Annual Report 2015
Forschungszentrum JĂźlich at a glance
Contents 2 Facts and Figures U 02 Highlights 04 Board of Directors 05 Preface 06 60 Years of Research at the Centre 14 Chronology
Research 2 Climate Research Climate goals. Climate Records. Climate Models. 2 28 Nanoelectronics Insights into the Resistance Generation 32 Energy Research Breaking New Ground in the Hydrogen World 36 Materials Research The Slipperiness Formula 38 Structural Biochemistry New Light Switch for Nerve Cells 40 Electron Tomography Nanoworld in 3D 42 Brain Research Changes in the Brain Caused by Depression 44 Climate Research A Chance Discovery for Climate Research 46 Computer Simulation The Birth of Elements 48 Materials Research New Steel for Energiewende 50 Research in Brief 52 Publications
Cooperation 54 The Computer Diplomat 8 International Cooperations (EU) 5 59 National Cooperations 60 Collaborations with Industry 61 JARA – Combined Expertise 64 Cooperations in Brief 68 Research for Practical Applications 70 Patents and Licenses
People 2 The Tinkerer and the Networker 7 74 Promoting Young Talent 82 Personnel 84 Accolades 86 Professorial Appointments
Campus 88 Strategy Process of Forschungszentrum Jülich 0 Jülich’s Sustainable Campus 9 91 Excellent Platforms 94 Work at Other Locations
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
98 Finances 102 Bodies and Committees 104 Organization Chart 106 Contact Information/ Publication Details U3 Impressions from 60 Years of Research
1
Highlights 2015 Forschungszentrum Jülich is focused on use-inspired basic research. It faces up to the challenges of the present and researches for a future worth living. As a member of the Helmholtz Association, Forschungszentrum Jülich counts among the major interdisciplinary research centres in Europe.
10
Employees
years of JuLab 3,636 other
total
patents granted
Horizon 2020 EU projects from the framework programme for research and innovation
6 of which
43
2,048 scientists incl. university students
5,684
158
total
around 40,000 school students
coordinated by Jülich
77
new patent applications
2 1
ERC Consolidator Grants
ERC Advanced Grant 2
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
41,129
1,041
total usage time in hours
visiting scientists from 68 countries
of all devices in the Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility
1.4
1,738 publications
tonnes of CO2saved
at Project Management Jülich in billions of euros
in peer-reviewed journals
through new Jülich mobility concept
funding turnover
42
30.2
DFG programmes coordinated by Jülich
Revenues
percent women among early-career scientists
122
in millions of euros
total
615.7
300
238.4 third-party funding
Forschungszentrum Forschungszentrum Jülich Jülich Annual Annual Report Report 2015 2015
joint professorial appointments with universities; of which 15 new in 2015
3
Board of Directors
Professor Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt Member of the Board of Directors
Professor Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt Member of the Board of Directors
Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt Chairman of the Board of Directors
4
Karsten Beneke Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Preface
Communicating with one another is essential. This is certainly the case for the strategic reorientation of Forschungszentrum Jülich as well as for the neighbouring contacts in the region and for research with many international partners. Since the beginning of 2015, there has been a lively debate at Forschungszentrum Jülich taking place in discussion forums, employee surveys, and during a two-day strategy conference with respect to what the focus of future topics and research should be. The subjects “energy” and “information” have emerged as pioneering topics for the future. We are therefore tackling two major challenges facing society: the transformation of the energy sector and the increasing level of digitization. The decision regarding how these challenges can be overcome lies in the hands of the political sphere. Forschungszentrum Jülich’s duty is to provide the relevant bodies and decision makers with scientific findings and results. We therefore rely on regular exchanges with politicians – be this through information events, activities as expert advisers, or participation in various bodies such as the German Ethics Council. Jülich scientists contributed, for instance, to the IPCC report on climate change, which was an important aspect of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
These kinds of challenges for the future take on global dimensions; but what happens at Forschungszentrum Jülich also has a direct impact on the surrounding region. Since spring 2015, the Neighbourhood Dialogue initiated by Forschungszentrum Jülich has been discussing what kind of an impact Jülich can have. The focus here is on the perspectives for young people from the region as well as on the issue of how the town can improve its appeal, for instance for young scientists from abroad. One contribution to the dialogue is of course the Open Day at Forschungszentrum Jülich. In 2016, the motto of the Open Day was “60 Years – Research at the Centre: Past – Present – Future”. Dialogue and international networking are essential aspects of scientific research. The fact that Jülich is a central hub in this regard is underlined by the large number of projects we are involved in within the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme as well our successful coordination of the DEEP and DEEP-ER supercomputer projects. It is these projects in particular that demonstrate how only through constant dialogue can the major issues of the future and the associated scientific challenges be overcome. We here at Jülich will continue to make our fair contribution.
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BRAIN
ENVIRONMENT
Structural biology
ENER
Bioeconomy
Nuclear waste management
Biophysics Neuroscience
Plant research
Climate research
Fuel cells 1990 renamed “Forschungszentrum Jülich”
Imaging techniques (PET/MRT)
Systems research
Atmospheric chemistry
Neurobiology
Biotechnology
Fusion research Energy research & reactor technology
Soil research Nuclear chemistry Nuclear medicine
Life sciences (biology, agriculture) Chemistry
Particle (e.g. with had
Physics (plasma & nuclear physics, neutron research)
1961 renamed “Nuclear Research Centre Jülich” (KFA)
Nuclear Research 6
Photovoltaics
11 December 1956 Decision by NRW state parliament to build a nuclear research facility
GY
INFORMATION
BRANCHES OF KNOWLEDGE
Green IT
Battery & storage systems
Data science
Highperformance materials
Future information technology
Quantum technologies
Simulation science Micro- & nanoelectronics
Materials research High-performance computing
physics neutrons, rons)
Information technology
Since its foundation in 1956, For schungszentrum Jülich has been steadily growing – but as the graphic shows, this growth has not been haphazard. Jülich’s seed is nuclear research, from which have developed various branches. Researchers work on the topic of radioactivity, ranging from radiation-resistant reactor materials to radioactive tracers for medicine and agriculture. Over the years, this expertise has also been used in non-nuclear fields. The widespread crown is formed with the main topics comprising information and the brain as well as energy and the environment. An increasing number of branches are crossing several sections, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of Jülich research.
1956 – 1970 FOUNDATION AND OPERATION
1970 – 1990 EXPANSION AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Applied mathematics
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
1990 – 2016 ORIENTATION ALONG SOCIAL CHALLENGES
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1956 –1970
FOUNDATION AND OPERATION In December 1956, the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) decided to build an “atomic research establishment” in Jülich. The founders’ main objective was the use of all nuclear research for peaceful purposes. Leo Brandt, a Social Democratic policy-maker on science issues, became the facility’s first director. The research reactors started operation in 1962. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH (AVR), a joint venture involving 15 energy companies, built a high-temperature reactor with spherical fuel elements next to the site of the establishment, which by then had been renamed Nuclear Research Establishment of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (KFA). The reactor was operated from 1967 until 1988. Jülich scientists soon started also working on environmental research and agriculture. Nuclear medicine was a particular area of interest right from the start.
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1956
State Parliament of NRW resolves to found an “atomic research centre”
1957
1958
1959
Foundation stones laid for the research reactors MERLIN (FRJ-1) and DIDO (FRJ-2)
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
We must never make the mistake of doubting technology; those who do not believe that utopias can be realized by technical progress will not work towards this end and will get nowhere. Leo Brandt (1908 –1971) engineer, founder, and first director of Forschungszentrum Jülich
1960
The Institute of Plasma Physics is the first institute to be founded
1961
1962
The nuclear research establishment is officially opened by the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Franz Meyers, in the presence of the Nobel laureate Otto Hahn
1963
Reactors MERLIN and DIDO begin operating
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
1964
1965
1966
Conversion to a limited company (GmbH)
1967
1968
1969
The isochronous cyclotron JULIC is built to investigate elementary constituents of matter
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1970 –1990
SOCIAL CHANGE, NEW HORIZONS The institutes grouped around nuclear research used their expertise and infrastructure in a cross-disciplinary approach and established new focal points, such as solid state research. As nuclear energy attracted increasing criticism, reactor safety research became more and more important. New programme groups were set up to study the interactions between humans, the environment, technology, and society. With largescale facilities such as TEXTOR and supercomputers, Jülich underlined its status as a major research centre.
1970
Institute of Solid State Research (IFF) is founded
10
1971
1972
Plasma with a temperature of 100 million degrees is generated for the first time: it is a prerequisite for achieving nuclear fusion
1973
1974
The Jülich project anagement agency (PtJ) m implements the first energy research programme
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
The world’s lowest ever temperature is recorded at IFF’s cryo-facility, allowing superconductivity to be investigated
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
The start of a new dimension of computing. Wolf Häfele (1927 – 2013) Chairman (1981–1990), commenting on supercomputer CRAY X-MP/22, whose 16 MB of memory made it a sensation (see below)
1980
1981
TEXTOR, the large-scale fusion experiment based in Jülich, goes into operation
1982
1983
Unveiling of the supercomputer CRAY X-MP, one of the fastest computers in the world
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
1984
1985
Shutdown of the research reactor MERLIN (FRJ-1)
1986
Foundation of the High Performance Computing Centre (HLRZ)
1987
Shutdown of the AVR reactor
1988
1989
Peter Grünberg discovers the GMR effect, for which he is awarded the Nobel Prize in 2007
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1990 – 2016 STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE From 1995 onwards, Jülich became a beacon of supercomputing, as simulation increasingly began to establish itself as a bridge between experiment and theory. Soil and environmental research evolved with the addition of climate research and now embraced the entire spectrum. As of 2006, Jülich defines energy and the environment, information technology, and neurosciences as its core fields. The goal is to research key technologies for the future, as the German government’s plans to phase out nuclear power can only be achieved through innovations in energy research. Demographic change, meanwhile, requires improvements to how brain diseases like Alzheimer’s are diagnosed and treated. The subjects “energy” and “information” have emerged as pioneering topics for the future.
1990
Centre renamed “Forschungszentrum Jülich”
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1991
1992
The PHOEBUS photovoltaic plant on campus produces electricity for the first time
1993
The COSY particle accelerator commences operation
1994
1995
1996
The magnetoencephalograph makes brain functions visible
1997
Water molecules become visible for the first time by scanning tunnelling microscopy
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
The SAPHIR atmosphere simulation chamber is inaugurated
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
We want to create foundations for new technologies across discipline boundaries. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich since July 2014
2003
2004
PhyTec experimental facility for plants is inaugurated
2005
Brain tumour diagnostics with an FET tracer improve the accuracy of tumour detection
2006
2007
The DIDO reactor is decommissioned
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
2008
Foundation of the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance
2009
Inauguration of “9komma4” (a 9.4 tesla MR/ PET hybrid tomograph)
2010
2011
2012
Electron microscope PICO enables exact study of atomic structures
2013
2014
Three-dimensional brain atlas “Big Brain” is made available
2015
2016
Separation of nuclear research; merger with AVR GmbH to create JEN mbH
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Chronology 11 May 2015
Europe’s Forests are Sweating 9 April 2015
Light Switches for Nerve Cells Optogenetics uses natural, light-sensitive proteins as molecular switches in order to control the activity of nerve cells with targeted light pulses. An international team of researchers in which Jülich is involved successfully develops a new “tool” for this research discipline. p. 38: “New Light Switches for Nerve Cells”
The amount of steam produced by European forests has increased on average by five percent over the last 100 years. This surprising result is revealed in studies conducted by an interdisciplinary research team involving Jülich. It had previously been assumed that the increased level of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to reduced stomata in leaves and needles, and thus less water evaporating from the forests. 18 May 2015
Calculating the Perfect Tyre Jülich scientists expand on their theory for predicting the friction of rubber tyres using calculations. They now take into account the role of shearing forces, which are predominantly caused by the shortterm binding of rubber molecules with the street surface. p. 36: “The Black Ice Formula” 24 April 2015
The DIY Virus In order to multiply, certain viruses require bacteria as host organisms. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and LMU Munich demonstrate for the first time: the viruses themselves provide the proteins required for the inner-cell organization of their reproductive system if the bacteria do not have them.
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28 May 2015
Dipole Magnet for Accelerator
The first of a total of 44 dipole magnets for the High-Energy Storage Ring (HESR) arrives in Jülich. Each one of the magnets weighs over 34 tonnes – similar in weight to a heavy-duty truck. Planned and conceived in Jülich, and built by a French company, the magnets will later be used to keep the HESR’s particle beam on target. The ring is Jülich’s major contribution to the FAIR international accelerator complex in Darmstadt. 4 June 2015
22 May 2015
Simulating Bacterial Movement Some strains of bacteria begin to move in circles close to a surface. How tight these circles are and what direction the bacteria take depends on the slip of the surface, as Jülich physicists discover with the aid of computer simulations. The findings could be useful in order to separate different bacteria for biomedical studies.
Deciphering Brain Signals Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich and Swiss university EPFL present a new method for analysing brain signals using a computer. By means of this technique, researchers can gain new insights into how nerve cells interconnect to form networks comprising thousands of cells.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
18 June 2015
Dialogue with Neighbours Roughly 20 local representatives from churches, industry, administration, trade, schools, and science take part in the first neighbourhood dialogue meeting initiated by Forschungszentrum Jülich. The representatives outline a series of goals for the future work of the group. 23 June 2015
The Path to a Terahertz Source
21 July 2015
Measurement Flights in the Monsoon 29 June 2015
Discovery in Primitive Microorganisms All cells, even those of humans, require the protein actin to retain their shape. The actin molecules link up to form elongated filaments that are always – or at least this was the previous assumption – two-stranded. A research team in which Jülich is involved reports the discovery of actin filaments in an archaebacterium, which, in spite of possessing only a single strand, are extremely strong. The microorganism lives in hot springs at temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius. 14 July 2015
The Premier’s Visit Premier of the state of North Rhine- Westphalia Hannelore Kraft pays a visit to Jülich as part of her “NRW 4.0” four-day summer tour. At the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, she learns about the contributions made by Jülich researchers to the digital transformation of society.
Terahertz radiation could be used in body scanners, ultrafast wireless connections, non-invasive early cancer screening, and food inspections, among other applications. However, terahertz radiation is hardly used in everyday life, as it is difficult to generate. Jülich scientists together with international partners succeed in conducting supercomputer simulations that pave the way towards compact terahertz sources with tunable wavelengths.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
The research aircraft HALO takes off towards Cyprus, the Maldives, and India. Among other devices, it carries twelve instruments for the measuring campaign OMO. With this project, climate researchers – including Jülich scientists – want to study how pollutant emissions on the Earth’s surface and their transport to high altitudes during monsoons affect the atmosphere’s ability to chemically cleanse itself. 22 July 2015
Hair Ice Mystery Solved Hair ice forms on dead branches of deciduous trees at temperatures just below freezing. It is fine, silky, and reminiscent of candy floss. A Jülich chemist together with two researchers from Brabach and Bern (Switzerland) succeeds in demonstrating that behind this natural phenomenon is the fungus Exidiopsis effusa. When this fungus “digests” the dead branches, a number of substances that are created in this process pass through tiny channels in the branches. They are the crystallization nuclei for the formation of the ice.
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24 August 2015
Membrane Centre Inaugurated
22 July 2015
The Various Proportions of Plant Parts How is the biomass of a plant distributed among its leaves, stem, and roots? An international research group including scientists from Jülich publishes a response to this question after having compiled and analysed a global database. The result of the study revises the common theory that a plant forms its parts proportionally according to a certain scaling relationship.
3 August 2015
Miracle Material Produced
Research State Secretary Thomas Rachel inaugurates the new Membrane Centre, which received funding of € 15.5 million from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Membranes can separate climate-damaging greenhouse gases from flue gases much more efficiently than conventional methods. In addition, they also form the basis for novel fuel cells and batteries.
30 July 2015
Bonds to Coinage Metals
Researchers of the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, including a 23-year-old physics student, present a new method for producing ultrahigh-quality graphene on a large scale. Graphene is viewed as a “miracle material” due to its special properties and is of particular interest to the fields of optoelectronics and medicine, among others. 3 August 2015
The bonds between organic molecules and inorganic solids are used for the construction of organic light-emitting diodes and solar cells, and are also used as catalysts, among other applications. Researchers from Jülich, Berlin, and Heidelberg demonstrate that the bond strength of the organic molecule benzene to all three coinage metals – gold, silver, and copper – is the same.
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Microscope Measures Conductivity Jülich scientists successfully measure the surface conductivity of silicon, the most important material in the semiconductor industry, with unprecedented accuracy. To do so, they use a scanning tunnelling microscope with four tips that the team developed themselves. Silicon conducts electric current much better at the surface than on the inside.
1 September 2015
Pooling of Nuclear Competences Jülicher Entsorgungsgesellschaft für Nuklearanlagen mbH (JEN) is launched. The merger of the nuclear units of Forschungszentrum Jülich and Arbeits gemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH (AVR) sees the pooling of existing knowledge and experience in the dismantling of nuclear installations at Jülich. 1 September 2015
Brain Simulation Needs to Think Big The aim behind simulating brain functions using supercomputers is to understand the processes in our brain. However, even the most powerful computers in the world are still a long way off being capable of imaging the activity of around 100 billion nerve cells. This is why current models of the brain reduce the number of nerve cells and contact points. Jülich scientists demonstrate that this leads to distorted results.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
5 October 2015
Electron Orbitals Made Visible 29 September 2015
Super Data Storage Systems Nature Nanotechnology publishes the results of researchers from Jülich, Japan, South Korea, and the US. The researchers decoded processes in memristive memory cells, which are on the verge of being launched on the market, for example as super data storage systems. p. 28: “Insights into the Resistance Generation”
Electron orbitals provide information on the whereabouts of the electrons of atoms and molecules. Researchers at the University of Graz, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt report in Nature Communications that they have succeeded in experimentally recording these cloud- and balloon-shaped structures in all three dimensions.
Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Ernst Ruska-Centre present the 3D tomographic reconstruction of a nanotube. They generated the three-dimensional representation on a computer from roughly 3,500 images that they had recorded in just 3.5 seconds with a transmission electron microscope. p. 40: “Nanoworld in 3D”
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Vibrating Biomembranes In Nature Communications, Jülich researchers describe a new method for measuring the vibrations of biomembranes. Such measurements are important for comprehensively understanding how these ultrathin and highly elastic separating layers influence the transport of substances in cells. 7 October 2015
Nerve Fibres Made Visible
5 October 2015
Electron Tomography
7 October 2015
5 October 2015
Solar Cells for Water Splitting Jülich researchers present a multijunction solar cell made of silicon which can be manufactured in a relatively cost-efficient manner and produces hydrogen directly from sunlight using the principle of artificial photosynthesis. The overall efficiency of the cell amounts to 9.5 percent. p. 32: “Breaking New Ground in the Hydrogen World”
Jülich scientists develop a method known as “3D polarized light imaging” to reconstruct the routes of neural fibre tracts in the brain at microscopic resolution. Together with researchers from the University of Gronigen, they are now able to show that the physical model used to determine neural fibre tract routes provides reliable results.
7 October 2015
Research with CO2 from the Power Plant Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWE Power AG present their collaboration in Nieder außem. At the town’s power station, a pilot plant separates CO2 from flue gas. Jülich plant researchers use the CO2 to feed microalgae in order to produce, for example, bio-oils as a basis for fuels.
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16 October 2015
Reading out Bits of the Future 14 October 2015
Testing of Potential Alzheimer’s Drugs Drug candidates for treating Alzheimer’s have previously failed time and time again in clinical trials with humans. Researchers from Jülich and Düsseldorf succeed in presenting a method that can better estimate the potential activity of the substances in advance. This method is for the first time able to differentiate between the sizes of the toxic protein aggregates, which the drug candidates are aimed at tackling.
Nature Communications publishes a proposal by Jülich researchers of how data saved in tiny magnetic vortices can be read out. These magnetic vortices, also known as skyrmions, are viewed as potentially being the bits of the future, as they can be processed extremely energy-efficiently and stored on the tiniest of spaces.
Fuel Cell World Record
Mobility of Polymers Many everyday products such as car tyres and drinks bottles consist of polymers. Their properties are largely dependent on how mobile the individual polymer molecules are. Jülich researchers now present a much easier and more accurate method of determining these: with the help of neutrons, they are able to investigate the often decisive lateral deflection of molecules.
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New Supercomputer II The EU research project DEEP, which is being coordinated by the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, presents its prototype of an innovative computer architecture, setting the course for future supercomputers. p. 54: “The Computer Diplomat”
15 October 2015
15 October 2015
5 November 2015
A stack of high-temperature fuel cells “made in Jülich” has been running for over eight years – longer than any other solid oxide fuel cell. This type of fuel cell is viewed as being ideally suited to supplying electricity to households, commercial vehicles, trains, and ships in an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manner. 2 November 2015
New supercomputer I The JURECA Cluster computer, which has a computing power of 2.2 quadrillion operations per second, begins operating at Forschungszentrum Jülich. It was developed by the Jülich Supercomputing Centre together with Russian manufacturer T-Platforms and software firm ParTec. JURECA’s fields of application range from life sciences and geoscience to materials research and medicine.
17 November 2015
Guest from Brussels Günther Oettinger, the EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, learns about the Jülich Supercomputing Centre’s role in advancing high-performance computing using supercomputers.
1 December 2015
Discovery in Satellite Images An international team of researchers, including Jülich scientists, observe disturbances in the Earth’s middle and upper atmosphere which can be caused by air flows. They do so by means of infrared images from NASA environmental satellites. p. 44: “A Chance Discovery for Climate Research”
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
2 December 2015
The Formation of Heavy Elements In Nature, scientists from the universities of Bonn and Bochum, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and two US universities present a new method for simulating the scattering of helium nuclei inside stars. p. 46: “The Birth of Elements” 17 December 2015
Depression and Grey Matter Jülich neuroscientists demonstrate that depression is associated with organic changes in the brain. The grey matter in the medial frontal pole is reduced in individuals suffering from depression. p. 42: “Changes in the Brain during Depression”
11 January 2016
1,000 Hours of Hydrogen Production In the EKOLYSER project, experts at Forschungszentrum Jülich together with partners from science and industry are advancing the proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis method, by which hydrogen is produced from water. Large amounts of renewable energy can be stored using hydrogen. A test facility in which the researchers are investigating more robust and inexpensive materials achieves its envisaged operating time of 1,000 hours.
2 January 2016
Winter Smog in Beijing Jülich atmospheric researchers launch a new measurement campaign in China. The atmospheric researchers will spend a month measuring the chemical composition of the air in the urban area of Beijing to find out what substances increase the formation of smog in winter. p. 22: “Climate Goals. Climate Records. Climate Models.”
14 January 2016
Antiferromagnetic Data Storage Systems
Blood Cells in Action For the first time, biophysicists from Jülich, Münster, and Paris apply physical methods to demonstrate how red blood cells move. The issue of whether red blood cells actively “wriggle” of their own accord, or whether their motion is triggered by external forces had previously been a subject of debate among experts. It turns out that both theories are true: fast molecules nearby cause the cell membrane of the blood cells to wriggle, but if they have enough time to react then the blood cells themselves also become active. 3 February 2016
Investigating Evacuation Times The renowned journal Science publishes a concept to utilize antiferromagnetic materials for digital data storage systems. European researchers, including two theoretical physicists from Jülich, developed the concept. Such data storage systems are smaller and can be switched faster than ferromagnets. For the first time, the researchers succeed in electronically switching and reading the magnetic moments of an antiferromagnet.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
14 January 2016
The project “Safety of People with Physical, Mental, and Age-Related Disabilities” is launched. The Jülich researchers involved in the project are investigating by means of simulations realistic evacuation times in the event of a fire breaking out in a building or on premises, or, for example, if a technical accident were to occur.
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19 February 2016
Ozone Hole above the Arctic 12 February 2016
Building Block for Spintronics An international team of researchers involving Jülich reports about a new effect that can be used to selectively generate and control spin currents by means of laser light. Spin currents are based on the principle that electrons have a quantum mechanical angular momentum, which is referred to as spin. The scientists have thus provided an important building block for spintronics – a technology that is expected to enable an extremely fast and energy-efficient transmission of data in future computers.
25 March 2016
Reliable Quantum Physics Software A team of climate researchers, including atmospheric researchers from Jülich, find indications that considerable ozone depletion began above the Arctic during winter. This is the first conclusion of a measurement flight conducted as part of the POLSTRACC campaign, taking place over a period of several weeks. The measurements are expected to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of ozone depletion. The GLORIA detector, which was developed by scientists from Jülich and Karlsruhe, is used in the campaign.
