted annually to outstanding early-career researchers. Its aim is to promote research at the highest level at internationally renowned research institutions, providing financial and organizational support from the University of Graz and its research management services.

Lightbulb moments: How two young physicists are working for tomorrow

They shed light on unresolved questions – and use it in their work in physics. Diana Shakirova is using light to distinguish different chiral molecules, which can have both healing and toxic effects. Christoph Stockinger, on the other hand, uses light to develop high-precision sensors. But it is not only light that connects the two physicists. The doctoral students took part in the NanoGraz Careers & Ideas Days to prepare themselves in good time for the next steps in their careers as young scientists.

NanoGraz Careers & Ideas Days 2025: Career paths after the doctorate

On October 13 and 14, the consortium NanoGraz of the Research Career Campus at the University of Graz organized a two-day event to inform the consortium's doctoral students about their career options after completing their doctorate. In addition to exciting lectures by early-career researchers as well as representatives from industry, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), and the research management of the University of Graz, a brainstorming competition took place on the second day, in which the participants had the opportunity to develop their own joint mini-projects.

Seed-Funding Grant: Bringing Ideas to Life Together

With the new OpNaQ Seed-Funding Grant, the OpNaQ Group, part of the Institute of Physics, lifts collaboration within the research group to a whole new level, and supports sub-groups in turning their ideas into concrete projects.

More news

Dissecting Complex Light Fields

Members of the OpNaQ group and the Christian Doppler Laboratory [1] at the University of Graz demonstrate how photonic integrated circuits can be used…

Fünf auf einen Streich: Physiker:innen sind Nano-Teilchen in Flüssigkeiten auf der Spur

Mit freiem Auge sind sie nicht sichtbar, dafür manchmal schmerzvoll. Selbst kleinste Partikel, die bis zu 10.000-mal dünner sind als ein Haar, können…

Award-Winning Ideas. Innovation Awards for Christian Doppler Laboratory.

Congratulations to Christoph Stockinger, Gandolf Feigl, and Samuel Hörmann for winning the Photonics and DeepTech Challenge Best Idea Awards.

Inevitably Elusive

University Graz researchers (Banzer group) present a novel and highly precise method for measuring the elusive and intricate features of light’s…

Breaking Barriers at the Falling Walls Science Summit 2024

The Falling Walls Science Summit 2024 in Berlin once again proved to be a global hub for groundbreaking ideas and transformative discussions. Bringing…

The search for the hidden!

We are delighted to share our latest research results on improving the laser ultrasound (LUS) method for more efficient and accurate quality control…

From Kudu to Panther – International Structured Light and Matter Conference Coming to Graz

After a successful bid, the next edition of the International Conference on Optical Angular Momentum (ICOAM) – the most important conference of the…

Polarization-based traffic control for light

By using light’s polarization as a control knob, an international collaboration of researchers from Canada, Mexico, Germany and Austria experimentally…