Science publishes a study conducted by scientists from more than 30 research institutes on quantum simulations of materials properties. Jülich researchers are also involved in the project. The result: the various quantum physics programmes of the current generation deliver equally precise results – partly thanks to the comparison methods developed for the study. 29 March 2016
Graphene and its Carrier
23 March 2016
Movement in Light-Sensitive Protein 12 February 2016
Novel Neutron Source Research with neutrons provides unique insights into the heart of matter, and is therefore viewed as a key technology. Jülich scientists present a concept for cost-efficient neutron sources that are expected to replace medium-sized research reactors and can function without the chain reaction typical of reactors.
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In nature, “LOV photoreceptors” stimulate, for example, the formation of photosynthetic pigments in bacteria. Researchers from Jülich, Düsseldorf, Aachen, and Garching demonstrate by means of neutron spectroscopy that there are movements inside these light-sensitive proteins that are crucial for their function. LOV photoreceptors are also of biotechnological relevance.
The carbon compound graphene – which is only one atom thick – is harder than diamond, light, flexible, and extremely conductive. However, if it is deposited on the “wrong” substrate, it can end up losing its outstanding electric properties. Jülich researchers demonstrate that the efficient insertion of foreign atoms into graphene – a process known as “doping” – is also dependent on the choice of substrate material.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
Research Pages 21 – 52
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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CLIMATE RESEARCH
Climate Goals. Climate Records. Climate Models. In December 2015, 195 states reached a new agreement to tackle global warming at the climate change conference in Paris. Jülich researchers made important contributions to the scientific basis for the agreement.
T
he year 2015 was the warmest since records began back in 1880. Current satellite data reveal a significant reduction of Arctic sea ice in winter. For 13 years in succession, the ice surface of the North Pole has been shrinking in a seemingly unstoppable manner. It is a similar story in Siberia, Greenland, and at a majority of the world’s glaciers. “It is virtually certain that globally the troposphere has warmed since the mid-20th century,” states the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Hundreds of scientists from across the world contributed as authors and experts to the five progress reports that have been published so far. Jülich researchers Dr. Martina Krämer and Dr. Rolf Müller, for example, worked on the latest report from the years 2013 and 2014, which served as a basis for the Paris Agreement.
13
years in succession the ice surface of the North Pole has been shrinking at a relentless rate. Glaciers and permafrost soil are also on the decline.
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“The final documents of the Paris Agreement describe the reality that we as scientists see,” explains Prof. Andreas Wahner, Director at Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK). “However, the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, for example, is being celebrated in the press and in the brief summaries of the agreement as a new objective. But it is not a realistic one,” he stresses. Wahner points out that all model calculations suggest this target can only be reached if we immediately succeed in implementing a near absolute halt to emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. “As long as CO2 continues to be emitted over the next few years, all our expertise tells us that limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius will no longer be possible,” the researcher explains. However, Andreas Wahner sees a positive development in the fact that the report does not focus solely on limiting CO2. “This was the first time that negotiations at this political level also discussed the reduction of pollutants such as methane, nitrogen oxides, trace gases, and soot,” he emphasizes.
Farewell to summer smog One significant contributor to rising temperatures is, for example, ground-level ozone. The trace gas was regularly referred to as “summer smog” in newspaper headlines up until ten years ago. Researchers have also been surprised to see that ground-level ozone, for example in Germany, has disappeared much more quickly from newspaper reports and also from the troposphere than model calculations had predicted. So what happened?
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
The introduction of catalysts for petrol- and diesel- engine vehicles led to a measurable reduction of one group of substances in particular that contributed to summer smog – namely hydrocarbons. “Surprisingly, it was for this very reason that the formation of the ozone declined strongly, as nitrogen oxide emissions were not reduced to the same extent as those of hydrocarbons,” explains Prof. Astrid Kiendler-Scharr, Director at IEK. “We believe the continuing high nitrogen oxide values can be traced back to the catalysts of some diesel cars apparently not doing an effective job of removing these emissions,” says Andreas Wahner. Ozone is created as a by-product whenever hydrocarbons from exhaust gases react in the air with existing OH radicals in the presence of nitrogen oxides and UV light. Nitrogen oxides also react with OH radicals, but this creates nitric acid (HNO3) instead of ozone. Hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides thus compete for the OH radicals in the atmosphere. If there are fewer hydrocarbons in the air but still just as many nitrogen oxides, the reaction between nitrogen oxides and OH radicals outweighs that of hydrocarbons and less ozone is created as a result. “If nitrogen oxides and
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hydrocarbons had been reduced to the same extent over the years, we would have had to contend with high ozone values for a lot longer,” explains Astrid Kiendler-Scharr. “This is because it is the relationship between hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that determines how much ozone is produced, not the absolute values of the two classes of substances.”
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Astrid Kiendler- Scharr, Martin Riese, Andreas Wahner, and their teams study the atmosphere – from the soil right up to the stratosphere.
In fact, the values for hydrocarbons in the air have declined to such a strong extent over the past 20 years that researchers believe it is now high time to reduce nitrogen oxide pollution on a massive scale. In a new study, Jülich troposphere researchers are investigating how plant emissions react with atmospheric pollutants from exhaust gases. “These data are urgently needed to more accurately determine the influence this interaction between human and plants has on the climate,” emphasizes Astrid Kiendler-Scharr. Whenever the volatile organic substances – of which plants emit several million tonnes every year – are oxidized in the atmosphere, this leads to the formation of ozone and other larger compounds, known as aerosols, as by-products. Aerosols are able to scatter sunlight or contribute to the formation of
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Felix Plöger calculates global air circulation in the stratosphere.
clouds, thus having a cooling effect. However, some of the organic plant substances are able to suppress the formation of aerosols. This is partly dependent on whether the plants are suffering from drought stress or insect damage. Whilst the atmospheric chemistry processes in the summer months have largely been accounted for, the scientists are now intensively investigating which substances enhance the formation of smog in winter. “Fine dust and smog not only result from traffic and industry,” explains Andreas Wahner. “The majority of the pollutants are actually first formed in the air – through OH radicals and other, as yet unknown substances.” For this reason, the research team headed by Wahner and Kiendler-Scharr launched a
The circulation patterns of air masses worldwide have shifted within the last decade. Felix Plöger | Institute of Energy and Climate Research
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new measuring campaign in China at the beginning of January 2016. For a period of two months, the chemical composition of the air in the heavily polluted urban area of Beijing was measured. “One major objective is to present the Chinese government with concrete recommendations for action, as has previously been the case with other campaigns,” says Andreas Wahner. “The data will also help us to improve our numerical computer simulations and to review whether we really do have a proper understanding of the processes in the atmosphere,” he notes. There appear to be more OH radicals in the atmosphere than is forecast by conventional computer models. Where these additional molecules come from, however, is still unclear. “Whenever theory and data measured in real time just do not match up at all, the existing data sometimes need to be completely reinterpreted,” adds Dr. Felix Plöger from IEK. Global air streams in the stratosphere are his area of expertise. He investigates air parcels in the tropics that rise out of the troposphere into the stratosphere, i.e. at altitudes of roughly 15– 50 kilometres, and migrate into polar latitudes where the air masses sink again. “The air ages on its way through the stratosphere, and an air parcel usually needs five to six years for this circulation. Fast mixing processes between the tropics and the polar latitudes also influence this transport of the air,” explains Felix
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Plöger. Researchers have thus far used the age of the air parcels as they arrive in polar latitudes to determine the speed of the global circulation.
Recalculating the mixing processes All current climate models indicate that air masses migrate faster between tropics and polar latitudes as a result of global warming, meaning that air parcels are getting younger. Scientists use an accelerated c irculation as a measure of how fast climate change is progressing. Satellite and weather balloon data from the last 35 years paint a different picture, however: the stratospheric air parcels of the northern hemisphere, its subtropical areas, and middle latitudes appear to be older, while only those of the southern hemisphere seemingly circulate faster. Have the researchers made a mistake in their calculations? “Models and data measured in real time would appear to contradict one another at first glance,” Plöger notes. In his model calculation, Plöger therefore took into account both the largescale global air flow and the mixing processes that lead to tropical air parcels accumulating older air molecules from high latitudes on their way north. “These mixing processes are more intensive in the northern hemisphere, as the larger land masses here create greater turbulences,” Plöger elaborates. This is why the air parcels appear to be older than they would be without the additional mixing. This phenomenon is known as “ageing by mixing”. A recalculation published by Jülich scientists in 2015 reveals that between 1990 and 2013 the age of air parcels declined almost everywhere in the world, with the exception of parts of the northern hemisphere. After taking into account the mixing effects, this does not contradict the notion of an acceleration of the global circulation. Furthermore, for the period from 2002 until 2012, in accordance with satellite data, a clear asymmetry between the northern and southern hemispheres is now found in the model simulations. “The age of an air mass is the result of a very fine balance between two contradictory effects,” Felix Plöger summarizes. “Changes to the age of air parcels are not a clear indication of an altered stratospheric circulation,” he stresses. “It is only when the mixing effects in the lower stratosphere are taken into account that a clearer picture is drawn.” In particular, the circulation and mixing patterns worldwide appear to have shifted within the last decade. What effect this has on the climate is the subject of intensive research at IEK.
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The latest calculations of Dr. Bärbel Vogel, who also conducts research at IEK, reveal just how quickly an air parcel can migrate from the tropics to Europe. During a measurement campaign carried out in the stratosphere over Europe, she discovered trace gases, such as carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapour, in amounts that are usually found in the troposphere. Her model calculations show that air masses in Southeast Asia rise from atmospheric layers close to the ground to the upper troposphere, i.e. roughly 15 kilometres, within one to two days as a result of typhoons. In summer, these air masses then end up in the large-scale Asian monsoon circulation. It is this circulation that is responsible for the air parcels along with the pollutants being transported to Europe in just five weeks. Coordinated by scientists at IEK, an aircraft measurement campaign in India will for the first time gather data at these altitudes in summer 2016, in order to gain a detailed understanding of the processes. A study by Dr. Mengchu Tao and Dr. Paul Konopka, both of whom work at IEK, reveals just how essential it is to record natural processes so that they can be integrated as necessary in climate forecasts.
Jülich researchers measure the atmospheric chemistry in remote polar deserts as well as in heavily polluted metropolises.
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Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform
Plant-available water can be calculated with the TerrSysMP. The images reveal how much water is stored in the soil and available for plants.
esearchers worldwide expect an increasing content R of water vapour in the atmosphere as a result of global warming. As water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas, it is essential to differentiate between natural fluctuations and man-made influences. Jülich scientists have determined that there is a direct connection between the strong sudden stratospheric warmings that occur periodically and the water content of the stratosphere. “Over a period of 35 years, we were able to demonstrate that eight such stratospheric warmings took place in the 1980s, only one occurred in the 1990s, and eleven have been recorded since the year 2000,” explains Paul Konopka. “The stratosphere also became drier during these warm periods, while in the 1990s it was correspondingly moister,” he adds. This has an effect on the climate at the Earth’s surface: researchers assume that in-
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creased humidity in the stratosphere strengthens the greenhouse effect, while a decrease in water vapour concentration can help offset global warming. The effect of these fluctuations on the global climate is the subject of intensive international research. The sudden stratospheric warmings not only lead to a drier stratosphere, but also to the break-up of the polar vortex over the North Pole in winter, which in turn results in unusually high temperatures over a number of days.
New guide for ice clouds “The effect of ice clouds on the climate also needs to be reassessed,” says Dr. Martina Krämer, likewise a researcher at IEK. In 2015, she published a scientific guide for ice clouds – known as cirrus clouds – that
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is highly regarded in the scientific community. In the “Cirrus Guide”, Krämer distinguishes between two types of cirrus clouds. To put it simply, a distinction is made between ice clouds that are optically thinner and those that are optically denser, with both types created in completely different ways and made up of different compositions: the thinner clouds contain fewer ice crystals, the denser ones more. These differences also determine how the clouds cope with thermal radiation from the sun and the Earth’s surface.
Adjusting climate models The first type, the optically thinner clouds, is seen to have a warming effect on the climate, while the second type has a cooling effect. “Optically thinner clouds let more sunlight through because they contain fewer ice crystals. The denser clouds allow less sunlight through as a result of their optical properties – many ice crystals in a tight space,” explains Martina Krämer. “At present, however, the models are working with a number of ice crystals that is too high, and thus with imprecise forecasts on feedback,” she observes. Nevertheless, 30 percent of the tropics on average are covered with cirrus clouds every year. Being able to correctly calculate their influence would represent a milestone in climate research. The Cirrus Guide now helps in making adjustments to existing climate models. In order to gain a better overview of the effects of climate change on the water supply in Europe for the agricultural industry and the population, Prof. Stefan Kollet and Prof. Harrie-Jan Hendricks-Franssen from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG) and Dr. Klaus Görgen from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) are treading new paths with the the Geoverbund ABC/J’s Centre for High-Performance Scientific Computing in Terrestrial Systems. Together with colleagues from the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) collaborative research centre Transregio 32, they are developing models to simulate the interactions between water, energy, and material flows – from the groundwater right up into the atmosphere. For this purpose, the researchers developed a model system that they named the “Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform”. In addition to calculating typical atmospheric data such as air temperature and precipitation, this model for the first time also permits forecasts on coupled water cycle processes in the soil. “This enables, for example, plant-available water and changes to the total water volume in the soil to be calculated,” explains Stefan Kollet.
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percent of the tropics on average are covered with cirrus clouds every year.
Such a comprehensive simulation requires enormous computing power in order to provide up-to-date results every day. The researchers therefore use the Jülich supercomputers JUQUEEN and JURECA for their calculations. The results, which reveal experimental predictions for up to 72 hours, are made available as videos on YouTube. www.fz-juelich.de/terrsys The videos demonstrate, for instance, how the groundwater level changes and how much water is stored in the soil. While some of the data might be of interest for water suppliers, farmers above all want to know how much “plant-available water” there is.
Advising industry and politicians “The next step is to further expand the system and to amalgamate our calculations, for example, with satellite data,” Kollet underlines. “Furthermore, in the long-term we are looking to link up with industry to help transfer this knowledge to end users,” he says. The work of Jülich researchers reveals how complex the processes in the terrestrial Earth system and in climatic processes are. Together with international teams of scientists, the aim is therefore to continually improve the precision of models that project terrestrial water and energy cycles and the climate. “We provide the scientific basis to permit predictions for shorter time-scales than has previously been the case. Such projections form an important foundation for the political sphere. They help in making decisions about the necessary measures for curbing global warming, but also with respect to adaptations to climate change,” summarizes Prof. Martin Riese, Director at Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK).
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NANOELECTRONICS
Insights into the Resistance Generation Computer storage systems that are fast and have a good memory could in future consist of novel components known as memristive cells. The cells are not yet mature, but that looks likely to change in the near future. And Jülich researchers are contributing detailed insights into these storage processes.
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ith the PC, the set-up is so familiar that you hardly pay it a second thought: there’s the hard drive where you permanently store your files, and then there’s the dynamic random access memory. We are generally only made aware of the existence of the latter storage area, also known as DRAM, when buying a computer – or if a computer’s performance is too weak to load the commands and programmes quickly when starting it up. There is good reason why the PC has to have two kinds of storage systems in the first place: the data in the DRAM are lost as soon as the power is switched off. This ensures that data in this working memory can be written and read out at a much faster rate than the hard drive with long-term memory.
Researchers from science and industry are also familiar with this sharing of tasks between the storage systems. In contrast to many of us, however, the researchers are interested in this division of tasks, and in particular whether the division can be broken up. They are researching the possibilities of storing data faster and permanently in the smallest possible space and with low energy requirements. Memris tive cells, also known as ReRAMs, are particularly promising candidates for such a storage system. They store the two basic elements of all computer languages – “zero” and “one” – in a way that is fundamentally different to hard drives or conventional working memories. A ReRAM saves a bit using its electrical resistance which can be switched between high and low values – and it retains its state even when the external voltage is switched off.
Surprising and groundbreaking Jülich and Aachen are home to a research team that has caught the attention of international competition in the field of ReRAM time and again. The research team headed by Prof. Rainer Waser was once again successful in achieving surprising and at the same time groundbreaking discoveries in 2015.
A glimpse into Jülich’s electronic Oxide Cluster laboratory, where materials for data storage systems are manufactured and investigated in an ultrahigh vacuum.
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The special properties of memristive cells materialize in different ways. Experts distinguish two types of ReRAMs: valence change memory (VCM) cells and electrochemical metallization memory (ECM) cells. In both cells, ions flow back and forth between the two electrodes – as in a battery. In contrast to a battery,
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however, the electrodes can be found on both sides of a metal oxide layer only a few nanometres (millionths of a millimetre) thick. “It has so far been assumed that VCMs and ECMs differ vastly,” says Waser. In an ECM, positively charged metal ions start to flow if a voltage is applied. This leads to the formation of fibre-like structures, also known as filaments, between the electrodes. Once the filament has formed and an electrically conductive contact has been established between the two electrodes, the resistance of the entire cell suddenly decreases and it is in the ON state. This corresponds to the “one” in computer language. When a voltage with reverse polarity is applied, the filament dissolves and the resistance of the cell increases to a high value. This corresponds to the OFF state, or the “zero” in computer language.
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The switching characteristics of a VCM, however, have thus far predominantly been attributed to the flow of oxygen ions. Contrary to the ECM’s metal ions, the oxygen ions are negatively charged. If a voltage is applied, they move out of the metal oxide layer. The subsequent vacancies then form filaments which, in contrast to the surrounding metal oxide, are conductive. In order to store data, the respective processes with VCMs and ECMs need to be controlled in a targeted manner. The Jülich and Aachen research team headed by Rainer Waser and Ilia Valov have now discovered that the differences between the two cell types are smaller than previously assumed. p. 31: diagram
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Regina Dittmann in Jülich’s electronic Oxide Cluster laboratory. Together with other researchers, she analysed processes that occur in valence change memory cells.
Together with colleagues from South Korea, Japan, and the USA, they found that the insights gained to date from research of the switching process in VCMs
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“Suddenly, we observed a switching characteristic similar to that of an ECM cell,” Valov explains. The researchers were able to confirm their assumption that this was due to the activity of free metal ions through further experiments. For this purpose, they used scanning tunnelling microscopy. The research team’s results were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology in September 2015.
Rainer Waser heads a team of researchers from Jülich and Aachen that has caught the attention of international competition in the field of super data storage systems time and again.
have not yet been fully clarified. The researchers discovered that not just oxygen ions but also positive metal ions contribute to the formation of the filament – as in an ECM. “This process was first made visible after we suppressed the movement of oxygen ions,” says Valov. To do so, the researchers applied a thin carbon layer directly on top of the electrode material. In one case, they used the “miracle material” graphene, which comprises only one single layer of carbon.
The essential processes do not occur throughout the entire component, but only at the tiny filaments and near the electrode interface. Regina Dittmann | Peter Grünberg Institute
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And how can the current findings be used for practical applications? “New kinds of VCMs can, for instance, be built with a carbon interlayer, making it possible to jump from one switching process to the other,” says Valov. Above all, however, a correct, more in-depth understanding of the processes taking place will help to improve VCMs in a targeted manner. This optimization today takes place not only in lab experiments, but also with the help of computer simulations. The latter only deliver realistic results if the underlying computer models are able to render as fully as possible the processes in the world of atoms, molecules, and ions.
Cooperation with industry In research on memristive memory cells, the activities of basic research-oriented researchers are closely intertwined with the various development divisions of the industrial sector. Rainer Waser’s team, for example, collaborates with Samsung Electronics and Intel. A number of companies have already presented VCM prototypes for the market. In addition, products are already being manufactured in small series for special applications. However, the technology is not yet mature enough to displace conventional types of storage on a large scale. “Memristive cells do not yet work reliably enough. That limits their commercial use,” says Prof. Regina Dittmann, a colleague of Rainer Waser. While laboratory experiments show that some of the cells can store data for at least ten years, others lose their data much faster. “For a long time, it was not clear why,” says Dittmann. In close cooperation with researchers from the JülichAachen collaborative research centre (SFB) “Nanoswitches”, she has now been able to shed light on the matter. The researchers were able to make the reactions occurring in VCMs visible, with an accuracy of a few nanometres. “The essential processes do not occur throughout the entire component, but only at the tiny filaments and near the electrode interface,” Dittmann explains. It has taken the researchers several years
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just to improve existing measurement and preparation methods so that they can cope with the high demands.
The secret of stability In Jülich’s electronic Oxide Cluster laboratory, the scientists discovered how in a vacuum, the VCM electrodes can be mechanically removed in a precise fashion so as to expose the metal oxide. They were subsequently able to analyse the metal oxide in various switching states at the Elettra synchrotron centre in Italy by means of microscopic X-ray spectroscopy. Upon investigating VCM samples from a strontium-titanium oxide (SrTiO3), they discovered that for all samples that had been stable over a long period of time, a strontium-oxide (SrO) layer had formed on the surface to the electrode. “This led us to the idea that this layer only transports oxygen ions very slowly, thus preventing the undesirable return flow and in turn improving the stability of the cells over time,” recalls Dittmann. Calculations made by an Aachenbased SFB group have confirmed this idea. The researcher team further followed up on its assumption by applying a layer of aluminium oxide, which is known for being a poor oxygen ion conductor.
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The aluminium oxide layer is indeed able to prevent VCM cells in the ON state from unintentionally reverting to the OFF state and losing information through the inflow of oxygen ions. It might be assumed that such a layer would also prevent the outflow of oxygen ions from the metal oxide, thus slowing the desired switching process of the VCM cell from the OFF to the ON state. Prof. Regina Dittmann is able to dispel such concerns, however. “During the switching process, both voltage and temperature rise in the material.” This leads to oxygen transport increasing abruptly, Dittmann adds. The researchers published their findings in the October 2015 edition of Nature Communications. “We are the first team worldwide to derive a rule for ReRAM design based on the microscopic understanding of oxygen transport in a memristive cell,” says a delighted Rainer Waser.
This is how a valence change memory cell (VCM) works OFF state In the OFF state, the VCM has a high electrical resistance. Positively charged tantalum ions (green) and areas where there are no negative oxygen ions (oxygen vacancies, L, blue), are distributed between the electrodes.
Ta
Voltage supply When a voltage is applied, the tantalum ions are liberated from the tantalum electrode. Together with oxygen vacancies, they migrate to the platinum electrode. Electrons from this negative electrode turn the ions into atoms again.
Ta
L LL
TaO TaO TaO x xx
+
5+ 5+5+ TaTa Ta
ON state An electrically conductive filament comprising tantalum and oxygen vacancies is thus created between the two electrodes. In this state (ON), the VCM has a low resistance. When a voltage with reverse polarity is applied, the filament dissolves again (OFF state, Fig. 1).
Ta −− −5e 5e5e 5+ 5+5+ TaTa Ta
−− −5e 5e5e
5+ 5+5+ TaTa Ta
Pt
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ENERGY RESEARCH
Breaking New Ground in the Hydrogen World Environmentally friendly hydrogen produced using solar and wind energy could in future replace crude oil and natural gas. Two Jülich research groups are adopting vastly different approaches to improve the chances of successfully making the transition to a hydrogen energy economy.
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range of experts believe hydrogen is an important cornerstone of the transformation of the German energy sector. If in 2050, 80 percent of electricity is generated from renewable energy sources – a target set by the German Federal Government – large amounts of energy will likely have to be stored on a temporary basis. During times in which a surplus of energy is being generated by wind and solar power, this energy can be used to produce hydrogen. The vision is that whenever a lot of energy is required but there is insufficient wind or sunlight, the stored energy can be converted emission-free into electricity. Prof. Peter Wasserscheid from the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy Production (HI ERN) believes that a hydrogen energy economy would offer further advantages: “If the climate protection goals are to be taken seriously, there needs to be a strong reduction in carbon dioxide emissions not just in the production of electricity, but also in the transport and heat sectors. This would be fundamentally possible with hydrogen.” There are already prototypes of fuel cell vehicles and Toyota has even launched its first series car powered by hydrogen. Fuel cell heating devices for single-family homes and
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litres of hydrogen or more can be held by one litre of an LOHC.
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multifamily housing also use hydrogen, albeit obtained in the device from natural gas in a complicated process. However, there are currently a number of obstacles complicating the leap towards a hydrogen future. Peter Wasserscheid has tasked himself with removing these obstacles in an innovative fashion. Wasserscheid is the Founding Director of HI ERN, a branch office of Forschungszentrum Jülich.
Increased safety, lower costs One of the obstacles is that the “volumetric energy density” of hydrogen is extremely low. This means that in every litre of hydrogen gas at normal pressure, only a fraction of the energy contained in, for example, one litre of super unleaded fuel is stored – specifically 3 watt hours instead of 8,760 watt hours. To increase the energy density, hydrogen is transported in tanker lorries, usually at a pressure of 200 bar, or in liquid form at minus 253 degrees Celsius (2,360 watt hours per litre). However, handling hydrogen in either compressed or liquid form requires greater security measures and leads to increased costs. Another difficulty on the path to a hydrogen future is the fact that a very expensive network of hydrogen pipelines and filling stations needs to be built. The solution to both these obstacles is to get hydrogen to react with an unsaturated organic compound – a liquid in which the carbon atoms are linked with double bonds and readily combine with hydrogen and other elements. This sees the liquid convert into a higher energy compound that only contains carbon– carbon single bonds and which chemists therefore define as saturated. This liquid can then be stored
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Peter Wasserscheid, founding director of the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg, presents his research on the future of energy supply.
and transported in a similar way to crude oil or petrol. Wherever energy is needed to power cars, heat houses, or in the form of electricity, for example, the hydrogen can be re-released from the liquid. As part of this process, the organic compound returns to the lower energy unsaturated state and can react with hydrogen again at the next opportunity – and thus the cycle begins all over again. Liquids that are able to assume this kind of energy storage and energy transport function are referred to by experts as Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers, or LOHC for short. p. 35: diagram In theory, a whole host of substances could be deemed suitable as LOHCs. “Crucial to the success of the concept, however, is that the LOHC system satisfies the requirements in all important aspects, such as hydrogen capacity, conversion rate, stability, security, and environmental friendliness,” says Wasser scheid, who is convinced that the right liquid has been found: dibenzyltoluene (DBT), which in combination with hydrogen can be converted into perhydrodibenzyltoluene (PHDBT). It has already established itself as
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a thermal oil and is not classed as a dangerous material. The oil can be pumped, stored, and transported with the current petrol infrastructure.
Industry shows its interest The DBT-PHDBT system is already more than just an academic experiment. Wasserscheid is one of the founders of the Erlangen-based company Hydrogenious Technologies GmbH, which offers commercial prototype systems in which either DBT is saturated with hydrogen, or the hydrogen is removed from the PHDBT. Other companies including Areva, Clariant, and Siemens have also shown an interest in the LOHC system. “But even if the technology is at the start of the commercialization phase, there is still more than enough research left to conduct in this field,” says Wasserscheid. The efficiency of energy storage depends considerably on the catalysts available for hydrogenation – the reaction with hydrogen – and dehydrogenation – the removal of hydrogen. Catalysts are substances that
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accelerate a reaction and ideally remain unchanged in the process. The team headed by Wasserscheid is attempting to gain a more accurate understanding of the molecular processes at the active centre of the catalyst. The researchers want to find out, for example, how hot the hydrogenation process can be without undesirable side reactions taking place. The team also develops catalysts that have a similar structure to an egg, in which the egg shell encases the egg white and yolk. The egg shell in this case is represented by the catalytically active material and the inside of the egg by an inactive particle. It has been shown that such “egg-shell catalysts” can be more effective than conventionally built catalysts: the valuable, catalytically active metal component is much more easily accessible for LOHC molecules in egg-shell catalysts. This is why with a certain amount of metal, more hydrogen can be bound or released per unit of time.
Catalysts improve efficiency The latest results from the research group reveal that such improvements of the catalyst systems can considerably increase the efficiency of the LOHC concept. The fact that there is already a hydrogen carrier in existence with which energy can be advantageously stored and transported is without doubt good news for the future of energy. But the issue of where the hydrogen is supposed to come from is only vaguely clear: from electrolytic water splitting using wind and solar energy. This is not so easy to implement, however. One of the most conventional scenarios currently sees large electrolysis systems in times of low demand using the energy that is produced by wind and solar power and intelligently distributed via the grid. In Germany, already around 20 “power-to-gas” demonstration facilities generate hydrogen according
We are able to generate photovoltages with our solar cells that are sufficient for splitting water electrolytically. Félix Urbain | Institute of Energy and Climate Research
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Together with other researchers from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Félix Urbain has developed a module that produces hydrogen using solar energy.
to this principle. These facilities are barely economically viable at present, however, as surpluses are too rare for cheap electricity to be available on a regular basis. In addition, regeneratively produced hydrogen is still more expensive than that which is obtained from natural gas.
Artificial leaf An alternative to power-to-gas technology involves hydrogen being produced directly from the solar panels themselves. This type of solar panel is akin to an artificial leaf: it converts solar energy into chemical energy in a similar way to a leaf in nature. Scientists from Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK) developed this kind of solar panel in 2015. The solar panel is based on silicon and achieved a total efficiency record of 9.5 percent, thus producing more hydrogen under the same solar radiation conditions than all other comparable panels. The former record for the solar panel with the highest total efficiency rate was 7.8 percent. The new solar panel developed by Forschungszentrum Jülich consists of three cells stacked on top of each other. “This ensures that the spectrum of sunlight can be more efficiently absorbed over various wavelengths,” explains Félix Urbain, a researcher
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from Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research. “We are also able to generate photovoltages that are sufficient for splitting water electrolytically,” Urbain adds. Conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon are unable to do so. Their photovoltage amounts to less than one volt, with at least 1.6 V required for water splitting. In another variant of the panel in which four cells are stacked on top of each other, the scientists were even able to achieve up to 2.8 V. “This allows us in future to use less noble metals like nickel instead of expensive platinum catalysts for water splitting,” says Dr. Friedhelm Finger, Head of Materials and Solar Cells at IEK. Unlike crystalline solar cells, Forschungszentrum Jülich’s silicon thin-film solar panels are not produced from a silicon wafer – a layer from a silicon block. The researchers instead deposit layers onto a glass or plastic substrate in a vacuum with the aid of various techniques. The structure of the silicon layers, and therefore their optical and electronic properties, can be customized. A fundamental distinction can be made between amorphous layers – in which the atoms are not neatly arranged – and microcrystalline layers that consist of micrometre-large crystals and in which the atoms are neatly arranged. The new Jülich panel is thus able to function without any special high-performance semiconductor materials, which are much more expensive than silicon. Furthermore,
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silicon is not toxic or harmful to the environment. “We believe that we can increase the total efficiency of our hydrogen-producing multi-stack solar panel to more than 10 percent,” says Friedhelm Finger. The panel’s size is also to be increased without reducing the rate of efficiency. If the Jülich researchers are successful in both these aims, the total efficiency of their “artificial leaf” could certainly be capable of competing with current power-to-gas technology. “They present the opportunity to produce hydrogen at the location of solar radiation, and therefore locally,” Finger explains. In addition, the amount of hydrogen produced can be tailored according to local demand by interconnecting a corresponding number of new panels.
A new option “The research is not currently focused on concrete applications, however. We are predominantly looking to demonstrate a new way of producing hydrogen using renewable energy,” clarifies Prof. Uwe Rau, Head of Photovoltaics at IEK. Experts expect that in future, there will be many different energy generation and storage technologies used alongside one another.
Hydrogen logistics The principle of the Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC)
C C H H
Storage
Hydrogen transport
Hydrogenation of the LOHC
C C H H
Dehydrogenation of the LOHC H H
H H Hydrogen production Production via electrolysis using excess renewable energy
• s afe transport • t ransport via existing logistics
Hydrogen utilization For example in fuel cell cars or hydrogen combustion engines
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MATERIALS RESEARCH
The Slipperiness Formula What winter-sports enthusiasts love, drivers and pedestrians view as a hazard and tyre manufacturers as a challenge: the smooth slipperiness of ice. A new mathematical model developed by a Jülich researcher describes why ice is so slippery.
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r. Bo Persson from Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute first caught the attention of all tyre manufacturers worldwide around 20 years ago. Back then, he made completely new observations with respect to how large the actual contact area is when two objects come in contact with one another, for example between tyres and the road. Persson then incorporated these observations into a new theory concerning the static friction of rubber, which he continually refined over the course of the years. He did so by drawing comparisons with values measured in practical tests, and also in cooperation with tyre manufacturers.
Such ideal conditions are important for the manufacturers of energy efficient tyres. However, motorists are above all at risk on wet or even icy roads. Bo Persson had something completely new to offer in this field in 2015: “I have proposed a phenomenological law about shearing forces that is able to describe the frictional force of ice as a function of sliding velocity and temperature,” he says. The application of this slipperiness formula could help in the production of tyres and shoe soles that no longer skid as easily on ice. It could also make it possible in future to optimize materials that help skis and runners, for example, to slide better.
In 2015, Persson and his colleagues reported about an expansion of their theory that took into account a specific deformation of the tyre known as “shearing”. “We believe that the short-term adhesion of rubber molecules makes a decisive contribution to the shearing force – this has been proven in tests,” Persson explains. He stresses, however, that these results only initially apply to dry and clean roads.
A 150-year old mystery The question of why ice is so slippery in the first place has been the subject of scientific research for over 150 years. Other solids made of metal or plastic have much more frictional resistance – even when they have been smoothed to perfection. We know from experience at swimming baths, however, that if water is around,
Just a few atoms of melted water ice are enough to considerably reduce the shearing forces, which are responsible for friction. Bo Persson | researcher at Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute
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the tiles transform into a slippery surface. Researchers believe that a thin layer of water on the surface is also behind the smooth slipperiness of ice, in other words for its low friction. As early as 1859, Michael Faraday was able to prove that the surface of water ice is liquid even at temperatures considerably below freezing. Two ice cubes stick together immediately if they are brought in contact with one another: the thin layer of liquid or near-liquid water freezes upon contact, thus creating a solid connection between the two cubes. For decades, it was assumed that the weight pressure of humans – whether on ice skates or not – was the reason why a significant amount of water melted. This explanation for the slipperiness of ice was stated in many physics textbooks up until recently. Calculations have now demonstrated that this effect is much too small to be deemed responsible for the smoothness of ice. The weight of a human or a car alone does not cause ice to melt.
Inaccessible contact area “The problem is that it is difficult to experimentally investigate the friction surface between the ice and the sliding object at the molecular and atomic level,” explains Persson. “The object makes the contact area inaccessible for electron and ion beams, for example, which are used to research open ice surfaces.” This is why very little is known about the assumed thin layer of water on the contact area. It also makes it more difficult to propose theories on the slipperiness of ice.
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Jülich physicist Bo Persson successfully works on theories that are used to describe and predict the behaviour of tyres on dry, wet, and icy roads.
In developing his slipperiness formula, Persson assumed that a layer of melted ice not only lies on top of the open ice surface, but also on the inaccessible contact area between the ice and the moving object. He also assumed that friction at the contact area is responsible for the water-like layer. “Even a layer of melted water ice just a few nanometres thick – essentially just a few atoms – is enough to considerably reduce the shearing forces, which are responsible for friction,” Persson says. In other words, for any strains across the surface, such as those that
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are exerted on the ice by a sliding object, the melted atomic layers glide easily over each other. Based on this assumption, Persson for the first time developed a mathematical model that describes the frictional force between a layer of ice and the object found on it.
ured the friction of rubber mixtures from various summer and winter tyres, and compared them with Persson’s calculations. The results reveal that the experimental data matched the theory almost perfectly.
Persson has since also factored the behaviour of rubber – the conventional material used for tyres – into his calculations. And with great success: a research team from Vienna University of Technology in cooperation with Hankook Tire has meas-
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STRUCTURAL BIOCHEMISTRY
New Light Switch for Nerve Cells Using pulses of light to control the activity of nerve cells: this is the focus of the still relatively recent area of research known as optogenetics. Scientists from Jülich, Frankfurt, Grenoble, and Moscow have developed a new molecular tool for this purpose.
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t sounds like some kind of crazy researcher utopia: using red, yellow, and green lights to switch nerve cells on or off. Fluorescent dyes are additionally used to visibly demonstrate which cells are currently active. However, the light organ is not a tale from the realms of science fiction. Over the last few years, scientists
from across the world have succeeded not only in controlling single cells, but also, for instance, the behaviour of flies, threadworms, and mice. Light-sensitive molecules – as found in many organisms in nature – represent fundamental elements of optogenetics re-
Stop and start How cells are controlled by light
Blue light leads to the influx of positively charged sodium ions (Na+); the nerve cell is activated.
Green light starts a pump that pumps p otassium ions (K+) out of the nerve cell; the e xcitation is halted.
transmitted excitation
Na+
Na+ Na+ Na+
K+
positive compared to the extracellular region
+
negative compared to the extracellular K+ K+ region K+
Light-sensitive molecules light-controlled channelrhodopsin from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii modified ion pump from Krokinobacter eikastus
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search. The first molecule that researchers were able to exploit comes from the saltwater alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Its channelrhodopsins form a sort of gate in the cell membrane. The gate opens up if blue light is shone on the molecule. If the algal gene for this gate is genetically built into the nerve cells, then the latter produce the channelrhodopsin and integrate it into their cell membrane. If blue light is then shone on the cell, the gates open within thousandths of a second. Positively charged sodium ions then flow in through the gates. The inside of the cell, which in comparison to the extracellular region is negatively charged in its resting state, thus becomes more positive. If a certain threshold is surpassed, the cell becomes “depolarized”. The electrical signal that is created during this process is passed on to other nerve cells.
A pump of marine bacteria At least of equal importance when controlling nerve cells is being able to stop the excitation of the cell again in a precise manner. There already exists a switch for this purpose – for example a bacteria molecule – that reacts to yellow light. It then pumps negatively charged chloride ions into the cells; the intracellular region again becomes more negative than the extracellular region and the excitation is ceased. An international team of structural biologists headed by Prof. Valentin Gordeliy,
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Valentin Gordeliy deciphers the structures of proteins and utilizes them for optogenetics.
national research team reported on these results in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Co-author of the study Vitali Shevchenko, who like Gushchin works in Grenoble, Jülich, and at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, explains the advantages of the new pump: “Sodium and above all potassium ions are plentiful in the natural environment of the nerve cells. A pump that works with these ions is more physiological – in other words more natural – than a switch that pumps chloride ions into the cells.”
who runs working groups at Jülich’s Institute of Complex Systems (ICS) – Structural Biochemistry and at Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble, has now added a novel stop switch to the optogenetics toolbox. The molecule, which comes from the marine bacterium Krokinobacter eikastus and is given the abbreviation KR2, restores the cell’s resting state in a different way. It pumps positively charged sodium ions out of the cell if a green light is shone on it. Gordeliy and his team were able to find out more about the structure of this pump by means of X-ray crystallography. They obtained high-resolution structural images of the single protein and the five-part complex that the KR2 molecule forms un-
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der physiological conditions. Their analysis revealed some unusual formations: “the structure of KR2 has many features that have yet to be seen on any other ion pump,” says Ivan Gushchin from ICS. One of these features is a type of lid that caps over the outfacing opening of the pump. An unusually formed structure was also found inside the pump’s channel. “We hypothesized that this structure could act as a kind of filter causing the selectivity of KR2 for sodium ions,” Gushchin explains. The researchers put this hypothesis to the test, slightly altering the suspected filter by exchanging the individual amino acids in the “gate chamber”. This led to a swift change with the pump: one of the mutants now started pumping potassium instead of sodium ions out of the cell. The inter-
A useful tool It is then a case of integrating the new switching molecule into different cell types. If the cells are equipped with a channelrhodopsin from Chlamydomonas and a KR2 potassium pump, researchers could control them as they wish, switching the cells on with a blue light and off again with a green light. “This definitely makes the switch a fantastic tool for research,” Shevchenko says. Looking further ahead, he also sees the potential for the colourful optogenetics toolbox to be used for medical purposes. “If we can better understand the activities of nerve cells and control them with light in a targeted manner, this would perhaps be a starting point for new therapies to treat brain diseases,” he explains hopefully.
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ELECTRON TOMOGRAPHY
Nanoworld in 3D Scientists from the Ernst Ruska-Centre have improved a method used for making structures visible on a nanometre scale: electron tomography has been made faster, while the required radiation dose has been reduced. This enables not only technical nanocatalysts, but also biological cells to be modelled three-dimensionally.
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any people have at least once undergone a computed tomography scan of their own body, whether it be for headaches of uncertain origin or after an accident, among other reasons. A rotating X-ray source examines the patient as he or she is continually moved along the examination table. The result is a series of layered images of the area of the body being examined. These images can then be combined to form a spatial representation on a computer.
tures images of the tiny sample in rapid succession from various angles. “The individual images do not show a cross section of the sample. Instead, the information from different layers of depth are superposed and projected jointly onto one plane,” explains one of the two directors of ER-C, Prof. Rafal Dunin-Borkowski, who is also a director at Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute. As part of the process, structures on the nanometre scale become recognizable. (One nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre.)
This works in a similar way to electron tomography, which scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Ernst Ruska- Centre (ER-C) use to research structures on the nanoscale. This method sees an electron beam replacing the X-ray. A transmission electron microscope cap-
Best selectivity Images generated using electron tomography are therefore much more selective than X-ray images. The resolution of electron tomography is by far the highest achievable with today's technology. The
In images like the one on the left, the tomographic 3D reconstruction of a nanotube (right, orange) is based on a carbon layer (blue).
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method offers the unique opportunity to investigate novel nanomaterials. It is also well suited to searching viruses and bacteria for their weak points that can be used as targets for pharmaceutical substances. However, there has so far been one major obstacle to contend with: an intense electron beam over several minutes damages the area that is supposed to be researched. It causes damage to the structure of bacteria, viruses, and biological cells. Scientists at ER-C demonstrated in 2015 that using novel detectors, the required electron beam dose can be reduced to a tenth of its previous value – without the image quality suffering as a result. They simultaneously achieved an enormous increase in the number of images captured per time unit. The scientists were able to capture 3,487 images from one nanotube in 3.5 seconds, whereas previously it had taken around ten minutes to capture usually around 100 images. Electron tomography is thus now enabling chemical reactions, electronic switching processes, and other dynamic processes to be made visible. “The acceleration and reduction of the radiation dose are opening up new perspectives, particu larly in the field of life sciences and the research of soft matter,” says a delighted Dunin-Borkowski. Soft matter includes, for example, new material combinations
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Rafal Dunin-Borkowski (centre) from the Ernst Ruska-Centre is a pioneer in the field of electron tomography.
at the interface between nanotechnology, polymer chemistry, and biology.
Rapid series of images The novel detector with which scientists at ER-C have equipped their electron microscope is able to register incoming electrons directly, without needing to convert them into photons, i.e. light, as has previously been the case. Employees at Jülich’s Central Institute of Engineering, Electronics and Analytics helped develop the electronics in the detector. It ensures a significantly faster data read-out speed – the prerequisite for an extremely fast recording of images. In addition, only a few seconds of computation time are necessary to reconstruct the three-dimensional structure on the computer. This will allow researchers in future to follow ongoing experiments practically “live”. The nanotube that the scientists examined using an electron microscope com-
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prises rare earth elements. Nanotubes made of lanthanides – a different term for rare earths – are currently being researched because they are potentially suitable for electricity generation from waste heat as well as new catalysts. Chemical processes are often only made worthwhile for industry once catalysts accelerate reactions. “Electron tomographic studies with high temporal and spatial resolution could help to explain, for example, why nanocatalyst functionality is
lost over time,” says Vadim Migunov from ER-C. This would subsequently enable the production of nanocatalysts that function consistently, which could be used, for example, to generate hydrogen from water with greater efficiency or to separate harmful greenhouse gases from chemical processes. Methodological progress in the nanoworld can thus lead to advances in our everyday lives.
3,487
images of a nanotube were captured in just 3.5 seconds by scientists at the Ernst Ruska-Centre
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BRAIN RESEARCH
Changes in the Brain Caused by Depression X-ray images reveal if an arm is broken; lung function graphs show at what volume of air a patient starts to lose their breath. Mental illnesses, however, are usually not so easily depicted. Jülich scientists Dr. Sebastian Bludau and Prof. Simon Eickhoff have for the first time succeeded in revealing organic changes in the brain that are associated with depression.
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epression is one of the most widespread illnesses alongside cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, it is often difficult to find tangible organic evidence that a person is suffering from depression. This mental illness rarely has one single root cause. Often, it is due to a combination of several factors, such as genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalances, and traumatic events. Those affected also suffer from a variety of different symptoms: a feeling of inner emptiness, anxiety, sleeplessness, concentration disturbances, and a major lack of motivation. Diagnoses have so far primarily been made on the basis of symptoms. A study by Jülich neuroscientists now shows that
characteristic organic changes also occur in the brain during depression. Sebastian Bludau and Simon Eickhoff were able to demonstrate for the first time that in patients suffering from depression, there is a smaller amount of grey matter in a region of the frontal brain known as the medial frontal pole. They were able to prove this by comparing the magnetic resonance tomography images of 73 patients with the same number of images of healthy people. The images were assessed with the aid of special computer programs.
3D brain atlas as a basis for research Scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine used the brain atlas JuBrain – which was also developed at
Simon Eickhoff (left) and Sebastian Bludau demonstrated for the first time that many patients suffering from depression have a smaller amount of grey matter in the medial frontal pole of the brain.
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Forschungszentrum Jülich – as a basis for their research. In order to create it, ultrathin slices of the brains of deceased individuals are analysed by means of stateof-the-art image analysis, and compiled to make a three-dimensional model of the brain. Their research revealed that the examined region of the brain in the frontal lobe (known as Brodmann area 19) is not in itself composed homogeneously – as had previously been assumed. In its structure and also in its functions, the researchers were able to distinguish between two areas: one that is located more centrally (medial) and one at the side (lateral). When Bludau and Eickhoff analysed the volume of grey matter in both areas of healthy individuals and those suffering from depression, they found that the volume of the medial area was on average smaller for depression sufferers. In contrast, there was no measurable difference compared to healthy individuals in the lateral area. This ties in with what was already known about the functions of the medial region: “The medial frontal pole is involved in social-affective processes such as brooding or self-reflection, which are associated with depression,” explains Bludau. In addition, the neuroscientists discovered a connection between the duration/severity of the illness and the volume of this region of the brain. “The more severe the diagnosis of the illness and the longer an individual had been suffer-
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People with depression often suffer from anxiety or sleeplessness.
ing from it, the smaller the amount of grey matter in the medial frontal pole was,” Bludau reports.
Further studies planned The research conducted by Jülich scientists could thus offer a perspective towards a more substantiated diagnosis of depression. While this measurement alone is certainly not sufficient for a diagnosis, this study demonstrated that it was possible to recognize in two-thirds to three-quarters of cases – depending on the specific process – whether the data originated from a patient or a healthy individual. “Further studies now need to determine whether the reduced volume is a cause or a consequence of depression,” explains Sebastian Bludau.
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JuBrain: the Digital Brain Atlas “In addition to its clinical significance, the research also demonstrates the relevance of Jülich’s unique brain map JuBrain,” explains Prof. Katrin Amunts. For more than 15 years, the neuroscientist together with Prof. Karl Zilles and her team has been mapping the cerebral cortex and the underlying core regions. The maps of around 100 regions of the brain have since been made publicly available – a number that continues to increase. The maps of the JuBrain Atlas also serve as a basis for gaining insights into the genetic characteristics of the regions and the signalling molecules of the brain as well as the connections between the individual areas of the brain. A first prototype of the brain atlas, which will integrate all these various aspects, was recently made freely available to the public as part of the “platform release” of the EU-funded Human Brain Project.
www.humanbrainproject.eu/platform-release
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CLIMATE RESEARCH
A Chance Discovery for Climate Research Sometimes scientists have a stroke of good fortune and stumble across a discovery they hadn’t been specifically looking for. This was the case for an international team of researchers including Jülich scientists that was unexpectedly able to measure gravity waves in the upper atmosphere with the NASA environmental satellite “Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership”. In doing so, the team was able to gather important information for climate research.
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he Day/Night Band (DNB) sensor had originally been intended for observing cloud formations in space at night. Since 2011, it has been orbiting the Earth on board the environmental satellite known in short as Suomi-NPP at an altitude of around 800 kilometres. The sensor itself detects weak light in the visible and near-infrared region. Upon the evaluation of the recorded data, it emerged that the sensor is even more sensitive than had been assumed, as it registers a weak glow in the sky on moonless nights. The DNB sensor is able to detect what is known as a “nightglow”, which is produced in the mesosphere – a layer roughly 90 kilometres above the Earth’s surface – during chemical processes involving atomic oxygen, sodium, and hydroxyl radicals.
Sharp images from the mesosphere The weak glow in the night sky changes in a characteristic manner whenever gravity waves impact this layer of the atmosphere. Such waves are created in a stable atmospheric layer if the latter is disrupted by external stimuli – similar to how a stone dropped on a calm surface of water will produce circular waves. The “stone” in the atmosphere could, for example, be a tropical storm, a heavy thunderstorm, or simply air flowing over a mountain ridge. The team of international researchers has
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now observed for the first time how the eruption of a volcano also triggers such waves – a discovery highlighted in their results published in the journal PNAS. The air oscillations propagate sideways and upwards from such a source, and the DNB sensor is able to detect this wave pattern. The images are recorded with unprecedented accuracy, with the pixel dimensions amounting to just 740 x 740 me-
tres – relatively small by the standards of atmospheric and climate researchers. The unexpected data the sensor recorded are particularly revealing when combined with the measurements of a second satellite. This is where the scientists at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) come in to play: for a long time now, they have been using supercomputers to analyse the
Two satellites see more than one Gravity waves as seen by satellites
Suomi-NPP satellite
A thunderstorm causes energy to be released. This makes the atmosphere oscillate. Sensors on board satellites can track the path of the gravity waves.
Aqua satellite
space
mesosphere
cold wave front warm wave front measuring range
stratosphere
thunderstorm cell
troposphere
Earth’s surface
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Lars Hoffmann follows the path of gravity waves through various atmospheric layers.
results of an infrared measuring instrument on board a NASA satellite named Aqua. They investigate gravity waves in the stratosphere – i.e. at an altitude of 30–40 kilometres – and examine their influence on climate-relevant processes. “The combination of the various satellite data now allows us for the first time to follow the entire path of the gravity waves through the different atmospheric layers,” says a delighted Dr. Lars Hoffmann, who heads the JSC’s climate SimLab. “We are now able to observe the propagation of the waves from their sources at the Earth’s surface through the troposphere and stratosphere, right up until they break in the mesosphere.”
Impact on the climate When the waves break at this high altitude, they give off momentum and energy to the mesosphere. “And this is what makes them so interesting for climate research,” explains Hoffmann. The gravity waves ultimately control the major flows in the atmosphere. “The impact they have
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on the circulation of air masses has so far been insufficiently explained. This is a major source of uncertainty in the climate models.” The gravity waves are crucial for the exchange of energy between the lower and upper atmosphere; they influence wind, temperature, and the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. They thus play an important role in many climatic phenomena, such as the fluctuations of monsoon rains, El-Niño events, and the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. If their effects can now be better accounted for, the climate researchers’ models can be made much more precise, Hoffmann says.
Further improvements to the DNB sensor could also produce even better images in future. “The sensor was of course not built for this task; the recording of gravity waves was simply an unexpected byproduct,” Hoffmann explains. “If we were to now optimize the sensor for the purpose of these measurements, we would undoubtedly be able to record much more informative data.” Hoffmann is convinced that what started as a fortunate discovery can certainly be improved through targeted research efforts.
The discovery of gravity waves in the new NASA data was an unexpected stroke of luck. Lars Hoffmann | climate SimLab
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COMPUTER SIMULATION
The Birth of Elements Around 13 billion years ago – roughly 400 million years after the Big Bang – carbon and heavier chemical elements were created inside the first stars. Jülich researchers together with international partners have now simulated a key process in this creation from scratch.
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tars like our Sun are gigantic, extremely hot furnaces. Inside them, atomic nuclei bond to form new elements. For example, three helium nuclei – also known as alpha particles – fuse to form the element carbon. If another alpha particle is involved, oxygen is formed – another prerequisite for life on Earth.
Enormous computing power required In order to simulate the processes that lead to the formation of chemical elements, an enormous amount of computing power is required. Even the world’s fastest supercomputers have so far only been able to perform ab initio simulations of the creation of very light elements such as deuterium – a special form of hydrogen – and helium. Ab initio simulations do not require any parameters to be experimentally determined and are based solely on the underlying laws of physics. Previous simulations were therefore limited to re-
actions in which no more than five nucleons – protons and neutrons, the building blocks of atomic nuclei – were involved. However, more nucleons play a part in the birth of heavier elements. With every additional nucleon, the required computing power increases sharply. This is partly down to the fact that for every nucleon, the various quantum states that are theoretically conceivable need to be accounted for. This leads to a huge number of possible combinations and interactions. With the aid of a new computational process, an international team of researchers in 2015 succeeded in simulating a complex process in which a total of eight nucleons were involved: the deflection of two helium nuclei, also referred to as the scattering of alpha particles. The team used one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers – JUQUEEN – at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre for their calculations. The renowned journal Nature published the results of the scientists from
Without access to the Jülich super computer JUQEEN, our research would simply not have been possible. Ulf Meißner | Nuclear Physics Institute/Institute for Advanced Simulation
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Forschungszentrum Jülich, the universities of Bonn and Bochum, and two US universities.
The researchers’ trick Using a trick, the team of researchers lowered the cost of computation: “We placed the protons and neutrons involved onto a virtual lattice instead of freely into space. The state of the lattice can be calculated very efficiently in parallel using a large number of processors, such as JUQUEEN has,” explains Prof. Ulf Meißner, director at Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Nuclear Physics Institute and the Institute for Advanced Simulation. Using this method, the computation time no longer increases exponentially, but instead grows quadratically with the number of nucleons involved. The cost of computation for a system with 16 particles is thus only four times larger than for an 8-particle system. If the computation time increased exponentially – as previously the case – a supercomputer like JUQUEEN would no longer need only a few weeks, but instead require thousands of years. The fact that the trick with the virtual lattice works so well is down to a better understanding of the theoretical principles. “Over the last few years, particularly my colleague and former student Evgeny Epelbaum from Ruhr University Bochum and I have developed an improved theoretical description of interactions between nucleons that is tailored to this sort of
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Simulating processes in stars that lead to the creation of chemical elements: Ulf Meißner
troubleshooting,” says Meißner, who is the 2016 winner of the Lise Meitner Prize awarded by the European Physical Society. He also works at the Helmholtz Institute of Radiation and Nuclear Physics of the University of Bonn. A few years ago, physicists were able to investigate the basic conditions for the formation of carbon. Now, the new computational process has brought another goal within reach: the researchers are
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looking to simulate how oxygen is created from the fusion of an alpha particle with a carbon nucleus – a process that has been described as the “Holy Grail of astrophysics”. The method could also open new perspectives for simulations in the field of elementary particle physics, focusing on the behaviour of quarks and gluons instead of atomic nuclei. Quarks are the constituents of nucleons; gluons help nucleons to mutually attract one another. The new simulation process can thus be used to
help investigate how “life, the universe and everything” – as science fiction author Douglas Adams put it – was created from simple atomic particles.
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MATERIALS RESEARCH
New Steel for Energiewende Steam power plants need to become more flexible – increasingly often, they are only operated when there is not enough wind or sun as an energy source. Jülich researchers have developed a new type of steel that is better suited for start/stop operation than conventional materials.
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or decades, coal-fired power plants have covered the base load of the energy supply: they were permanently in operation in order to supply energy at any time – even in times of low demand. For this continuous operation, materials are required that are able to withstand the conditions in the power plant – 620 degrees Celsius and highly reactive gases – for as long as possible. In addition, researchers are investigating new materials that enable even higher operating temperatures. Why? “The efficiency of a steam power plant can only be increased with higher temperatures,” says Jülich scientist Dr.-Ing. Bernd Kuhn. And if the power plant is able to generate more energy for every tonne of coal or every cubic metre of natural gas, it becomes more efficient and environmentally friendly.
However, the transformation of the German energy sector (“Energiewende”) has created an additional challenge for steam power plants: they are started up and shut down at a more frequent rate. Whenever the wind is blowing strongly, power from numerous wind turbines flows into the grid and the generation of electricity from steam power plants is no longer worthwhile. The resulting start/stop operation of the plant damages components much more than during continuous operation. On top of this, “whenever the plant cools, condensate water accumulates in the pipes. If this happens repeatedly, the risk of corrosion increases,” explains Kuhn. The researcher from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research together with his team has developed a new type of steel that can withstand the frequent
load changes better than conventional steels, and also rusts less easily. “HiperForge” is the name that Jülich researchers have given to their new type of steel for steam turbine blades and high-temperature bolts. The first secret of HiperForge can be found in its special chemical composition. The product is based on another type of steel developed in Jülich, which has been used by industry primarily for high-temperature fuel cells and is marketed under the name Crofer 22. It contains additives of the chemical elements niobium, tungsten, and silicon, which combine to form precipitations in the steel, but Crofer 22 is not firm enough for use in power plants. However, the Jülich researchers were able to change this: they reduced the chromium content and adjusted the proportion of precipitations for use at temperatures of 600–650 degrees Celsius; the required heat treatment and forming process were altered in a targeted manner to produce very fine precipitations.
The secret behind HiperForge “The difficulty is in distributing the precipitations as finely as possible in the steel – otherwise it can become brittle,” explains Kuhn. The second secret behind HiperForge lies in the special forming process used to finely distribute the precipitations. The Jülich team with the Charles Hatchett Award (from the left): Prof. Tilmann Beck, Prof. Lorenz Singheiser, doctoral researcher Michal Talik, and Dr. Bernd Kuhn. On the right: Dr. Mike Hicks, President of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
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This forming process is not necessary for less sophisticated applications. Instead,
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If all goes according to Bernd Kuhn’s and his colleagues’ plan, pipes such as these will be made from HiperFer in the coming years.
the steels, which have been given the name “HiperFer” by Jülich researchers, are merely heat-treated after being manufactured. In doing so, they can be better welded or processed to pipes. “This heat treatment process ensures a uniform microstructure of the material, for example a near exact size and shape of the grains in the material structure. The mechanical characteristics of the steel are thus altered in a targeted manner,” explains Kuhn.
Prize-winning The British Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining awarded the Jülich materials scientists the 2015 Charles Hatchett Award, a prize that recognizes outstanding scientific publications in which the element niobium is involved. Ever since, industry interest in HiperFer and HiperForge has increased considerably. In order for HiperForge to be marketed on a
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larger scale for steam turbines, however, around twelve years of endurance testing is required. The new steel has so far completed roughly two years of testing. Until testing is complete, the aim is to use the time to ensure HiperFer and HiperForge are fit for other applications. Due to their particular resistance to corrosion and deformation strength at higher tempera-
tures, ideas are already in place to deploy the new steel types in technologies that use renewable power for the production of artificial natural gas and other energy carriers. They are also being considered for use in solar thermal power stations. The new material “made in Jülich” will thus be available for a variety of possible uses related to Energiewende in future.
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degrees Celsius – the temperature that the materials used in the power plant need to withstand.
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Research in Brief and when it is vitrified. Furthermore, the scientists have compiled a sort of “cook book” for developing novel colloids.
Simulation
Molecules with Dual Functions
this “waterway”, the researchers report in the journal Cell. Mutations of EAATS can be found, for example, in patients suffering from epilepsy or movement disorders. The molecules are therefore an interesting starting point for the development of medications. Soft matter
Colloid Cook Book A team headed by Prof. Christoph Fahlke from the Jülich Institute of Complex Systems discovered how a molecule in the membrane of nerve cells was able to perform two separate functions. The researchers analysed a family of transport proteins known as excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). One of its functions is to act as a sort of “clean-up squad”: after the messenger substance glutamate has transmitted a signal between two nerve cells, the proteins transport it back to the cell. This is because too much glutamate causes damage – as can be observed in the case of a stroke. The glutamate transporter also functions as an ion channel. When open, it allows negatively charged ions – primarily chloride – to pass through the cell membrane, thus altering the excitability of the nerve cells. Using simulations on the Jülich supercomputer JUROPA and conducting laboratory experiments, the researchers have now clarified what happens during this process. The EAATs assume various forms during the transport of glutamate. In its intermediate form, a section of the molecule can be shifted. This creates a pore into which water can flow. Chloride ions are able to cross through the membrane via
50
Soft colloids are nano- or micrometresized, dispersed particles or droplets of proteins and plastic molecules, for example. They are used, for instance, in cosmetics, dispersion paints, and foodstuffs. Scientists at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science are part of an international team that has developed a model system for soft colloids consisting of water and block copolymers – thread-like plastic molecules with a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic component. In water, they form a star-like shape, with the hydrophilic ends facing outwards. The level of softness of the model colloids can be adjusted over a wide range by changing the length ratio between the hydrophilic and water-repellent component. The model enables a better understanding of the connections between the atomic structure and the characteristics of the colloids. It is now possible to predict, for example, when a colloid solution is liquid
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
Staying Mobile with Small Magnetic Fields Many patients feel uncomfortable lying inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The narrow tube inside the scanner is a huge coil that generates magnetic fields. The interactions between magnetic fields and radio waves enable the patient’s tissue and organs to be examined. The same principle is also applied to NMR spectroscopy in order to analyse the molecular and atomic structure of liquids and solids. NMR devices tend to be large, expensive, and work with ever stronger magnetic fields to obtain as much information as possible. However, Prof. Stephan Appelt from Jülich’s Central Institute of Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, together with colleagues from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research and researchers from RWTH Aachen University, has discovered a way of producing similar results with considerably weaker magnetic fields. “For this low-field NMR, we do not require large and expensive coils. The scanner is thus made smaller and also suitable for mobile applications,” Appelt says. It could be used by industry, for example, to monitor chemical processes. The technology could also be further developed into a compact MRI scanner for medical purposes. In 2015, the researchers presented the most important component of their NMR prototype in the journal Nature Physics. The “external resonator” amplifies measurement signals and suppresses undesired noise.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
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People
Campus
Structural biochemistry
Parkinson’s Protein Halted
Materials research
New Path to Cool Chips Nanoelectronics
Detecting Cancer Cells Fast Molecules of -synuclein usually exist in a standalone and disordered structure in the nerve cells of the brain. If they instead combine to form fibrous aggregates, this is seen as a key process that leads to Parkinson’s disease. Scientists at the Jülich Institute of Complex Systems and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf together with a Swedish colleague have found a way to inhibit the formation of these fatal fibrils, thus providing a possible foundation for future therapies. The researchers focused on two segments of the molecule – beta 1 and beta 2 – that cohere easily with one another and can be found in the nucleus of -synuclein aggregates. In experiments, the two reactive segments were combined via a bridge consisting of two sulfur atoms, creating a hairpin-like structure. Molecules modified in this way no longer combine with one another and also prevent normal synuclein molecules from forming toxic aggregates in their surroundings, the scientists report in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The modified -synuclein also inhibits the accumulation of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes – an important insight to also help get to the bottom of similarities between these diseases.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Is it cancer or not? This is the all-important question whenever a patient receives an abnormal test result. Bioelectrochemical sensors could help to provide a quick answer in under an hour in future. Scientists from Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI) together with colleagues from the University of South Australia presented the new sensors in the journal ACS Nano. Silicon nanowire transistors are equipped with antibodies that specifically bind with molecules on the surface of cancer cells. If a liquid with various cells flows over a microchip with such sensors, the cancer cells cling on to the antibodies. This changes the measurable conductivity in the transistor. Even an individual cancer cell among ten million healthy lymph cells can be detected using this method, the researchers calculated. “We have developed a highly sensitive test that could be superior to previous clinical standards. But this is something we still need to prove in clinical trials,” says Prof. Andreas Offenhäusser, Director at PGI and Head of the Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility.
Achieving high performance without heating too much – this is what researchers are looking for in the development of new chips for computers and mobile phones. One material class discovered only a few years ago is capable of fulfilling this goal: topological insulators. They conduct electric current at the surface, but not on the inside, and therefore have a lower resistance and produce less heat than conventional materials. In addition, the electric current – depending on the spin of the electrons – only flows in one direction, which is significant for the development of spintronic devices. Scientists from Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI) and RWTH Aachen University reported in Nature Communications how such advantageous structures can be produced in a targeted manner with the desired properties. Prof. Detlev Grützmacher from PGI came up with the crucial idea: “Instead of alloying two different types of semiconductors to produce a topological insulator, we stacked alternating atom layers of both semiconductors by means of molecular beam epitaxy.” This enabled the researchers to precisely control and analyse which layer thicknesses are associated with which characteristics – an important step on the path to customized chips.
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Microscopy
Electrical Aura of Nano-Objects Over the last few years, a team of researchers headed by Prof. Stefan Tautz and Dr. Ruslan Temirov from Jülich’s Peter Grünberg Institute have considerably expanded the possibilities of scanning tunnelling microscopy. They succeeded, for example, in making the atomic structures inside molecules visible for the first time by attaching a single molecule as a sensor to the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope. In 2015, they once again caught the attention of the scientific community.
“Our new method allows us for the first time to quantitatively determine electric fields close to a sample surface with an atomic precision of less than a nanometre,” says Temirov. Such electric fields surround all nanostructures like a kind of aura. Their properties provide information, for instance, on the distribution of charges in atoms or molecules. The new method, known as quantum dot microscopy, also sees the researchers placing a single molecule at the tip of the microscope. This organic molecule comprises 38 atoms and serves as a quantum dot, which due to quantum effects can
assume only very specific, distinguishable energy states. The molecule at the tip of the microscope functions like a beam balance, which tilts to one side or the other. A shift in one direction or the other corresponds to the presence or absence of an additional electron, which either jumps from the tip to the sensor molecule or does not. The molecular “balance” does not compare weights but rather two electric fields: that of the nanostructure and that of the adjustable – and therefore known – field around the tip.
Publications Researchers very often make reference to significant publications, with the number of citations thus serving as an important measure of a scientist’s influence within their field. Jülich scientists performed well in this regard in 2015: Prof. Simon Eickhoff from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM), Prof. Björn Usadel from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Prof. Rainer Waser from the Peter Grünberg Institute, and Prof. Martin Winter from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research/ Helmholtz Institute Münster were all included in the “Highly Cited Research”
database of media company Thomson Reuters. The database comprises around 3,000 scientists from 22 disciplines. In addition, a current survey by the journal Lab Times, which assesses publications from the years 2007 to 2013, reveals that Jülich researchers count among the most-cited neuroscientists in Europe. Simon Eickhoff ranked 12th with 143 scientific articles and 6,891 citations, while JARA senior professor Karl Zilles came in 18th place and Prof. Gereon Fink from INM ranked 19th.
Jülich publications in the last five years Year
52
Total
in peer-reviewed journals
of which with researchers from other institutions
Books, other publications
Doctoral theses, habilitations
2011
2,115
1,363
1,013 | 74.3 %
651
101
2012
2,233
1,452
1,100 | 75.8 %
688
93
2013
2,414
1,485
1,175 | 79.1 %
825
104
2014
2,449
1,614
1,337 | 82.8 %
713
122
2015
2,483
1,738
1,458 | 82.3 %
630
115
Journals in which Jülich researchers published most frequently 2015
Journal
Number of publications
Physical Review/B
75
Journal of Nuclear Materials
39
Geophysical Research Abstracts
39
Physical Review/D
35
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
28
Innovatives Supercomputing
28
Physical Review Letters
27
Nuclear Fusion
26
PLOS ONE
26
Atmospheric Chemistry
20
NeuroImage
20
Fusion Engineering and Design
20
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Cooperation Pages 53 – 70
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
53
SUPERCOMPUTERS
The Computer Diplomat More than 50 scientists from 20 research institutes and companies across seven European countries are together developing a new and innovative type of supercomputer: one that is able to perform operations in a particularly fast and flexible manner while consuming less energy. Special expertise is required to bring together the partners from various fields of work and cultures around one table for such a joint project.
D
r. Estela Suarez from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) boasts these very skills: she coordinates the project’s activities and is responsible for its smooth running. Astrophysicists are interested in the physics of celestial phenomena, comets, and distant galaxies. This could lead to the assumption that they are not really specialists in earthly problems and human activity. However, this is not the case for Estela Suarez. Since 2011, the astrophysicist has been responsible for ensuring that more than 50 scientists – scattered all over Europe – are fully committed to the project and pulling in the same direction. The majority of these scientists are computer and software specialists. Their shared objective is to develop a new generation of supercomputers. For Estela Suarez, one of her main responsibilities is to stimulate and oversee communication between the teams of scientists. “Hardware manufacturers, software developers, and users have their very own special approach and also speak completely different languages,” she explains. “I try to ensure that they all understand one another in spite of this.” And she
Generally speaking, everyone is in the right; they just have differing views and interests. Estela Suarez | project manager of DEEP and DEEP-ER
54
a ppears to be having success: “Estela always finds the right tone in dealing with us nerds,” says Prof. Nortbert Eicker from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. Eicker knows how computer experts are often viewed as eccentric geniuses, not particularly communicative, and limited in their ability to cope with everyday life.
Many ways of thinking, many nationalities Whenever discussion between the project partners comes to a standstill, the expertise of project manager Estela Suarez is called upon. “Generally speaking, everyone is in the right; they just have differing views and interests for reaching the project objective,” she says. “However, it is the differences in the mindset of the researchers that have a stronger influence on the project than the differences resulting from their various nationalities.” Although the Spanish-born project manager also looks to build bridges in this aspect as well. She speaks Spanish, English, French, Italian, and German. “It can definitely be an advantage if you are able to speak to researchers in their native language,” Suarez says. This is particularly beneficial for the atmosphere of discussions, even if the common project language is English. The project requiring this very expertise is called DEEP-ER. Estela Suarez is responsible for coordinating this project, as she was for its predecessor DEEP. The acronym stands for “Dynamical Exascale Entry Platform – Extended Reach”. The prefix “Exa”, meanwhile, represents the figure 10 to the power of 18, or one quintillion. This is how many floating point operations per second (flop/s) the next generation of supercomputers is expected to be capable of. Flop/s are used as a measurement for the performance of computers, just as kilowatts – previously horsepower –
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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The Spanish-born project manager coordinated the European large-scale projects DEEP and DEEP-ER from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in 2015.
are for the engine performance of a Formula 1 racing car. The computing capacity of an exascale computer corresponds to that of roughly ten million conventional PCs. DEEP was launched in December 2011 with 16 partners. When project manager Wolfgang Gürich from JSC retired in April 2012, Estela Suarez was quickly established as his successor. She had been especially prepared for this role, with Gürich also passing on to Suarez his experience in the organization of projects as well as the management of scientist groups. “He was essentially my own personal mentor and showed me a lot of tricks,” Suarez recalls. She coordinated both projects from October 2013, including the complementary DEEP-ER project. Both projects ran parallel to one another for almost two years until DEEP was brought to an end in summer 2015. “It was fantastic to experience how the excellent interdisciplinary and international DEEP team successfully developed a completely new computer architecture, which had originally started as just an idea on a drawing board during a round of discussions,” Suarez explains. This architecture is important for enabling the next generation of supercomputers.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
In order to enter the exascale era, the performance of the current fastest computers in the world needs to be improved by around one thousand times. “This is difficult because previous solutions are starting to reach their limitations,” Suarez says. The fundamental aim of all approaches being made is to operate an increasing number of tasks in parallel. One such approach is Clusters. This approach sees individual PCs, also referred to as compute nodes, interconnected via a fast network. This enables, for example, a simulation to be broken down into several similar individual tasks that are shared among the compute nodes. This massively accelerates the solution of individual tasks, and therefore the entire operation also. Another approach is the use of special accelerator processors: they have many more processor cores than Cluster processors but each individual core is considerably weaker. Such accelerator processors are particularly well-suited for transferring and operating much less demanding individual tasks. In 2010, JSC head Thomas Lippert was the first to wonder: “What would happen if two different computer architectures were combined with one another?” It was based on this notion that JSC scientists developed the Cluster–Booster concept. In short, this
55
Cooperation partners DEEP/DEEP-ER Dublin Dwingeloo Leuven Rocquencourt
DEEP
DEEP-ER
• 16 partners • 8 European countries • duration: 2011–2015 • EU funding € 8.5 million
• 14 partners • 7 European countries • duration 2013–2017 • EU funding € 6.5 million
Jülich
Kaiserslautern Paris Heidelberg
Regensburg Garching Munich Amaro
Lausanne
Bologna Toulouse
Barcelona
Cyprus
COORDINATION Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
Israel
HARDWARE PARTNERS
SOFTWARE PARTNERS
USERS
Intel, Germany Heidelberg University, Germany Eurotech, Italy
ParTec, Germany Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, Spain German Research School for Simulation Sciences (GRS), Germany Mellanox, Israel FHG-ITWM (Fraunhofer Institute), Germany Seagate, Ireland
Cineca, Italy Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, Spain Universität Regensburg, Germany Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, Germany
c oncept works by running program parts that cannot be parallelized very effectively on a Cluster architecture. In contrast, the simple, parallelized program parts are run on a new kind of system consisting of accelerator processors that the researchers developed and named “Booster”. A special software system facilitates the allocation of program parts across Cluster and Booster and controls their communication with each other. It was then a case of putting the concept into practice. The Jülich researchers spoke about doing this with selected companies and European research institutes. An ambitious project of this size can only be
56
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Cerfacs, France The Cyprus Institute, Cyprus CGG, France Inria, France ASTRON, The Netherlands
implemented in collaboration with partners that can offer the required expertise and pose the right questions. “In addition to the new hardware, what we call “middleware” also ultimately needs to be developed.” The latter ensures that the researchers are more or less able to create and run their programs as usual despite the complex computer architecture,” explains Suarez. “Such a development can only be achieved in cooperation with experienced partners from varying scientific fields.” It is also important to involve the users of supercomuters – researchers who simulate, for example, the climate, the human brain, or material properties, Suarez adds. They in turn profit from this involvement, as it gives them the opportunity to mod-
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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ernize their software at an early stage and to adapt it to future supercomputer architectures. For hardware and middleware manufacturers, collaboration with the research institutes and users offers the perfect opportunity to develop and test new products right through to market maturity. “Cooperation in the projects is quite simply of enormous benefit for all partners involved,” says Suarez. In what was the next stage of the project, the partners had to apply for funds from the European Union. Estela Suarez, who had only just arrived at Forschungszentrum Jülich, assembled the various drafts of the partners into a unified work programme, adjusted the budget for submission, and negotiated the individual details of funding with the EU after a positive verdict was reached by funding reviewers. Most recently, DEEP and its partners received € 8.5 million in funds, while DEEP-ER, which runs until April 2017, again received € 6.5 million.
Prototype presented Despite such a promising starting position, projects like DEEP are not guaranteed to be an automatic success, but instead require the skills of a capable coordinator. Thomas Lippert emphasizes that such a project can only be successfully managed by someone who understands the true spirit of the research topic and can help to shape its content. “The project partners would quickly recognize a lack of expertise and subsequently turn their backs on the coordinator,” Lippert says. Scientific programming captured Estela Suarez’ imagination during her university studies. While undertaking her doctoral thesis in astrophysics, she wrote a simulation program for a detector on a satellite. “At Jülich, she subsequently acquired the necessary expertise about computer architectures extremely fast,” recalls Gürich. Suarez appears to be doing a great deal right in her computer diplomacy: the project partners in 2015 presented a prototype with a computing power of 500 trillion flop/s, built according to the Cluster–Booster principle. They tested the prototype and were able to demonstrate that it operates with the desired level of energy efficiency and can also be used in a very flexible manner. The researchers presented a second, smaller prototype called GreenICE–Booster at the start of 2016. A particularly innovative cooling function is used with this prototype. The electronic assemblies are immersed in a special, non-conductive liquid which evaporates even at moderate temperatures of
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
The GreenICE-Booster (front) has an innovative cooling function.
50 degrees Celsius. The phase transition from liquid to gaseous maximizes the cooling effect. This means that no waste heat is given off into space and the energy requirements for cooling are cut to about one percent of the overall system consumption. In contrast, this percentage amounts to up to 25 percent for conventional air-cooled systems. The DEEP-ER project is currently focused on developing a particularly efficient system for data input and output. Some applications, such as climate simulations, spit out not only few figures after calculations but a huge amount of data. If this in turn leads to bottlenecks, the system as a whole slows down despite its immense computing power. The researchers are also working on making the Cluster–Booster computer more fail-safe. This will be particularly important when in future, computers based on this concept are fitted with more processors than the prototypes as with a high number of processors, the likelihood increases that one of them will fail during an ongoing simulation. There have not been any failures to note, however, among the many partners involved in the project. “Their commitment and willingness to overcome communication- and content-related boundaries have made it possible to turn an idea into reality,” Suarez says.
500
trillion flop/s – the computing power of the protot ype presented by the project partners in 2015.
57
International Cooperations (EU) EU-funded projects involving Jülich in 2015,
Involvement in EU programmes within the Seventh Framework Programme and
with funding in excess of € 1 million
the European framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020
K
Acronym
Project title
EURO fusion
European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy
6,800,000
HBP
Human Brain Project
3,618,200
SoNDe
Solid-State Neutron Detector – A new Neutron Detector for High-Flux Applications
2,966,330
EU programme
Number of Coordinated approved by projects
Jülich share of funding (in euros)
Seventh Framework Programme Health
7
1
2,190,000
Food
16
–
3,085,000
ICT
16
3
9,715,000
NMP
16
3
9,022,000
K
ESMI
European Soft Matter Infrastructure
2,774,539
Energy
15
2
6,750,000
K
IMAGINE
Imaging Magnetism in Nanostruc tures using Electron Holography
1,984,340
Environment
10
2
4,892,000
Space
4
–
1,420,000
K
ProPlantStress
Proteolytic processing in plant stress signal transduction and responses to abiotic stress and pathogen attack
1,804,663
ERC
3
2
4,077,000
People
15
4
4,957,000
K
EPPN
European Plant Phenotyping Network
1,615,852
Infrastructure
31
7
24,527,555
K
POLPBAR
Production of Polarized Antiprotons
1,509,900
ERA-NET
17
6
4,530,000
CUSTOM- Custom-made biosensors – SENSE Accelerating the transition to a biobased economy
1,482,220
Joint Techn. Initiatives
11
4
3,393,000
EURATOM
14
1
4,000,000
COST
2
–
360,000
DEEP
Dynamical Exascale Entry Platform
1,443,509
EU-Russia
1
1
315,500
SMART GRIDS PLUS
ERA-Net Smart Grids Plus: support for deep knowledge sharing between regional and European Smart Grids initiatives
1,331,147
Science in Society
1
–
325,000
Research for the Benefit of SMEs
1
–
280,000
PRACE3IP
Third Implementation Project Phase of the Pan-European High Performance Computing infrastructure and services
1,284,042
Regions of Knowledge
1
–
72,000
Transport
1
–
62,000
K
DEEP-ER
Dynamical Exascale Entry Platform – Extended Reach
1,247,449
182
36
83,973,055
K
GREENCC
Graded Membranes for Energy Efficient New Generation Carbon Capture and Storage Process
1,178,580
3
–
7,051,453
24
3
16,397,946
EoCoE
Energy oriented Centre of Excellence for computer applications
1,174,480
1
–
53,948
PRACE4IP
4th Implementation Phase of the PanEuropean High Performance Computing infrastructure and services
1,078,969
Societal Challenge
15
3
4,638,902
Horizon 2020 total
43
6
28,142,249
K
K
K
SINE2020 World-class Science and Innovation with Neutrons in Europe 2020
58
Contract volume Jülich (in euros)
7FP total Horizon 2020 EURATOM Excellent Science
1,017,360
Industrial Leadership
K Projects coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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National Cooperations current projects in 2015 with funding in excess of € 2 million during the relevant project duration
Acronym
Project title
Funded by
–
Construction of a petaflop computer
MIWF
44,200,000
PetaGCS
Acquiring and operating supercomputers for GCS as a contribution to the national supply concept for Tier 0/1 as part of a European HPC ecosystem
BMBF
42,423,000
HESR
High-Energy Storage Ring of the future international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR)
BMBF
38,220,000
K
DPPN
German Plant Phenotyping Network
BMBF
18,342,495
K
BioSC
Bioeconomy Science Center
MIWF
17,872,137
–
Further development of a petaflop computer
MIWF
16,000,000
IAGOS-D
In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System, main phase
BMBF
5,434,534
HI MS
Helmholtz Institute Münster initial funding
MIWF
5,000,000
MeMo
High-temperature electrochemical energy storage systems based on metal–metal oxides for central and decentralized stationary applications
BMBF
4,421,590
AUFWIND
Algae production and conversion into aviation fuel: cost effectiveness, sustainability, demonstration
BMEL
3,155,501
VITI
Virtual Institute for Topological Insulators
HGF
2,900,000
SABLE
Multi-scale and multi-modal 3D imaging of high-performance electrochemical components
BMBF
2,900,000
HI ERN
Building project for Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg
StMWI
2,634,454
MIE
Molecular Interacting Engineering
BMBF
2,588,276
SenseUP
Spin-off project of Stephan Binder and Georg Schaumann HTSR platform GoBio
BMBF
2,535,687
MEET Hi-END
Materials and components for high-energy-density batteries
BMBF
2,516,692
HITEC
Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training in Energy and Climate Research
HGF
2,400,000
D3-Derivate
Helmholtz Validation Fund “Validation of Alzheimer’s therapeutic substances derived from D3”
HGF
1,996,211
LIST
Extensive light trapping in silicon-based thin-film solar-cell technology; subproject: Optical functional layers and transparent contacts
BMU
1,956,628
AttendPredict
How the human brain predicts the future: neuronal and neurochemical correlates of attention-based expectations in healthy brains and after strokes
BMBF
1,954,627
K
K
K
Contract volume Jülich (in euros)
In 2015, Jülich was involved in 377 nationally funded projects, including 177 with several partners. Twenty-nine of these alliances were coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich.
K Projects coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
59
Collaborations with Industry Number of industrial collaborations 334
363
294
339
312
79 89
60
81
76
284
274
250 231
218
Prof. Otmar Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association, and Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of KIT, visiting the Jülich stand at the 2016 Hannover Messe trade fair. From left to right: Dr. Holger Jansen, Andreas Schulze Lohoff, Prof. Otmar Wiestler, Dr. Carmo Marcelo, Klaus Wedlich, Dr. Vitali Weißbecker, Prof. Holger Hanselka 2011
2012
international
2013
2014
2015
national
Important industrial collaborations 2015
60
Industrial partners
Project
Sartorius Biotech GmbH
Development of all-new membrane-based chromatographic single-use systems for the industrial purification of monoclonal antibodies
AeroMegt GmbH
Development of a mass spectrometry process for atmospheric applications
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Optimization of a PEM electrolyzer to operate at low ambient temperatures
Syngenta Crop Protection AG
Proof-of-concept evaluation for the rapid measurement of canopy and productivity traits and application case studies in tomatoes using stereo-imaging and spectral analysis
MAN Turbo AG
Thermal barrier coating systems for cyclical temperature loads KONTEST-2
KIC InnoEnergy Germany GmbH
Development of optically active layers for photovoltaics
Nanotechnology Solar GmbH
Development of optically active layers for photovoltaics
Rolls-Royce Deutschland
Life cycle tests
Siemens AG
Elastic modulus characterization
Algae and other plants can be used as an alternative to crude oil for aviation fuel, as a raw material for the chemical industry, or for food products. To grow, plants need carbon dioxide (CO2). Forschungszentrum Jülich receives this raw material from RWE Power AG, which supplies it from its pilot CO2 scrubbing plant at the Niederaußem power station. Dr. Reinhold Elsen, Head of Research and Development at RWE Power, Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Prof. Ulrich Schurr, Head of Jülich Plant Sciences, and Dr. Ulrich Hartmann, Executive Board Member of RWE Power (from the left)
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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JÜLICH AACHEN RESEARCH ALLIANCE
JARA – Combined Expertise The Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA for short, is a cooperation model between RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich which is unique in Germany. It is able to overcome the simple juxtaposition of university and non-university research and teaching.
For Kids that Want to Learn In 2015, unusually young researchers were able to profit from the collaboration between RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. School students aged around 14 and 15 from the Gymnasium Am Geroweiher school in Mönchengladbach, who demonstrated particular interest and knowledge in the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – took
part in JARA-Kids. As part of a pilot project launched in September 2015 under the umbrella of JARA, they learnt a lot about how scientists work and above all had the opportunity to experiment themselves. Every two weeks, the nine girls and four boys would take turns to implement their own sophisticated projects at RWTH Aachen University and in Jülich’s JuLab Schools Laboratory ( see page 75).
For example, they built a functional fuel cell, worked with state-of-the-art radiotherapy, and got to know the supercomputers that simulate the neuronal networks of the brain. In doing so, they were always accompanied by experienced scientists. Following the successful completion of the pilot phase, an expansion of the JARA-Kids project is now being considered.
JARA in figures Budget
in millions of euros 500
Total
60
Amount invested Funds from the Excellence Initiative
1)
13.6
1) for the period 2012–2017
Professorial appointments
Joint Professorial Appointments2)
since 2006 53
2) as of 31 December 2015
Publications Publications of all institutes involved in JARA3) JARA-Kids offers school students the opportunity to experience science and research up close at RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Joint publications
2015 2,197 801
3) peer-reviewed publications, as of 31 December 2015
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Latest from the JARA Sections JARA, the alliance between RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, tackles complex issues with united research expertise and capacities. JARA currently comprises six areas of research:
1
3
Translational Brain Medicine
Sustainable Energy Research
Forces and Matter Experiments
JARA-BRAIN
JARA-ENERGY
JARA-FAME
The new international research training group (IRTG) “The Neuroscience of Modulating Aggression and Impulsivity in Psychopathology” is researching how the environment, traumatic experiences, personality, gender, culture, and genetic predisposition influence aggressive and impulsive behaviour in humans. The spokesperson for the training group is Prof. Ute Habel, RWTH Aachen University.
A research project led by Prof. Olivier Guillon, Director at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research and a member of JARA-ENERGY, is focused on new synthesis and manufacturing processes for inorganic materials. As part of the project entitled “Manipulation of Matter Controlled by Electric and Magnetic Fields: Towards Novel Synthesis and Processing Routes of Inorganic Materials”, processes are being developed to customize materials with the aid of electrical and magnetic fields for different uses, and to also change their properties in a targeted manner.
The differences between matter and antimatter discovered to date do not suffice to explain the “survival” of a sufficient amount of matter after the Big Bang. JARA-FAME scientists are hoping to gain new insights into the ratio between the two substances from their investigation of the differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos.
With the help of colleagues, JARA scientists Prof. Thomas Nickl-Jockschat and Dr. Claudia Eickhoff have revised a hypothesis of schizophrenia. Previous studies had suggested that a variant of the COMT gene is related to specific brain activation patterns with this disease. The COMT gene is the blueprint for an enzyme which, for example, regulates the substance dopamine. The researchers analysed 995 data sets from 14 studies on high-performance supercomputers, but were unable to discover an overall spatial connection in the brain. It appears that many more patients must be examined to draw well-founded conclusions, the scientists say.
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The focus is on energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and cost effectiveness. This project was chosen as one of 18 successful concepts from 87 proposals in 2015, and will now be funded as a priority programme by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
An important experiment in tracking down these findings is the international Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, which is currently being built in a mountain 700 metres under the surface in southern China. The core component of the observatory is a spherical tank filled with 20,000 tonnes of an oil that produces a tiny amount of light upon interaction with a neutrino. The tank is surrounded by roughly 18,000 highly sensitive photosensors in order to register such rare results. The experiment is expected to determine the mass hierarchy of neutrinos. The project has been partly funded within the framework of a DFG research unit since the start of 2016.
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Fundamentals of Future Information Technology
High-Performance Computing
Soft Matter Science
JARA-FIT
JARA-HPC
JARA-SOFT
A JARA-FIT project named “Magnetic Skyrmions for Future Nanospintronic Devices”, or MAGicSky for short, aims to produce energy-efficient computer devices. As part of the project, scientists are using an innovative concept for novel computer devices based on magnetic vortices known as skyrmions. In the first step, they are looking to demonstrate that exploiting skyrmions for information processing is fundamentally possible by means of a number of nanomagnetic components.
Modern simulations using high-performance computing generate huge amounts of data. The aim of project JADE – Jülich Aachen Data Exchange – is to develop tools to deal with such large amounts of data, and to realize their exchange between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University in a user-friendly and efficient manner. The project is focused on data exchange, archiving, security, multi-level data access, and flexible access to the data. HPC experts from various divisions are working together on the optimization of the system. The various elements are being developed into an overall concept across multiple locations that can also in future be flexibly adjusted to further requirements.
A team headed by Prof. Gerhard Gompper, Director at the Institute of Complex Systems/Institute for Advanced Simulation and a member of the JARA-SOFT section, is researching how bacteria move freely with the aid of thread-like flagellates. For example, a number of bacterial strains rotate near surfaces due to the shearing forces that develop between the calm surface and the moving mircroorganism.
The research group headed by Prof. Stefan Blügel, Director at the Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute for Advanced Simulation and a member of JARA-FIT, is researching the theoretical basis for doing so. JARA scientist Prof. Barbara Terhal received a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council for her project on quantum error correction processes.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
On the basis of mesoscopic computer simulations – an order of magnitude that lies between microscopic and macroscopic – a formula to predict such movements in an exact manner has now been developed. The findings could in future be used to separate various bacterial strains, for instance. Such a differentiation would be of interest for biomedical studies in particular.
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Cooperations in Brief Neuroscience
Soil research
Optimal Land Use
How can the yield of agricultural areas be increased without soil quality suffering as a result? This is a question that scientists have been tackling since October 2015 as part of the new funding initiative BonaRes – short for “Soil as a sustainable resource for the bioeconomy”. A total of 48 research institutes are involved in the initiative. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing € 33 million in funding for the project in its first three years within the framework of the BioÖkonomie 2030 national research strategy. Jülich researchers from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences are involved in the projects InnoSoilPhos (sustainable management of phosphorus) and SOIL3 (sustainable groundwater management), and are also coordinating the INPLAMINT project, which is investigating the interactions between plants, soil, and microorganisms. They are receiving € 1.85 million in funding for their research.
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Next-Generation Brain Scanners Images of the brain provide valuable information for the research of dementia disorders, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. A new positron emission tomograph (PET) that Jülich researchers are developing and looking to combine with a 7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is now expected to produce much more precise images than before. The aim is to develop a market-ready device that enables molecular, functional, and structural imaging with an unprecedented level of quality. The Helmholtz Association has set aside € 2 million in funding between 2016 and 2018 from its validation fund for the “Next generation BrainPET scanner for 7T MRI” project. Siemens, Inviscan SA, and Philips are also involved in the project as industrial partners. Supercomputing/Energy research
Supercomputing for Energiewende In October 2015, the Energy Oriented Centre of Excellence (EoCoE) commenced operations. The aim of this network of experts from the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 is to ensure that Europe’s supercomputing infrastructure can be better used for energy research purposes, thus accelerating the transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral energy supply. EoCoE is being provided with roughly € 5.7 million in funding, and is coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich together with France’s Maison de la Simulation. Twenty-three research teams from eight countries are collaborating on the project, including five research groups from Jülich.
Neutron research
Integrating Russian Neutron Source The project CREMLIN (Connecting Russian and European Measures for Largescale Research Infrastructures) is set to intensify European–Russian collaboration in the construction and utilization of large-scale physics research facilities. It was launched in September 2015 and is set to receive € 1.7 million in funding over three years as part of the EU research programme Horizon 2020. The Jülich Centre for Neutron Science is responsible for the neutrons work package, which is tasked with integrating the Russian research reactor PIK near St. Petersburg into European research. From 2018 onwards, this high-performance neutron source will create new possibilities to gain insights into the structure and dynamics of materials. The Institut Laue-Langevin in France, the European Spallation Source in Sweden, the Technical University of Munich, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht are also partners of the project.
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Structural biology
Focus on Harmful Protein Aggregates
The EMPHASIS project is investigating how the outer appearance of crops alters when environmental conditions change.
Climate research
Plant research
Flying Laboratories
Measuring Crops
Since spring 2015, a second Lufthansa aircraft has been carrying measuring instruments for climate research purposes alongside passengers. This means that six aircraft from five airlines are now taking part in the project IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System). This European research infrastructure, which is coordinated by the Jülich Institute of Energy and Climate Research, is gathering data worldwide concerning climate-relevant trace substances in the atmosphere. The measurement results are transferred to the IAGOS database at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Toulouse, France. The data can be used by research institutes from all over the world. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2013 included IAGOS in its roadmap of particularly important research infrastructures and is providing € 9 million in funding for the national collaborative project.
What a crop makes of its genetic makeup and environmental conditions, for example what yield it brings, is known by researchers as the phenotype. The major European project EMPHASIS (European Multi-environment Plant pHenomics And Simulation lnfraStructure) aims to understand the connections between heredity, environment, and phenotype, and how they can be used in plant breeding. From 2016, a European network will be created that is coordinated from Jülich. It links national platforms such as the German Plant Phenotyping Network (DPPN) together with institutes from France, Belgium, the UK, and other European countries, while also cooperating with users from the industrial sector. In March 2016, EMPHASIS was included in the roadmap of the ESFRI forum (European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures), in which the EU member states plan research infrastructures of central European significance.
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The aggregation of proteins occurs with various neurodegenerative disorders. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, it is not the long threads found in the plaques that appear to be particularly harmful, but instead their precursors. In order to measure these soluble A -oligomers in bodily fluids, Jülich researchers from the Institute of Complex Systems developed the sFIDA (surface-based Fluorescence Intensity Distribution Analysis) method. The method aims to make it possible to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier. sFIDA could also help to optimize the selection of patients for drug tests, and thus better measure the efficiency of the drugs. The project is receiving € 1.5 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and has also been funded by NeuroAllianz, a partnership of academic institutions and companies, since 2015. The EU is providing € 800,000 in funding and the international BAND (Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases) initiative $ 150,000 to investigate similar aggregates for other diseases, such as Parkinson’s and ALS.
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Plant research
Obtaining Resin Sustainably Agarwood is a Southeast Asian tree resin that contains numerous structurally unique substances for the aroma and fragrance industry. The strong international demand for the resin has led to illegal harvesting and reduced the number of natural populations. The trees, which are protected by international agreements, form the resin whenever their wood is injured and infested with fungi. In the collaborative project VIETWOOD, Jülich researchers at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences are investigating alternatives to overexploitation. Together with scientists from the Vietnam National University of Forestry Xuan Mai, Hanoi, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, they are developing techniques that can be used by the plantation industry for resin production. Furthermore, they are searching for methods to obtain the valuable substances biotechnologically using cell and tissue cultures. Roughly € 1.8 million is being made available for the project from 2016 to 2018. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology. Symrise AG is an industrial partner of the project.
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Fluorescence reveals important information about a plant’s metabolism. Shown above is the image of a jewel orchid (Macodes petola).
Plant research
Energy research
A View of the Field from Space
Platform for Energy Technology Materials
When the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Earth observation satellite FLEX is launched in 2022, its core component will be a spectrometer that is to a large extent based on development work carried out at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences – Plant Sciences. In late 2015, ESA gave the go-ahead for this mission to serve the interests of plant research. The fluorescent radiation given off by plants is set to be recorded worldwide. It is used as a measurement for photosynthetic activity and changes specifically when plants are under stress. The sensor for plant productivity and health is based on the HyPlant prototype, which was developed in Jülich and has already recorded similar data on board of aircraft. The Helmholtz Association provided € 800,000 in funding for the project. Partners from science and industry in ten countries are also involved as partners.
Seven Helmholtz centres are pooling their expertise and equipment to develop high-performance materials for the future energy supply. The establishing of the Helmholtz Energy Materials Characterization Platform (HEMCP) in 2015 created a virtual joint venture for researching materials for fuel cells and solar cells, catalysts, and power plant technologies. Forschungszentrum Jülich is coordinating the platform, which offers users from science and industry access to state-of-theart methods such as ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopy as well as ion and synchrotron radiation. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) are providing roughly € 39 million in funding for the project, more than € 15.5 million of which has been earmarked for Jülich.
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Neutron research
Optimal Use of Innovation Potential Structural biology
Wriggling Molecules Not even in a crystal lattice do protein molecules keep still. There is always a minimal residual movement, researchers from the Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS) in Grenoble, Purdue University in Indiana, and the Jülich Institute of Complex Systems (ICS) discovered. This is the reason why images produced by means of X-rays, which are supposed to reveal the structure of the proteins, are never as clear as would be expected from a perfect crystal. The results, which were published in Nature Communications, also reveal how to minimize the blurring of the images: the more tightly packed the crystallized protein molecules are, the less “wriggly” they are and the better the X-ray structural images are. Jülich’s ICS and IBS Grenoble have enjoyed a particularly close cooperation over many years, offering mutual access to scientific infrastructure as well as the exchange of expertise and personnel.
Forschungszentrum Jülich is receiving more than € 1 million to develop new methods and technologies for research with neutrons. This research helps in exploring and improving materials as well as analysing molecular structures. It is part of the infrastructure project Science and Innovation with Neutrons in Europe (SINE2020), which started in October 2015 with a planned duration of four years. The research is being funded as part of the EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020. SINE2020 involves research institutions from 13 countries. The aim of the project is to optimally use the potential of large neutron sources and to prepare science and industry for the possibilities of the European Spallation Source ESS. This neutron source will be available from 2019 and will surpass the radiation intensity of previous sources by several orders of magnitude. Energy research
Better Batteries for Less Project FELIZIA (solid-state electrolytes as enablers for lithium cells in automotive applications) aims to develop long-life battery cells with increased energy density and improved security while simultaneously reducing costs. Researchers at Helmholtz Institute Münster and Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research are combining simulations and experiments to research cathode materials with an increased rate of electron transfer and novel electrolytes. The project, which was launched at the beginning of 2016, is being provided with roughly € 1.2 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Additional partners of the FELIZIA project include the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the University of Gießen, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Jena, as well as industrial partners BMW Group, VW Group, BASF SE, and Schott AG.
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Fusion research
A Split Second of Solar Plasma
The aim of fusion research is to generate energy by fusing atomic nuclei. In December 2015, a more easily generated helium plasma was initially tested in the fusion facility Wendelstein 7-X. In February 2016, German chancellor Angela Merkel then switched on the first ever hydrogen plasma and started the first experimental phase with a discharge of around 250 milliseconds. Jülich scientists are investigating by means of measuring probes and simulations how the plasma, which has a temperature of 80 million degrees, interacts with the wall of the reactor. This is a crucial aspect for the operation of future fusion facilities. The superconducting connector system, which supplies the facility’s magnetic coils with power, was developed at Jülich, for example. The investment costs for the Wendelstein stellarator testing facility amount to € 370 million and are being shouldered by the federal and state governments as well as the EU. In addition to Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, 15 scientific institutions from Germany, Europe, the USA, and Japan are also involved in the project.
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RESEARCH FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Fuel Cells Driving the Way Forward From the lab to the roads – both industry and society profit when Jülich scientists put their expertise in fuel cell research into practice, be this through the founding of a start-up or in cooperation with industrial companies.
F
uel cell stacks can be used as combined heat and power units to heat residential buildings or to power cars with hydrogen in an efficient, emission-free, and silent manner. They are also the driving force behind a company founded by scientists at the Jülich Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK). In addition, fuel cell stacks have led to companies Daimler AG and Mann+Hummel collaborating with Jülich atmospheric researchers. The main mechanical component of the fuel cell of the world’s first series fuel cell car, the Toyota Mirai, comprises a coated metallic plate that separates reaction gases and coolants. At the same time, this “bipolar plate” conducts the electricity away and therefore has to have good electrical conductivity. Gold, for example, is currently being used as a coating material. The gold protects the plate from rusting too quickly in the moist and acidic surroundings, which are between 70–90 de-
grees Celsius in temperature. However, gold-plated metal is expensive and more than 300 of these plates are needed to power a car. This is why a much cheaper, but also heavier, alternative has mostly been used so far: bipolar plates consisting of graphite or graphite-plastic mixtures. In 2012, Vitali Weißbecker investigated various coatings for bipolar plates during his doctoral thesis at IEK. More or less in passing, he discovered a carbon compound that did not yet exist on the market. His doctoral supervisor Prof. Werner Lehnert recognized its potential for the cost-effective protection of metallic, and therefore light, bipolar plates. At External Funding and Technology Transfer (T), he learnt about the possibilities of how to utilize this research. The result was that T financed Weißbecker’s position for half a year in order that he could characterize the coating in more detail, a prerequisite for a successful patent application. The latter was successfully
Jülich researchers measured concentrations of pollutant gases on German roads with this measuring labora tory on wheels.
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filed in 2014. It was also through contact with Andrea Mahr from T that Weißbecker came up with the idea of marketing the coating in a new company.
Impressive entrepreneurial potential In 2015, T again financed Weißbecker’s position. Why? “We are convinced not only of the technology but also of Mr Weißbecker’s commitment and entrepreneurial potential,” says Mahr. “He has used the time with our support to develop a business model, take part in competitions for start-ups, and apply to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for funding from the EXIST research transfer initiative.” This approach has been hugely successful. Weißbecker and his colleague Andreas Schulze Lohoff from IEK emerged the winners of the start-up competition AC2. “More important than the € 10,000 in prize money were the many new contacts and productive discussions with entrepreneurs and consultants,” Weißbecker says. Since the start of 2016, the EXIST research transfer initiative has been financing four positions and material costs for Weißbecker’s project. It will continue to do so for a period of 18 months in total. Should Weißbecker and his three colleagues found a company by mid-2017, the second phase of EXIST funding, in which further material costs are financed, will begin. If all goes according to plan, this means that an 85-kilowatt fuel cell stack in a
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Looking forward to their own enterprise: Andreas Schulze Lohoff, Klaus Wedlich, and Vitali Weißbecker (from left to right)
car will no longer weigh 150 kilograms, as is the case when using graphite bipolar plates, but only 50 kilograms. This in turn will make the environmentally friendly car lighter, more efficient, and it will also need to be refuelled with hydrogen less frequently.
Pollutant gases pose a challenge The more fuel cell cars on Germany’s roads in future, the less pollutant gases there will be in the ambient air. Pollutant gases have an adverse effect not only on health but also on fuel cells. The Fuel Cell Research Center (ZBT) in Duisburg, Mann +Hummel, Daimler AG, and Forschungs zentrum Jülich have therefore been investigating which filters in future need to be installed in cars and how fuel cells can maintain their efficiency in spite of contamination from air pollution. For the joint project ALASKA, which is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Jülich atmospheric researchers from IEK in 2015 drove their measuring vehicle roughly 20
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times along a 350 kilometre-long route in North Rhine-Westphalia – through tunnels, over side roads, and on busy main roads. They recorded the concentrations of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, for example, at roughly three-second intervals. “Although pollutant gases are also measured by environmental stations, these data are mean values measured over 1 hour each. We, however, need to know the short-term peak values, as they are crucial to the contamination of fuel cells for a number of gases,” says Dr. Dieter Klemp from IEK. There are as yet no comprehensive studies on the concentration of pollutants on German
roads that outline both the long-term effects and the peak values. “Over the next few months, we will put into operation a new mobile measuring laboratory that also measures ammonia, a gas that is particularly damaging for fuel cells,” says Klemp’s colleague Dr. Christian Ehlers. The project partners will then be able to dimension their filters and fuel cells in such a manner that they are able to cope well with the adverse effects of pollutants to be expected realistically. This will potentially help the environmentally friendly and energy-efficient technology to achieve a breakthrough.
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the number of kilograms lighter a car with an 85-kilowatt fuel cell stack will be thanks to the newly discovered carbon compound.
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Patents and Licenses Jülich research focuses on basic topics and creates innovations which benefit both industry and society and which lead to protective rights and licensing agreements. Protective rights include inventions for which patent applications have been filed (patent applications) as well as patents granted.
Patent portfolio
Current patent activities
2015
2015
Patent families
New patent applications
2011 – 2015
551
535
553
526
501
8 European patent applications
27 international
PCT applications
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
The patent portfolio is described by the number of patent families and the total number of protective rights. A patent family consists of one or several patents in Germany or abroad which refer to one patentable technology.
6 German patents
patents abroad
total number, 2011–2015
16,159
16,897
17,559
17,956
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42 German patent applications
Patents granted
37 other
Total number of protective rights
total
total
158
115 national patents
from 17 European patent granting procedures
16,634
Licenses Total number: 87 2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
11 of which new The total number includes European and international patent applications according to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which each comprise several individual protective rights.
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23 from abroad (incl.12 from USA) 66 from SMEs Revenues from licensing and know-how agreements: € 442,000.
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People Pages 71 – 86
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COMPANY FOUNDERS
The Tinkerer and the Networker One wears a suit and a shirt, the other jeans and a T-shirt: they say opposites attract and this is certainly the case with Georg Schaumann and Stephan Binder whose expertise in different areas work to the benefit of their company.
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here is one all-important rule: “In everything we do, it is never about ego and only about who can do what better,” says Stephan Binder. His colleague Georg Schaumann nods in agreement and adds: “It all needs to serve the cause; any personal ambitions come second.” Two young entrepreneurs working in harmony; two men who find themselves on different paths but with a shared objective. Schaumann (34), who wears a suit, blue checked shirt, and smart, brown shoes, is more the manager type. Binder (32), father of two, sitting alongside him sports a beard, jeans, and T-shirt. “Georg has the right skills for the European stage. He’s communicative, to the point, and networks on a largescale – qualities that are less pronounced with me,” says Binder, who himself prefers to stay closer to the laboratory, prepare test experiments, and work closely with the team. “If processes are taking too long, for example, Stephan develops the missing component and solves the problem. In terms of technical expertise, he is simply amazing,” Schaumann says in appreciation of his colleague. It is an allocation of roles based on contrasting skills. “Even we were always amazed at just how well everything fitted together. It is probably the healthy mixture of contrasting and common strengths that ensures we work so well to-
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the number of awards Schaumann and Binder have received since 2013
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gether,” says Schaumann. This is backed up by the success they have enjoyed. The two biotechnologists have not only received various awards – most recently the North Rhine-Westphalian Innovation Award in February 2016 – but have already come very close to achieving their shared, major objective: to establish their company SenseUp on the market by mid-2017. The Jülich scientists have already received € 2.6 million in initial funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the GoBio programme.
Glowing bacteria The business model is based on a sensor system that is quickly and efficiently able to find highly productive microorganisms that produce large amounts of useful raw materials for foodstuffs, pharmaceutical substances, and chemical substances. For a long time, it was difficult to find the most productive among millions of cells. Conventional methods require weeks or even months to isolate and cultivate the bacteria. “With our technology, we can do it in a few days,” says Binder. To do so, the scientists implant a ringshaped sensor molecule in the cell. The molecule ensures that the bacteria start to glow whenever they produce the desired substance. The more productive the cell, the more fluorescent it is. While Binder is working together with eight employees on transferring the technology from the laboratory to industrial production scale, Schaumann is out negotiating with potential customers from around the world. “The academic world works on solving fundamental, technological challenges, the relevance of which often translates exactly to industrial users. When I speak to companies, however, they often tell me of completely separate problems and requirements.
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That is why it is so important to sound out the needs of the market,” Schaumann explains. Taking the step from the laboratory to industry is in itself a real learning process. “We are of course absolutely delighted with our glowing bacteria as a sensor system, but it’s a long way from making an academic discovery to establishing a functioning business model,” says Binder. On one occasion, for example, an investor approached the two scientists looking to expand the technology to a cancer-inhibiting substance. “At first we were absolutely thrilled,” recalls Binder. However, they then started to think about what the business model would look like. “Even if we had developed the bacteria for clinical studies, it would have taken years until we actually earned money,” says Binder. It therefore quickly became clear that although it was an exciting project, it was not a possibility at this stage of founding the company.
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The two company founders instead focused on what they will need as of July 2017 to make profit with SenseUp: efficient technology and a well-functioning team. “Without our employees there would be no SenseUp,” Binder explains. “We try to create a structure in which they are free to express themselves. Whilst we set the objective, it is down to the team to decide on how we arrive there. The success of SenseUp depends on the creativity of individuals.”
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On the path to success: Georg Schaumann (left) and Stephan Binder with their company SenseUp
Looking to the future with confidence Schaumann and Binder are not scared of going bankrupt. “Everything is going to plan and we have already achieved many goals on the path to market maturity,” says a confident Schaumann. The two scientists prefer to look to the future: “In the long-term, we are looking to grow and establish a thriving company. We have plenty of new ideas and plans.”
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JUELICH_HORIZONS
Promoting Young Talent juelich_horizons is a strategic concept for promoting young talent in which Forschungszentrum Jülich aims to encourage young people’s interest in science and research from an early age. Aspiring young scientists are provided support throughout vocational training or university studies while also being offered excellent conditions for a successful career in science.
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targets children and young people, starting with kindergarten children and covering all types of schools. A central element here is the JuLab Schools Laboratory.
is aimed at young people in their training and early career stages.
juelich_horizons encompasses four areas
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offers university students and postgraduates from Germany and abroad the opportunity to work in an excellent research environment.
aims to attract excellent early-career scientists with appealing research conditions and interesting career prospects.
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juelich_impulse: Promoting science for children and young people
The guiding principle of Jülich’s JuLab Schools Laboratory is that enthusiasm for science cannot be generated early enough. At JuLab, school students are able to conduct hands-on experiments themselves from soil research right up to superconductivity, all the while discovering a place that is the home of “big science”.
Ten years of JuLab In 2015, the Schools Laboratory was able to look back on ten years of successfully putting this principle into practice. During these ten years, around 40,000 school students had the opportunity to experience just how exciting research can be at JuLab. “The JuLab Schools Laboratory’s highly motivated team is thus making an important contribution to the promotion of young scientists in Germany,” said Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Bundes tag and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), during a ceremony in December. Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt emphasized how “JuLab at Forschungszentrum Jülich plays an important role in the promotion of the next generation of scientists.” It is also a key element for ensuring Jülich is networked with the region, he added. In 2015 alone, 3,957 school students from classes 4 to 12 conducted experiments at JuLab. Furthermore, JuLab is cooperating closely with schools from the region, such as in the innovative School Meets Science project, which saw 440 school students from four schools in the Düren district taking part in the 2014/15 school year. A long-term cooperation has now been established with the schools involved in the
Experimenting on the stage at the JuLab anniversary celebrations: “Ellen Einstein” and JuLab head Karl Sobotta
project. Roughly 100 teachers also take part in advanced training every year, while around 110 prospective kindergarten teachers attend the St. Nikolaus-Stift vocational college in Zülpich every year.
JuLab as an inspiration JuLab head Karl Sobotta has given a positive assessment of the first ten years. He
I don’t know if I would have chosen a technical occupation if it wasn’t for JuLab. Benjamin Haxhiu | mechanical engineering student at FH Jülich
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explains with delight how “we now meet a number of our former school students again as trainees or students here at Forschungszentrum Jülich.” One such example is Benjamin Haxhiu, who first came to JuLab in the sixth grade and showed great enthusiasm. He went on to complete an internship during the eighth grade and ultimately training as a physics laboratory technician at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The 20-year-old has since acquired his vocational school leaving certificate and has been studying mechanical engineering at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences in Jülich since October 2015. Looking back, he views the JuLab Schools Laboratory as a crucial inspiration.
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Forty-seven trainees from Forschungs zentrum Jülich celebrated the completion of their courses in September 2015.
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juelich_tracks: Training for the future
As their time at school draws to a close, students are faced with a number of decisions, for example “which career is the right one for me?” Forschungszentrum Jülich not only offers a broad spectrum of qualified training courses, but also helps students in their career orientation.
Finding the right training course In addition to the work placements for school students that have long been on offer, 2015 saw the launch of the career orientation programme as part of the state educational initiative KAoA. The aim of the initiative is to offer young people good career guidance in order that they know what to expect when they opt for a specific training course or studies. In 2015, 169 school students from three schools took part in the career orientation programme at Forschungszentrum Jülich. In addition, the head of the Vocational Training Centre sits on the steering committee responsi-
ble for the implementation of the KAoA initiative in the district of Düren.
Outstanding trainees Vocational training at Forschungszentrum Jülich provides the best possible foundation for a successful start in promising occupations. In 2015, 75 young people completed their training at Jülich. Twenty- three achieved the grade “very good” and 24 were awarded “good”; 20 trainees were able to cut their training short by six months due to their outstanding performance. One chemical laboratory
Vocational competitions and project work ensure the trainees rise above themselves. Ulrich Ivens | Head of Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Vocational Training Centre
76
technician even achieved the best possible result of 100 percent in his practical examination. The industrial mechanics also received a certified additional Euregio Competence qualification for the Dutch language as part of a cross-border programme preparing them for the job market in the Euregio region. Three former Jülich trainees are among the best in their year in North Rhine-Westphalia. Henning Rumpf, Markus Timmermanns, and Marko Nonhoff performed outstandingly well in their final examinations and were honoured at the event for the best regional trainees in 2015 in Oberhausen.
Karsten Beneke, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich (1st row on the right), Mathias Ertinger, head of Human Resources (2nd row on the left), and Heinz Gehlen, director of the Aachen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (1st row on the left) congratulated the 28 trainees who received their examination certificates in February 2015.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
Taking part in competitions In addition to their outstanding performances in training, Jülich trainees also take part in vocational performance competitions. Christian Linden and Mark Reuter, two new electronics technicians for industrial engineering, had qualified for the German vocational championships in mechatronics and were involved in the qualifying stages for the German championships of WorldSkills Germany. The Jülich team ranked 9th among 13 participants. Forschungszentrum Jülich is a member of WorldSkills Germany e. V., which promotes and supports national and international vocational competitions to motivate young people to give the best possible performances in training. Jülich trainees in the field of electrical engineering took part in the “xplore New Automation Award” with their project for the contactless charging of electric cars. This international competition organized by Phoenix Contact is aimed at students, technicians, and trainees. It seeks to establish a creative and innovative approach to automation technology products. Jülich’s Future of E-Mobility team developed a method within six months for wireless energy transmission for electric cars and was thus able to reach the final round of the competition. The team ranked as one of the top 30 out of 127 teams.
Dual study programmes incorporated into traineeships
Dual study programmes
Total duration in years
Years to IHK examination
Semesters to bachelor’s degree
Period between IHK examination and bachelor’s degree
Bachelor of Scientific Programming + mathematical-technical software developer (MATSE), IHK
3
3
6
approx. 2 months
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering + chemical laboratory technician, IHK
4
3
8
0.5–1 year
Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering + industrial mechanic, IHK
4
2.5
8
approx. 1.5 years
Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering + electronics technician for industrial engineering, IHK
4
2.5
6
approx. 1.5 years
Bachelor of Arts Business Administration + office communications specialist, IHK
3.51)
3
7
approx. 6 months
Bachelor of Engineering in Physics Engineering + physical laboratory technician, IHK
4.5
3.5
9
approx. 1 year
1) parallel to employment
Vocational training places new trainees 2015
Occupations
Jülich’s Future of E-Mobility project team reached the final round of the xplore New Automation Award.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
of which including a dual study programme
Laboratory technicians
25
6
Electricians
10
–
Metalworkers
12
2
Administrative occupations
14
4
Mathematical-technical software developers
26
26
Other
10
–
Total
97
38
77
3
juelich_chances: A platform for students and doctoral researchers
Undergraduates, postgraduates, and doctoral researchers make use of the opportunities Jülich offers them. They obtain scholarships, ably present data from their doctoral projects, and meet Nobel laureates. Forschungszentrum Jülich also appeals to students and young researchers from abroad, as was highlighted again by the number of people attending summer schools and scholarship programmes in 2015.
Invitation to Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau Early-career scientists only receive the opportunity once in a lifetime to go to the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Landau, which Nobel Prize winners from all over the world attend. Three excellent young women researchers from Jülich were selected for this meeting in 2015: Nina Siebers from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Dr. Saltanat Sadykova from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, and Yulia Arini cheva from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research. From 28 June to 3 July 2015, Sadykova and Arinicheva attended the 65th meeting of Nobel Prize winners, which aims to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences among various cultures and different gen-
erations. For both of them, it was a special time with many lasting impressions and new contacts all over the world. Yulia Arinicheva will continue to gain further international experience, as she successfully applied for a scholarship for a research project with the University of Bergen as part of the E.ON Stipendienfonds foundation’s German–Norwegian “Energy Sciences” programme. She is researching possible applications of rare earth orthophosphates for sustainable energy technologies.
HITEC presents 2015 Communicator Awards The Communicator Award handed out by the Helmholtz Graduate School in Energy and Climate Research (HITEC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich focuses on not only conducting excellent research but also presenting the results in a compre-
hensible manner. Three doctoral researchers were able to convince HITEC’s international Advisory Board in spring 2015. First prize (€ 1,500) went to Patrick Niehoff for his presentation on ceramic membranes for energy-efficient oxygen separation, while second place (€ 1,000) was taken by Cheng Wu for her work in the field of tropospheric research, and third place (€ 500) was awarded to Bugra Turan from Jülich’s Institute of Photovoltaics. The HITEC graduate school was successfully re-audited by a panel of international experts in 2015.
Excellent doctoral research In June 2015, Forschungszentrum Jülich bid farewell to 42 doctoral researchers during the “JuDocs 2015 – Karriere made in Jülich” ceremony. Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt reserved special recognition for the doctoral theses of four young re-
It was a very inspiring experience to see scientific pioneers up close and get a sense of the infinite curiosity and passion for science at the Nobel Laureate Meeting. Yulia Arinicheva | Institute of Energy and Climate Research
78
Yulia Arinicheva – fellow of the “Energy Sciences” programme
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Dr. Enno Kätelhön, Dr. Anja Klotzsche, Dr. Michael Rack, and Dr. Sabyasachi Dasgupta (from left to right) are among the top 5 percent of their peers. They were awarded the 2015 Jülich Excellence Prize.
searchers – three men and one woman – who were awarded Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Excellence Prize and each received € 5,000: • Dr. Anja Klotzsche from the Institute
of Bio- and Geosciences successfully used an electromagnetic geophysical technique for the first time that is able to demonstrate, for example, where and how fast pollutants spread in the soil.
Cooperation
fusion: the plasma, which is essential for the fusion of atomic nuclei, exposes the reactor wall to considerable loads. This in turn leads to the plasma edge repeatedly becoming unstable for short periods of time. In his doctoral thesis, Rack investigated methods of reducing these instabilities and their impacts. Rack is the recipient of a EUROfusion fellowship, which grants him € 140,000 per year for two years to fund his postdoc position at Jülich.
International programmes for students and early-career scientists In 2015, 39 scholarship holders (doctoral researchers and postdocs) funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) began their stay in Jülich.
People
• Six undergraduates from North Amer-
ica and the UK arrived in Jülich as research trainees from the DAAD-RISE programme offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). • Two scholarship holders of the DAAD-
RISE professional programme for North American students in master’s and PhD programmes stayed in Jülich in 2015. • Two fellows were funded in Jülich as part
of the NRW–Middle East scholarship programme for students from Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. • Three doctoral researchers stayed at
Forschungszentrum Jülich as part of the CsF-Alemanha programme offered by DAAD and Brazilian partners CNPq and CAPES.
Summer schools, laboratory, and compact courses selection 2015
Name
Location
Participants
• Dr. Enno Kätelhön investigated how
nerve cells communicate with each other. To do so, he allowed cell networks to grow on microchips. He developed novel sensor concepts to “eavesdrop” on them there. Together with his colleagues at the Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute of Complex Systems, he filed a patent application for the “spy chips”. • Dr. Michael Rack is working at the In-
stitute of Energy and Climate Research on a problem associated with nuclear
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
International participants
Total
of whom women
Total
of whom women
263
63
192
36
• Dr. Sabyasachi Dasgupta investigated
the interactions that occur when nanoparticles attach themselves to cells in order to be partially or fully accepted and absorbed by the membrane. His investigations were part of his doctoral thesis at the Jülich Institute of Complex Systems.
Campus
46th IFF Spring School
Jülich
JCNS Laboratory Course Neutron Scattering 2015
Jülich/ Garching
55
26
20
11
International School on Energy Systems – ISES 2015
SeeonSeebruck
39
17
32
15
Joint European Summer School on Fuel Cell, Electrolyser, and Battery Technologies JESS 2015
Athens
50
14
36
10
IAS School on Computational Trends in Solvation and Transport in Liquids
Jülich
41
11
13
5
Lattice Practices 2015
Jülich
30
5
18
4
24
4
24
4
Tutorium on Computational Solar and Astrophysical Modeling, CSAM 2015 JSC visiting students programme
Jülich
12
2
5
2
Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Summer School
Cologne/ Wuppertal
39
16
19
12
79
Doctoral Qualifications with Partner Universities 2015
80
Lead institution
Graduate school/research training group
Partner organizations
Further information
Aachen
Selectivity in Chemo- and Biocatalysis (SeleCa)
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Osaka University, Japan
www.seleca.rwth-aachen.de/
Aachen
International research training group: brain– behavior relationship of emotion and social cognition in schizophrenia and autism
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich, University of Pennsylvania (USA), DFG
www.irtg1328.rwth-aachen.de/
Aachen
Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science (AICES)
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich
www.aices.rwth-aachen.de/
Aachen
Resistively Switching Chalcogenides for Future Electronics: Structures, Kinetics, and Component Scaling “Nanoswitches”
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich (JARA)
www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/xve
Aachen
Integrated Component Cycling in Epithelial Cell Motility (InCEM)
RWTH Aachen University, University of DuisburgEssen, University of Sussex, Hubrecht Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Software Competence Center Hagenberg, ibidi GmbH, Gradientech AB, Andor Technology PLC
incem.rwth-aachen.de/index.html
Aachen
Functional Microgels and Microgel Systems
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich (JARA)
https://sharepoint.ecampus. rwth-aachen.de/vo/microgels/ aussen/Pages/default.aspx
Aachen, Bonn, Jülich, Cologne
Geoverbund ABC/J doctoral programme: Centre for High-Performance Scientific Computing in Terrestrial Systems (HPSC TerrSys)
Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, University of Cologne, University of Bonn
www.hpsc-terrsys.de/
Bonn
Patterns in Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Systems: Monitoring, Modelling and Data Assimilation (TR 32), (IRTG)
RWTH Aachen University, University of Bonn, University of Cologne, Forschungszentrum Jülich, DFG
tr32new.uni-koeln.de/index.php/ irtg/graduate-school
Düsseldorf
Interdisciplinary Graduate School for Brain Research and Translational Neuroscience (iBrain)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungs zentrum Jülich, Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (Düsseldorf)
www.ibrain-duesseldorf.de
Düsseldorf
Communication and systems relevance for liver damage and regeneration
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich
www.klinikum-duesseldorf.de/index.php?id=93900&no_cache=1
Düsseldorf
International Graduate School for Plant Science (iGrad-Plant)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Michigan State University, East Lansing (USA), Forschungs zentrum Jülich, DFG
www.igrad-plant.hhu.de/
Düsseldorf and Jülich
Heinrich Heine International Graduate School of Protein Science and Technology (iGRASP seed)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich
http://igrasp.hhu.de/
Jülich
Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training in Energy and Climate Research (HITEC)
Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen Univer sity, Ruhr University Bochum, University of Cologne, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Wuppertal
www.hitec-graduate-school.de/
Jülich
International Helmholtz Research School of Biophysics and Soft Matter
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Heinrich Heine Univer sity Düsseldorf, University of Cologne, caesar Bonn
www.ihrs-biosoft.de/ihrs-biosoft/ EN/Home/home_node.html
Jülich and Aachen (JARA)
German Research School for Simulation Sciences
Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, Helmholtz Association, MIWF, BMBF
www.grs-sim.de/
Jülich and Aachen (JARA)
Quantum-mechanic many-body approaches in condensed matter
RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich
www.rtg1995.rwth-aachen. de/cms/RTG1995/~ggss/ Das-Graduiertenkolleg/
Cologne
Cellular and sub-cellular analysis of neural networks
University of Cologne, Forschungszentrum Jülich, MPI for Metabolism Research
rtg-nca.uni-koeln.de/
Cologne and Bonn
Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy
University of Bonn, University of Cologne, Forschungszentrum Jülich, DFG
www.gradschool.physics.unibonn.de/
Leipzig
Epithelial intercellular junctions as dynamic hubs to integrate forces, signals and cell behaviour (SPP 1782)
Leipzig University, Forschungszentrum Jülich
gepris.dfg.de/gepris/ projekt/255103767
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
4
The ERC’s coveted funds are allocated solely according to criteria of excellence. Any early-career scientist whose doctoral degree was conferred between seven and twelve years ago and whose own independent working group is in a consolidation phase may apply. However, the competition is fierce. In 2015, 302 projects (15 %) – including 48 projects from German research institutes – were chosen for funding from more than 2,000 proposals submitted. A total of four young scientists from Jülich applied for funding. With
Campus
European Research Council Consolidator Grant awardees: junior professor Dr. Samir Lounis (left) and Dr. Hendrik Fuchs (right)
a success rate of 50 percent, Forschungs zentrum Jülich therefore lies considerably above the average.
Success for Jülich postdocs The year after completing their doctorate, early-career scientists can apply for funding from the Helmholtz Postdoc Programme. Two bright young minds from Jülich were successful in 2015. Dr. Alexander Grünberger from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences and Dr. Katherine MacArthur from the Peter Grünberg Institute will now each receive € 100,000 per year over a period of three years.
Young investigators groups at Jülich Helmholtz and Jülich young investigators groups as well as those funded by third parties from 2011–2015
2011
People
juelich_heads: Promoting excellent young scientists
Two young Jülich scientists received a particularly special boost to their careers in 2015: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Samir Lounis from the Institute for Advanced Simulation/ Peter Grünberg Institute and RWTH Aachen University as well as Dr. Hendrik Fuchs from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research obtained European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants. The grants are worth a total of € 3.85 million in funding over a five-year period. Hendrik Fuchs researches the degradation of biogenic organic compounds in the atmospheric simulation chamber SAPHIR; Samir Lounis investigates the suitability of complex magnetic nanostructures for information technology.
21
Cooperation
25
2012
18
2013
21
2014
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
18
2015
The previous years have been recompiled due to a revised counting method.
New young investigators groups Helmholtz funding for heads of young investigators groups provides the best possible platform for an academic career. In 2015, 250 young scientists applied for this funding, with 17 ultimately being chosen. Dr. Felix Plöger was one of the successful applicants in 2015. He will receive annual funding of at least € 250,000 over a period of five years. Plöger analyses the exchange processes of trace gases in the stratosphere in order to better understand and predict climate fluctuations ( p. 24). After three to four years, the Helmholtz young investigators group leaders are evaluated once again. If the evaluation is positive, they will also be offered permanent positions. Back in 2013, Plöger was awarded Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Excellence Prize. Helmholtz Institute Münster, which was established as a branch office of Forschungszentrum Jülich together with the University of Münster and RWTH Aachen University, also saw the launch of new young investigators groups in 2015: Dr. Nathalie Sick has headed a group concerned with innovation and technology management since February. Dr. Elie Paill ard has been the head of a young investigators group researching polymer electrolytes for modern battery systems since March 2015.
81
Personnel Executives have for a long time now searched globally for the most interesting positions. In order to attract first-class scientists and the best young talents, Forschungszentrum Jülich promotes itself on the international stage – from Jobinfo dag at KU Leuven in Belgium to the annual European Career Fair in Boston, USA. Jülich is also treading new paths, for example with the participation in an online recruitment fair for engineers. In particular, Forschungszentrum Jülich is aiming to fill more scientific positions with qualified women. To this end, concrete objectives have been set at different levels. Overall, the proportion of women in salary categories W2/C3 and W1 has increased considerably since 2012: from 18 percent to 23 percent for W2/C3 and from 22 percent to 43 percent for W1. The collective proportion of women for W1 and W2 appointments in 2015 amounted to over 36 percent. Further efforts are still required, in particular to also ensure the proportion of female professors in the top
For the second time, Prof. Hans Ströher, director at Jülich’s Nuclear Physics Institute, received an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in Brussels. The ERC is thus funding Ströher’s research into finding the electric dipole moments of the elementary building blocks of matter – and therefore the very foundation of our universe’s existence. The funding amounts to about € 2.4 million over a period of five years. The ERC awards Advanced Grants to outstanding established research leaders.
salary group (W3/C4) increases from 8 percent to a targeted objective of at least 11 percent. A diverse range of special qualifications for women is helping to ensure more women scientists are qualified for executive positions. As of spring 2016, the personnel development programme TANDEMplus will be continued as a JARA cooperation together with RWTH Aachen University.
The children of the Kleine Füchse e. V. daycare centre provided Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (back row, 3rd from the right), Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors Karsten Beneke (right), and Petra Jerrentrup, chair of the Kleine Füchse association (back row, centre), an insight into some of the new games at the extended daycare centre.
82
The programme aims to motivate highly qualified women postdocs for a scientific career and to support them along the way. In the one-year programme, which combines training, networking, and mentoring, the participants expand their scientific expertise and soft skills with particular emphasis on executive tasks. They receive individual support in the form of one-to-one mentoring from an experienced executive in the field of science. One of the main reasons executive employees – both men and women – come to Jülich and stay here is the career opportunities available and an outstanding research infrastructure. Employees also appreciate factors that improve their quality of life and in particular the reconciliation of work and family life. In 2015, childcare services were further expanded. At the start of the 2015/16 kindergarten year, the number of places in the daycare centre Kleine Füchse e. V. situated close to the campus was increased from 70 to 90, while the number of places for underthree-year-olds was doubled to 40. The additional space was created by leasing two mobile units on the Kleine Füchse site. This is only the first step, however. A new daycare centre building will be built on the Forschungszentrum Jülich campus, where up to 120 children will be looked after as of the kindergarten year 2017/18.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
Proportion of women employees at Forschungszentrum Jülich in percent (full-time equivalent)
2011 2015
2011 2015
36.2
32.0
24.8
Total employees
2011 2015
2011 2015
2011 2015
31.1
30.6
30.2 22.5
19.4
22.2 15.9
Salary grades E12 to E15Ü as well as those paid according to groups AT, B, C, and W
Scientific personnel
Overview personnel
Total senior positions
Total early-career scientists
Visiting scientists
As of: 31 December 2015
Area
Number of employees1)
Scientists and technical personnel
3,595
of which scientists incl. university students
2,048
• of which doctoral researchers
537
• of which scholarship holders
12
• of which student assistants
104
• of which joint appointments with universities2)
122 56
• of which W2 professors
52
• of which W1 professors
14
of which technical personnel
1,547
Project management organizations
1,029
Administration
699
Trainees and students on placement
361 5,684
1) only employees with a contract paid by Jülich, 2) excl. members of the Board of Directors The total number of employees declined by 84 in comparison with the figures from 2014. This development can predominantly be traced back to the merging of nuclear expertise at Forschungszentrum Jülich and AVR GmbH to JEN mbH, which had a particular effect on the number of technical personnel.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Germany 50
1) excl. Germany
• of which W3 professors
Total
2015: a total of 1,041 from 68 countries (in percentage terms) Asia 24
Western Europe1) 14
Eastern Europe 6
Other 2
The Americas 4
Prof. Kazuhisa Kakurai (right) from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency receiving the Helmholtz International Fellow Award from Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt, member of the Board of Directors of Forschungs zentrum Jülich.
83
Accolades 2015
84
Name
Accolade
Prof. Katrin Amunts Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
Listed by Business Insider as one of “50 scientists who are changing the world”
Prof. Mei Bai Nuclear Physics Institute
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award 2014
Paul F. Baumeister, Hans Boettiger, José R. Brunheroto, Thorsten Hater, Thilo Maurer, Andrea Nobile, Dirk Pleiter Jülich Supercomputing Centre
Hans Meuer Award (Best Paper Award) at the International Supercomputing Conference – High Performance (ICS’15) in Frankfurt
Dr. Gustav Bihlmayer Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute for Advanced Simulation Dr. Johann Haidenbauer Nuclear Physics Institute/Institute for Advanced Simulation
Honoured as one of the “Outstanding Referees for 2015” by the American Physical Society (APS)
Dr. Stefan Binder and Dr. Georg Schaumann Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
North Rhine-Westphalian Innovation Award in the category for early-career scientists
Dr. Alexandra Boeske Institute of Complex Systems
Barrie Hesp Scholarship at the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology: Autophagy in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
Marcus Brauns Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
Poster prize from the German Chemical Society’s Liebig association for organic chemistry at the 15th European Symposium on Organic Reactivity (ESOR) in Kiel
Prof. Christoph Buchal Peter Grünberg Institute
2016 Robert Wichard Pohl Prize from the German Physics Society (DPG)
Prof. Svenja Caspers Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
The city of Düsseldorf’s academic award for science
Dr. Sabyasachi Dasgupta formerly Institute of Complex Systems Dr. Enno Kätelhön Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute of Complex Systems Dr. Anja Klotzsche Institute of Bio- and Geosciences Dr. Michael Rack Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Excellence Prize of Forschungszentrum Jülich
Prof. Gereon R. Fink Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
2015 Max Delbrück Prize from the University of Cologne
Dr. Sarah Finkeldei Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Prize for the best doctoral thesis from the German Chemical Society’s Nuclear Chemistry Working Group
Prof. Dr. Julia Frunzke Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
2016 research prize from the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
Dr. Alexander Grünberger Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
2015 doctoral prize from the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
Dr. Johann Heidenbauer Nuclear Physics Institute
Honoured as one of the “Outstanding Referees for 2015” by the American Physical Society
Dr. John Kettler Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Appointed to “Junges Kolleg” of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts
Dr. Marina Khaneft, Dr. Olaf Holderer, Dr. Oxana Ivanova, Dr. Reiner Zorn, Dr. Wiebke Lüke, Prof. Werner Lehnert, and Dr. Emmanuel Kentzinger Jülich Centre for Neutron Science and Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Christian Friedrich Schönbein poster prize at the 5th European PEFC & H2 Forum in Luzern, Switzerland
Prof. Andrei Kulikovsky Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Christian Friedrich Schönbein Medal of Honour at the 5th European PEFC & H2 Forum
Dr. Jan-Philipp Machtens Institute of Complex Systems
Du Bois-Reymond Prize from the German Physiological Society
Dr. Achim Mester Central Institute of Engineering, Electronics and Analytics
Professor Dr. Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld Award for Young Researchers from RWTH Aachen University
Dr. Bernd Mohr Jülich Supercomputing Centre
Included in the list of People to Watch 2015 by the computer journal HPCwire
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
Name
Accolade
Andreas Müller Jülich Supercomputing Centre
2015 medal of honour from Aachen University of Applied Sciences for his bachelor’s thesis
Patrick Niehoff, Cheng Wu and Bugra Turan Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Communicator Award from the Helmholtz Graduate School in Energy and Climate Research (HITEC)
Prof. Andreas Offenhäusser and Dr. Svetlana Vitusevich Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute of Complex Systems
RWTH Innovation Award from RWTH Aachen University (2nd place) for the Cardiac Help team
Dušan Petrović Institute of Complex Systems
Award from the Serbian Nenad M. Kostić Foundation for Chemical Sciences
Eugen Pfeifer Institute of Bio- and Geosciences
Poster prize from the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) at the annual meeting in Marburg
Paul Prigorodov Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Hans Walter Hennicke Lecture Award (1st place) at the German Ceramic Society (DKG) annual meeting
Prof. Syed M. Qaim Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
Crest of Appreciation from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission
Prof. Willem Quadakkers Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Tammann medal from the German Society for Materials Science (DGM)
Dr. Michael Rack Institute of Energy and Climate Research
2015 European Physical Society PhD Research Award from the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society (EPS)
Prof. Dieter Richter Jülich Centre for Neutron Science/Institute of Complex Systems
Staudinger-Durrer Prize from ETH Zurich
Katrin Röllen Institute of Complex Systems
Poster prize from 2015 Gordon Research Conference on Proteins in Holderness, USA
Prof. Thomas Schäpers Peter Grünberg Institute
Teaching award for physics 2015 from RWTH Aachen University in the category “best independent teaching”
Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt Board of Directors
Honorary doctorate from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Andreas Schulze Lohoff and Vitali Weißbecker Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Main prize of business plan competition run by the association for new entrepreneurship in the Rhineland (NUK); 1st prize at AC2 start-up competition
Christina Schumacher Operational radiation protection
Women in Nuclear prize for her bachelor’s thesis
Prof. N. Jon Shah Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
Veski Innovation Fellowship from Monash University Melbourne, Australia, for the project “Quantitative Biomedical Imaging Transformational PET-MRI Technologies for Brain Research”; honorary doctorate from Georgian Technical University (GTU)
Nuno André da Silva Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
ISMRM Merit Award Magna Cum Laude from International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Prof. Lorenz Singheiser, Michal Talik and Dr. Bernd Kuhn Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Charles Hatchett Award from the British Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Prof. Hans Ströher Nuclear Physics Institute
Appointed a member of Academia Europaea
Prof. Andreas Wahner Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Honorary doctorate from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Dr. Wei-Min Wang Humboldt fellow at Jülich Supercomputing Centre
Young Scientist Prize 2015 from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)
Prof. Rainer Waser Peter Grünberg Institute
Honorary doctorate from University of Silesia in Katowice
Prof.Dr. Martin Winter Institute of Energy and Climate Research/Helmholtz Institute Münster
Carl Wagner Memorial Award from the Electrochemical Society (ECS); Battery Research Award from ECS; fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry
Dr. Alexey Yakushenko Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute of Complex Systems
RWTH Innovation Award from RWTH Aachen University (3rd place) for the Cardiac Help team Fedorov Project
Dr. Bernd Zimmermann Peter Grünberg Institute/Institute for Advanced Simulation
ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel Dissertation Prize 2015 from the German Physical Society’s Magnetism Working Group
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Professorial Appointments Appointments • PD Dr. med. Dr. rer. pol. Svenja Caspers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine was appointed W2grade professor at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. • Dr. Andrew Dingley from the Institute of Complex Systems was appointed adjunct professor at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. • Dr. Irina Engelhardt from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences was appointed W3-grade professor of hydrogeology and hydrochemistry at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. • Dr. Moritz Helias from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine and the Institute for Advanced Simulation was appointed junior professor for the theory of neural networks at RWTH Aachen University, Faculty 1, Department of Physics. • PD Dr. Patricia Hidalgo Jimenez from the Institute of Complex Systems was appointed W2-grade professor according to the Jülich model at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. • Dr. François Jonard from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences was appointed professor of hydrology and remote sensing by Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and the Earth and Life Institute. • Dr. Dr. Boris Musset from the Institute of Complex Systems was appointed W3grade professor at Paracelsus Medical University’s Nuremberg location. • Dr. Ghaleb Natour from the Central Institute of Engineering, Electronics and Analytics was appointed professor of measurement and testing procedures in joining techniques at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of RWTH Aachen University in accordance with the Jülich model.
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• Dr. Jeanette Orlowsky from Project Management Jülich was appointed as Chair of Building Materials at TU Dortmund University. • Dr. Wolfram Schenck from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre was appointed professor of computational engineering by FH Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. • Dr. Michelle Watt from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences was appointed W3-grade professor according to the Jülich model at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bonn for the field of crop root physiology.
• PD Dr. Simone Vossel from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine was appointed W1-grade professor according to the Jülich model at the psychology department at the University of Cologne for the field of cognitive neurophysiology. • Dr. Bernhard Wolfrum from the Institute of Complex Systems and Peter Grünberg Institute was appointed professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Technische Universität München.
Joint professorial appointments with universities* As of: 2015
University
FH Aachen
Jülich of which new model1) appointtotal ments in 2015 8
HHU Düsseldorf
12
RWTH Aachen University
46
Univ. of Bochum Univ. of Bonn
reverse of which new model2) appointtotal ments in 2015
8
7
7
1
19
7
1
53
5 10
Total
5 2
3
13
Univ. of Duisburg Essen
4
4
Univ. Erlangen-Nürnberg
2
2
1
3
Univ. of Cologne
7
1
1
8
Univ. of Leuven
1
1 1
Univ. of Münster
1
1
Univ. of Regensburg
1
1
Univ. of Stuttgart
1
1
Univ. of Wuppertal
5
5
Total
102
12
20
3
122
* excl. members of the Board of Directors 1) Jülich model: Scientists are appointed professor in a joint procedure with one of the partner universities and are simultaneously seconded by the university to work at Forschungszentrum Jülich. 2) Reverse Jülich model: Professors whose primary employment is at their university but also work at Jülich (secondary employment)
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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People
Campus
Campus Pages 87 – 105
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CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
Strategy Process of Forschungszentrum Jülich Research institutes regularly have to ask themselves: Are we doing the right things? And are we doing them in the right way? This applies to scientific goals as well as corporate and management culture. In order to set the course for the future direction of Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Board of Directors initiated the Strategy Process in early 2015.
T
wo strategic priorities will in future form the focus of research: information and energy. The aim is also to establish an even closer integration of the disciplines. “Our researchers are expected to create new developments across discipline boundaries and thus ultimately establish the foundations for new technologies,” explains Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt. “We have the best possible conditions for use-inspired basic research: excellent basic research, in-depth knowledge in various disciplines, and exceptional multidisciplinary networking,” Marquardt stresses. The approach is based on the strategic concepts of the institutes and an intensive exchange between all scientific and administrative divisions. It corresponds with the Helmholtz Association’s mission to contribute to solving the great challenges faced by society, science, and industry. The Strategy is set to be in place by the end of 2016. With “information” and “energy” planned as two strategic priorities, the Jülich concept is oriented towards
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participants at the Strategy Conference gathered ideas to improve corporate culture, cooperation, and processes at Forschungszentrum Jülich.
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two major social challenges that the federal German government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have identified as urgent. “The rising level of digitization is increasingly penetrating all areas of daily life. It both requires and enables innovations. With our expertise, we are able to promote this development,” says Wolfgang Marquardt. This not only applies to information technology, high-performance computing, simulations, and big data, but “concerns information as a guiding principle of science as a whole,” explains Sebastian M. Schmidt, member of the Board of Directors. “We want to expand quantum technologies and also the investigation of the structure and dynamics of materials. The same is also true for the coding of information in molecular–biological structures and neural information processing in the human brain.”
Transformation of the energy system In the field of energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich will further extend its research with respect to the energy transition (Energiewende) and the transformation of the energy system. In doing so, Jülich is supporting the German government in its aims to expand renewable energy sources, increase energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We view the safeguarding of a reliable, economic, and environmentally friendly energy supply as one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century,” says Harald Bolt, member of the Board of Directors. “To overcome these challenges, we are focusing on systems and value chains for selected renewable energy sources and storage technologies: from photovoltaics to electrolysis and
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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In 2015, the employees of Forschungszentrum Jülich intensively discussed the development of a new strategy.
novel battery systems up to and including Power-2-x2-Power technologies to store surplus energy in times of an oversupply of renewable energies.” In order to concentrate energy research on issues of the Energiewende, Forschungszentrum Jülich is planning to phase out reactor safety research and fusion research in close coordination with all partners and funders. Nuclear physics activities at Jülich are also set to be discontinued. This is a decision the Board of Directors has taken with a view to focusing topics and establishing a clear profile for Jülich’s research. The planned changes will be implemented together with the cooperation partners affected over an appropriate time scale. Closely associated with the topics information and energy is the bioeconomy, another future-oriented field which looks to establish an industry that uses renewables instead of fossil raw materials and also does not produce any waste. “The global population is growing continuously and thus demand for foodstuffs and raw and useful materials is also rising. Given the finite nature of fossil resources and the limited area of fertile arable land, a transition to a bioeconomy is required in order to cover this need,” explains Marquardt. It is here that the Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), together with its research partners in the region, is expected to play an important role in providing the required basic findings and key technologies. During the course of further development, BioSC is to be extended and expanded to become a national bioeconomy centre.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
The will for change One central aspect of the ongoing Strategy Process is the intensive participation of employees. Right from the start, employees have been invited to put forward their proposals. The first ideas for improving the corporate culture, collaboration, and processes at Forschungszentrum Jülich emerged from interviews with 160 employees, an online survey, and a subsequent two-day Strategy Conference with 200 participants. “It became clear that the employees regarded Jülich’s potential as very positive. However, there is also a feeling that this potential is not being fully exploited due to a lack of synergies,” summarizes Norbert Drewes, coordinator of the Strategy Process. “The involvement of the employees has shown that there is very great interest in the further development of Forschungszentrum Jülich and also a will to implement changes,” emphasizes Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors Karsten Beneke. The proposals are further developed and substantiated in various working groups. All employees are regularly informed about the ongoing developments and results. This includes personal discussions and information events as well a discussion forum and video messages from the Board of Directors on the intranet. Wolfgang Marquardt places great value on this open approach. He is convinced that “only a strategy shaped by Forschungszentrum Jülich as a whole can be a success.”
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SUSTAINABILITY
Jülich’s Sustainable Campus At Jülich, options for action are being researched and developed in order to ensure equally good living conditions for current and future generations. At the same time, the work being conducted at Forschungszentrum Jülich should itself also satisfy sustainable criteria.
W
hile scientists are making important contributions in the field of climate research ( page 22), efforts are also being made to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide on the Jülich campus. One successful model that has been in place since 2015 is the Jülich mobility concept, initiated as part of the Mobil. Pro.Fit project. The latter encourages employees to, for example, make the switch from the car to a bicycle or pedelec. In 2016, the first charging station for e-bikes powered by photovoltaic modules will be installed on campus. Charging stations for electric cars are also planned. Furthermore, employees forming car pool groups help to lower CO2 emissions per person. Passengers are able to find employees via the commuting portal on the Sustainable Campus intranet pages, which was set up in September 2015. In addition, Forschungszentrum Jülich also saw its fleet of six electric scooters expanded by the addition of four electric cars, two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and a light commercial vehicle with electric drive. In terms of employee mobility, such measures helped to save 300 tonnes of CO2 in the project year. On 23 February 2016, the regional council of the district of Aachen honoured the company mobility concept, which is being funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment using funds from Germany’s National Climate Initiative. However, this is no reason to rest on the success achieved thus far, believes Dr. Peter Burauel, Head of Sustainable Campus. “Our mobility team will continue to work on these topics even after comple-
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tion of the first phase of the project in order to make contributions to our climate protection concept,” he says. After Forschungszentrum Jülich compiled a sustainability report for the first time in the previous year, it became the 114th organization in Germany to commit to satisfying the criteria outlined in the German Sustainability Code (DNK) as of the start of 2016. This Code was formulated by the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), which had been set up by the federal government. With a declaration of conformity to 20 criteria in the fields of strategy, process management, environment, and society, as well as additional indicators, users report to what extent they are satisfying these criteria. In doing so, they are transparent in demonstrating what makes up the core of corporate sustainability within their organization. As the first member of the Helmholtz Association
to adopt DNK, Forschungszentrum Jülich has assumed a pioneering role. As a DNK Mentor, Jülich offers its experiences to other institutions. In addition, Forschungszentrum Jülich is involved in the LeNa joint project to develop a guide to sustainability management for non-university research institutes. The interests of science are represented on the steering committee of this project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, by Jülich Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt and Peter Burauel alongside representatives from the Fraunhofer Society and the Leib niz Association. The guide is set to be in place by the end of 2016. Eight criteria have so far been formulated for the concept of social responsibility in research. They include transparency, user orientation, ethics, and interdisciplinarity.
Ricardo Gatzweiler, Dr. Ellen Kammula, and Dr. Peter Burauel (from right to left) from Forschungszentrum Jülich received a certificate following successful completion of the Mobil.Pro.Fit project.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Excellent Platforms Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) JCNS operates neutron research instruments at leading international neutron sources. It is responsible for the development and operation of the Jülich instruments at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) in Garching near Munich, Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, and at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oak Ridge, USA. These instruments are also available to external scientists. In addition, JCNS develops several instruments together with international partners for the future European Spallation Source in Lund, Sweden.
Beam time allocated in days, rounded, 2015
759 allocated through
572 internal users
review processes, of which:
total
1,606 50 training activities
386 users from Germany 258 users from the EU
115 users from the rest of the world
225 maintenance/ development
Use of the JCNS neutron scattering instruments by external researchers 2015
Acronym
Instrument
BIODIFF
Diffractometer for large unit cells
80
DNS
Time-of-flight spectrometer with diffuse neutron scattering
40
HEiDi
Single crystal diffractometer on hot source
91
J-NSE
Jülich Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy
57
KWS-1
Small-angle scattering facility 1
71
KWS-2
Small-angle scattering facility 2
81
KWS-3
Small-angle scattering facility 3
61
MARIA
Magnetic reflectometer
34
PANDA
Cold triple-axis spectrometer
67
POLI
Polarized hot neutron diffractometer
35
SPHERES
Backscattering spectrometer with high energy resolution
46
ILL
Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble
41
SNS
Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge
54
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Days
91
Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility (HNF) The Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility at Forschungszentrum Jülich is the Helmholtz Association’s central technology platform for nanoelectronics. HNF’s mission is researching, manufacturing, and characterizing nano- and atomic structures for information technology. The nanoelectronics laboratory offers universities, research institutions, and industry free access to know-how and resources for fabricating structures, devices, and circuits – from the atomic scale to complex systems. The focus of work at HNF is resource-conserving “green information technology”.
HNF in figures
Usage times
2015
2015
Instruments
Time [h/a] 12,341
Internal users
211
Wet benches
External users
44
Scanning electron microscopes
5,476
Usage days
220
Reactive ion etching systems
4,186
Maintenance days
35
Characterization
3,017
Total usage time of all instruments in hours
41,129
Evaporators
2,679
Focused ion beam
2,445
External visitors
1,582
Oxidation furnaces
2,225
Vistec electron beam exposure system
2,000
Mask aligner (contact printer)
1,962
Fume hoods
1,706
Wafer sawing machine
1,031
SSEC wafer cleaner
1,031
Dektak 150 profilometer
680
Nanoimprint lithography
350
Ernst Ruska-Centre (ER-C) Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University jointly operate ER-C as a centre for atomic-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy at the highest international level. It is simultaneously the first national user centre for ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopy. The joint undertaking on the Jülich campus, which is named after the inventor of the electron microscope, offers scientists from all over
Germany a unique insight into the world of atoms and develops new methods for materials research. Around 50 percent of the measurement time on the five Titan microscopes (CREWLEY, HOLO, PICO, STEM, and TEM) at ER-C is made available to universities, research institutions, and industry. This time is allocated by a panel of experts nominated by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Users according to region, in percent, 2015
Europe 34
1) excl. NRW
NRW 20
Rest of world 30
Germany1) 16
Allocated measurement time on the electron microscopy instruments of ER-C1) in days
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Forschungszentrum Jülich
297
420
480
455
427
RWTH Aachen University
161
138
156
190
244
External users
266
463
412
471
686
Servicing and maintenance
178
150
220
373
233
Total
902
1,171
1,268
1,489
1,590
1) five of which are Titan microscopes
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Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) The Jülich Supercomputing Centre provides scientists and engineers working at Forschungszentrum Jülich, universities, and research institutions in Germany and throughout Europe, as well as in the commercial sector, with access to computing capacity on supercomputers, enabling them to solve highly complex problems using simulations. The John von Neumann Institute for Computing is responsible for
the scientific evaluation of projects. The Jülich supercomputer JUQUEEN ranked eleventh as one of the three fastest computers in Europe in the November 2015 TOP500 list, which is revised every six months and compiles a ranking of the world’s fastest computers. Forschungs zentrum Jülich operates JUQUEEN as part of the Supercomputing research programme of the Helmholtz Association.
pproximately 70 percent of the computA er is part of the national Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), which means that this part of the computation time is allocated to national and European projects through a well-established peer-review process. The remaining 30 percent of computing time is reserved for scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA).
Relative numbers of users in percent, 2015
2 GRS 6 NIC
2 GRS
international
27 Forschungs 44 NIC national
JUROPA/ JURECA1)
zentrum Jülich
JUQUEEN
48 Forschungs zentrum Jülich
1) Due to the change from JUROPA to JURECA in 2015, all factors have been converted to JURECA. Based on the GCS computing time periods Nov. 2014 to Oct. 2015 and May 2015 to April 2016.
Research fields of ongoing European projects
71 GCS and Prace Tier-0
Based on the GCS computing time periods Nov. 2014 to Oct. 2015 and May 2015 to April 2016.
User statistics core hours in millions (core-h), 2015
PRACE Tier-0, in percent, 2015
25 products
Supercomputer
Core-h
JUQUEEN
3,200 80
JUROPA/JURECA1)
and processes engineering
JUQUEEN
48 physical and analytical chemical science
27 condensed matter physics
The numbers are based on the PRACE computing time period September 2014 to August 2015 (9th call for proposals for project access). JUQUEEN was no longer available in the 10th PRACE call for proposals for project access, as Jülich had already fulfilled its obligations as stipulated by PRACE.
Coveted computing time 2015
Supercomputer
Overbooking factor 1.5
JUQUEEN JUROPA/JURECA
2)
2.5
1) The transition from JUROPA to JURECA took place in 2015. All core hours figures for 2015 were therefore converted to JURECA core hours. The first expansion stage of JURECA was available for July to October. The entire system was only first made available as of November. 2) Due to the transition from JUROPA to JURECA in 2015, an averaged overbooking factor was derived.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Work at Other Locations Forschungszentrum Jülich operates unique instruments at locations in Germany and abroad. This is in addition to institutes run jointly with universities, institutions for promoting young scientists, and the branch offices of the project management organizations.
F
orschungszentrum Jülich is represented at other locations as follows:
• In Aachen, Forschungszentrum
Jülich is represented via the German Research School for Simulation Sciences (GRS) and the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) ( p. 61). GRS GmbH is an independent subsidiary of Forschungszentrum Jülich. • At the research reactor in Garching
near Munich, where Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum is run by the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS)1), Technische Universität München, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. • At the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA, where JCNS operates the only non-American measuring instrument. • Forschungszentrum Jülich is a joint
shareholder of the high-flux reactor at Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, along with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in the UK. Jülich has a share of 33 percent.
Lund, Sweden. The aim is to establish a German branch office at ESS.
Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and HelmholtzZentrum Berlin (HZB). It focuses on research into renewable energy.
• The activities of the Peter Grünberg
Institute in the area of synchrotron radiation in Dortmund, Berlin, Trieste (Italy), and Argonne (USA) are coordinated by the Jülich Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (JSRL). • Project Management Jülich – as a
largely independent organization at Forschungszentrum Jülich – has branch offices in Jülich, Berlin, Rostock, and Bonn. P. 95 • In Düsseldorf, Technology Transfer
runs the branch office of the biotechnology cluster BIO.NRW, funded by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Research (MIWF) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. BIO.NRW initiates cooperation between research institutes, companies, investors, and policy makers.
• The Helmholtz Institute Ionics in
nergy Storage in Münster pools the E expertise of Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, and the University of Münster in battery research. • Since 1 September 2015, the Bernstein
Network Coordination Site at the University of Freiburg has been part of Jülich’s Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine with regard to organization and budget. The network, which comprises six centres in Germany and over 200 research groups, works on the elucidation of fundamental neural processes using computer models. P. 97
• The activities of Forschungszentrum
Jülich in India are coordinated by an office in New Delhi. • As a member of the Helmholtz Associ-
ation (HGF), Forschungszentrum Jülich is also represented internationally by their offices. HGF has offices in Brussels, Moscow, and Beijing. • The Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-
• Jülich coordinates Germany’s contribu-
tion to the design update phase of the planned European Spallation Source (ESS), which is being constructed in
94
Nürnberg (HI ERN) is set up as a branch office of Forschungszentrum Jülich and is operated in close cooperation with Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
1) JCNS is one of the institutes at Forschungszentrum Jülich. It operates neutron scattering instruments at the leading national and international neutron sources FRM II, ILL, and SNS as part of a joint strategy.
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Cooperation
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Project Management Project management is responsible for implementing research and innovation funding programmes in a targeted manner on behalf of public authorities. Project Management Jülich (PtJ) and Project Management Organization Energy, Technology, Sustainability (ETN) are located on the Jülich campus as largely independent organizations. PtJ supports clients in the German federal and state governments as well as the European Commission in achieving their funding policy objectives. Project Management ETN works exclusively as a project management agency for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Project Management Jülich With roughly € 1.4 billion in funding allocated in 2015, PtJ counts among the leading project management organizations in Germany. PtJ pools a broad spectrum of specialist expertise in four business areas: key technologies, energy, sustainable economy, and non-technology-specific innovation funding. Furthermore, it selectively expands its expertise in cross-programme activities. One such cross-programme activity is digitization, a subject that continues to gain in significance. This can be seen, for instance, with respect to the energy transition (Energiewende), where the central challenge is to restructure conventional power grids and energy markets
PtJ in figures
2015
projects coordinated
16,993
newly approved projects
5,478
funding invested
€ 1,407.4 million
employees
951
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
PtJ celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Berlin office together with clients, partners, political guests, representatives of Forschungszentrum Jülich, and its employees.
in such a way that they become “smart” and thus ensure that energy conversion and energy demand are interlinked in a manner that is oriented towards demand and consumption. This is the aim of a funding programme entitled “Smart Energy Showcases – Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition” (SINTEG) launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) launched in 2015 and coordinated by PtJ. Through this programme, BMWi is providing funding for model regions in the fields of wind and solar energy that develop solutions for climate-friendly, efficient, and secure energy supplies with high proportions of renewable energies and are able to demonstrate them on a large-scale. PtJ also successfully acquired new contracts in the field of federal state funding in 2015. For example, it undertook project management work for the Ministry for Education, Science and Culture of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This contract comprises the provision of comprehensive scientific support in funding excellent research using funds from the European Social Fund (ESF). It will also see research funding programmes implemented as of 2016 using the state’s funds.
On 18 November 2015, PtJ marked the 25th anniversary of its Berlin office during a ceremony with around 300 invited guests. On 1 November 1990, PtJ, or project management for biology, energy, ecology (BEO) as it was known at the time, began its work at the location in Berlin. The aim back then was to support the eastern German research institutions and companies conducting research to integrate themselves into the overall German research landscape. Furthermore, PtJ advised its clients in the development of non-technology-specific innovation funding programmes that were aimed at the specific challenges in the federal states of former East Germany. Non-technology-specific innovation funding today represents a central pillar of research and innovation policy. This includes nationwide initiatives such as the Leading Edge Cluster Competition, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s (BMBF) Forschungscampus (research campus) programme, and BMWi’s University-Based Business Start-Ups, all of which are implemented by PtJ. At its Berlin office, PtJ is also responsible, for example, for BMBF’s Research for Sustainability programme and
95
the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety’s National Climate Protection Initiative.
Project Management Energy, Technology, Sustainability ETN has worked for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia for 25 years now. The organization’s initial area of expertise – energy research – has expanded over the last few years and the number of employees has risen to 78. In cooperation with Project Management Jülich, ETN was awarded the contract to establish market agency LeitmarktAgentur.NRW. As a responsible authority, this agency is tasked with conducting funding competitions as well as the selection and approval of funding projects in the eight leading markets that are important for North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). During these competitions, interested parties are able to apply for funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) and the federal state of NRW. The response to the calls for proposals was huge, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises. This is highlighted by:
PtJ employees
31
divided by location, 2015
Rostock
366
545
Berlin
Jülich
9 Bonn
• more than 6,300 consultations; • over 450 project proposals involving more than 1,500 partners; • 120 project proposals were recommended for funding. Roughly 450 grant notifications are being compiled for the partners involved. • roughly € 150 million in funding is being invested in the projects.
Within the LeitmarktAgentur.NRW agency, ETN exclusively organizes, approves, and coordinates the state government’s climate protection competitions. The aim of these competitions is to accelerate the launch of products on the market that demonstrate a high level of energy efficiency and thus help to reduce emissions of climate-damaging gases such as CO2. In addition, ETN looks to support projects that promote municipal climate protection. These projects help NRW to implement its climate protection plan.
Funding projects from the eight leading markets Lead market competition
Sorted according by launch date
Project collaborations
No. of partners involved with their own grant notifications
Funding amount in euros
CreateMedia.NRW
October 2014
16
35
approx. 7 million
EnergieUmwelt.NRW
November 2014
27
72
approx. 26 million
NeueWerkstoffe.NRW
January 2015
12
53
approx. 23 million
Gesundheit.NRW
February 2015
15
63
approx. 23 million
Produktion.NRW
March 2015
18
78
approx. 21 million
MobilitätLogistik.NRW
April 2015
10
32
approx. 13 million
LifeSciences.NRW
May 2015
11
57
approx. 21 million
IKT.NRW (information and communication technology)
June 2015
11
54
approx. 16 million
120
444
approx. 150 million
Total
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Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
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Cooperation
People
Campus
Coordination Site for Computer-Assisted Neuroscience The Bernstein Network uses computer simulations to explore human thought processes. The network is coordinated by a working group in Freiburg, which was incorporated as a new branch office of Forschungszentrum Jülich on 1 September 2015. Named after the physiologist Julius Bernstein (1839–1917), the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience has been in existence since 2004. It consists of six centres and over 250 research groups in Germany that together are dedicated to one major topic: the elucidation of fundamental neural processes using computer models. This includes, for example, gaining a better understanding of learning and memory recall as well as processes that form the underlying basis of neurological disorders. Being able to unravel the code of the brain will likely require much more effort and computing capacity than the decoding of the human genome. A task as complex as
this one can only be overcome through interdisciplinary collaborations. The network’s researchers are, for example, aided by the Bernstein Network Coordination Site (BCOS), headed by Dr. Andrea Huber Brösamle. Forschungszentrum Jülich’s new branch office, organizationally a working group of the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), supports communication both within and outside of the network. It is the point of contact for the industrial sector and providers of third-party funding. The branch office also organizes central events, such as the biggest annual computational neuroscience conference in Europe.
Training for young scientists A further important task of the coordination site is supporting the next generation of scientists. For example, the Bernstein Network created the “SmartStart – Joint Training Program in Computational Neuroscience” together with the support of the Volkswagen Foundation in 2015. This
The team at the Bernstein Network Coordination Site headed by Dr. Andrea Huber Brösamle (2nd from the left) in September 2015, flanked by Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt, member of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich (first from the left), and Prof. Markus Diesmann, Head of INM-6 (right).
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
German physiologist Julius Bernstein (1839 –1917)
programme is aimed at physicists, medical scientists, biologists, engineers, and mathematicians who are on the verge of completing, or have just completed, their master’s degree. The aim is to add to their previous training with the concepts, theories, and techniques of computational neuroscience, and to ensure they are qualified for a doctoral thesis. Together with a mentor, participants develop an individual training programme where they can choose from a wide range of activities, such as workshops, courses, and laboratory rotations. BCOS supervises the participants, mentors, and lecturers, while also coordinating the SmartStart programme’s activities. In addition to the running of BCOS, Jülich also plays another important role within the Bernstein Network: the Jülich Supercomputing Centre’s Simulation Laboratory (SimLab) advises the network’s researchers on software development as the “Bernstein Facility for Simulation and Database Technology”. SimLab also teaches researchers how to make the most of the capabilities of modern supercomputers to find the answers to their neuroscientific questions.
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Finances Investments in science and research secure our future. Financing from public funds makes it possible for Jülich to conduct the independent preliminary research that is essential to ensure sustainable development. In addition to this, Forschungszentrum Jülich also aims to generate income from licences with its industrially oriented research.
Balance sheet in millions of euros, 2015
Assets
2015
2014
486.0
533.2
2.6
2.9
II. Tangible assets
483.2
530.1
III. Financial assets
0.2
0.2
B. Current assets
273.3
625.1
I. Inventories
37.4
35.1
II. Accounts receivable and other assets
55.6
26.0
162.0
551.7
18.3
12.3
4.4
9.8
763.7
1,168.1
2015
2014
0.5
0.5
B. Special items for subsidies
566.7
587.4
I. for fixed assets
485.5
532.7
81.2
54.7
133.9
516.0
I. Decommissioning and disposal of nuclear installations
48.9
432.4
II. Pensions and miscellaneous
74.7
66.5
III. Provisions for taxation
10.3
17.1
D. Accounts payable
61.4
63.0
1.2
1.2
763.7
1,168.1
A. Fixed assets I. Intangible assets
III. Government equity to balance the books IV. Cash on hand and on deposit with Deutsche Bundesbank, deposits with credit institutions, cheques C. Accruals and deferrals Total assets
Liabilities A. Equity capital
II. for current assets C. Provisions
E. Accruals and deferrals Total liabilities
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Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
Profit and loss account in thousands of euros, 2015
2015
2014
Income from subsidies
80,283
169,359
Other subsidies
-4,367
78,807
from federal government
-2,534
66,837
from state government
-1,833
11,970 84,650
Third-party project funding
90,552
45,204
50,426
from state government
9,242
4,741
from DFG
3,874
4,340
from others
13,896
15,002
from EU
12,434
16,043
from federal government
Revenues and other income
599,312
641,417
13,132
8,165
442
783
87,732
80,952
9,202
8,881
602
292
3,942
-3,115
937
921
483,310
278,470
13
266,068
Allocations to special items for subsidies
-84,325
-58,169
Transferred subsidies
-51,637
-46,998
Income from subsidies, revenues, and other income available to cover expenses
543,633
705,609
Personnel costs
327,891
313,053
Operating costs
53,789
57,414
Material costs
26,758
31,561
Costs for energy and water
21,859
20,218
5,172
5,635
128,234
331,439
30,761
1,767
2,958
1,936
Non-recurring expenses
0
0
Depreciation on fixed assets
0
0
61,420
61,295
-61,420
-61,295
543,633
705,609
0
0
Revenues from research, development, and use of research facilities Revenues from licensing and know-how agreements Revenues from project management organizations Revenues from infrastructure services and the sale of materials Revenues from the disposal of fixed assets Increase or reduction in the inventory of work in progress and services (of which EU € 4,042,000; prev. year - € 5,171,000) Other own work capitalized Other operating income Other interest and similar income
Costs for external research and development Other costs Other interest and similar costs Taxes on income and earnings
Depreciation on fixed assets Income from liquidation of special items for subsidies Total expenditure Result of normal business activity/Annual result
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
99
Revenues in thousands of euros, 2015
Area
Structure of matter
Earth and environment
Energy
Key technologies
Total research fields
Other revenues
Total
548
471
5,384
7,395
13,798
2,678
16,476
20
4,331
16,977
27,067
48,395
19,947
68,342
6
18
1,712
6,828
8,564
20,051
28,615
13
481
838
2,526
3,858
16
3,874
581
5,283
23,199
36,988
66,051
22,641
88,692
86
38
1,535
375
2,034
668
2,702
3,908
812
2,990
2,601
10,311
49,008
59,319
87,732
87,732
160,049
238,445
EU funding National project funding (excl. DFG) incl. transferred subsidies DFG funding Subtotal project funding Contracts, abroad Contracts, Germany Project management organizations Subtotal third-party funds
4,575
6,133
27,724
39,964
78,396
377,277
Institutional funding
33,847
incl. dismantling projects Total
615,722
Note Third-party funding is classified according to the funding body or client. In addition to the revenues obtained as subsidies from the EU or from commissions as listed in the profit and loss statement, assessments of work in progress are also accounted for. The composition of national project funding is listed in the above table “National project funding excluding DFG”. The breakdown into individual research areas is effected in accordance with accounting valuation methods with the purpose of transfer to the profit and loss statement.
National project funding
DFG-coordinated funding programmes
excluding DFG, in thousands of euros, 2015
2015
Projects
Number
Total
68,342
Total
42
from federal government
45,204
of which collaborative research centres
18
of which DFG priority programmes
18
from state government from other (national) sources
9,242 13,896
of which research training groups and other
6
of which
100
transferred subsidies
28,615
national project funding excl. DFG adjusted for transferred subsidies
39,727
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Revenues 2015 In 2015, Forschungszentrum Jülich’s third-party funding totalled € 238.4 million. Most of this third-party income resulted from research and development activities for industry, the acquisition of funding from Germany and abroad, plus
Cooperation
project management on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2015, Forschungszentrum Jülich also received subsidies from the federal and state governments (including charges in provisions)
People
Campus
amounting to € 377.3 million to cover expenses (i.e. for day-to-day operation) and to finance fixed assets (i.e. for investments). These include € 33.8 million for dismantling projects.
total revenues
238,445 third-party funding
615,722
377,277 institutional funding
in thousands of euros
33,847 of which dismantling projects
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
101
Bodies and Committees Forschungszentrum Jülich was established on 11 December 1956 by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. On 5 December 1967, it was converted into a GmbH (limited company) with the Federal Republic of Germany and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia assuming the role of shareholders. The task of the company is • to pursue scientific and technical re-
search and development at the interface between mankind, the environment, and technology, • to undertake or participate in further
national and international tasks in the field of basic and application-oriented research, especially precautionary research,
Bodies
Councils
The Partners’ Meeting is the principal decision-making body of Forschungs zentrum Jülich GmbH.
The Scientific and Technical Council (WTR) and the Scientific Advisory Council (WB) are committees of Forschungs zentrum Jülich. WTR advises the Partners’ Meeting, the Supervisory Board, and the Board of Directors on all issues associated with the strategic orientation of Forschungszentrum Jülich and on all scientific and technical issues of general importance.
The Supervisory Board as a body supervises the lawfulness, expedience, and economic efficiency of the company’s management. It makes decisions on important research-related and financial issues of the company. The Board of Directors conducts Forschungszentrum Jülich’s business pursuant to the Articles of Association. It reports to the Supervisory Board.
• to cooperate with science and industry
in these fields of research and to communicate know-how to society as part of technology transfer.
The Scientific Advisory Council advises Forschungszentrum Jülich on all scientific and technical issues of general importance. This includes Jülich’s strategy and the planning of research and development activities, promoting the optimal use of research facilities, and issues related to collaborations with universities and other research institutions. The Scientific Advisory Council consists of members who are not employees of Forschungszentrum Jülich. The chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council is a member of the Supervisory Board.
Partners’ Meeting The Partners’ Meeting is chaired by the German federal government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Supervisory Board MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Chairman Federal Ministry of Education and Research State Secretary Dr. Thomas Grünewald Vice-Chairman Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
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Dr.-Ing. Manfred Bayerlein Entrepreneur Prof. Dr. Ulrike Beisiegel Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Berens University of Münster
MinDirig Berthold Goeke Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU) State Secretary Peter Knitsch Ministry of Climate Protection, Environ ment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
Dr. Arnd Jürgen Kuhn Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Bioand Geosciences
Prof. Dr. Uwe Pietrzyk Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine
N.N. Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy
Dr. Heike Riel IBM Research – Zurich
People
Campus
Dr. Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph Federal Ministry of Education and Research
www.fz-juelich.de/portal/EN/AboutUs/organizational_structure/CompanyBodies/SupervisoryBoard/_node.html
Executive Board (Board of Directors) Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt Chairman
Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt Member of the Board of Directors
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt Member of the Board of Directors
Karsten Beneke Vice-Chairman www.fz-juelich.de/portal/EN/AboutUs/organizational_structure/CompanyBodies/BoardOfDirectors/_node.html
Scientific and Technical Council 1 Prof. Dr. Hans Ströher Chairman Nuclear Physics Institute
Prof. Dr. Astrid Kiendler-Scharr Vice-Chair Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Prof. Dr. Markus Büscher Vice-Chairman Peter Grünberg Institute
www.fz-juelich.de/portal/EN/AboutUs/organizational_structure/committees/ScientificAndTechnicalCouncil/_node.html
Scientific Advisory Council Prof. Dr. Thomas Roser Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA
Dr. Heike Riel Chair IBM, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Toni M. Kutchan Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA
Prof. Barbara Chapman University of Houston, USA
Prof. Dr. Karen Maex University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dr. Frank-Detlef Drake RWE AG, Germany
Dr. Peter Nagler Evonik AG, Germany
Prof. Dr. Horst Simon Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Knoll AIT, Austria
Prof. Dr. Eva Pebay-Peyroula ANR, France
Prof. Dr. Metin Tolan TU Dortmund University, Germany
Prof. Dr. Elke Scheer University of Konstanz, Germany
www.fz-juelich.de/portal/EN/AboutUs/organizational_structure/committees/scientific-advisory-council/_node.html 1) in accordance with Articles of Association
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
103
Organization Chart Partners’ Meeting Partners: Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research; North Rhine-Westphalia, represented by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research
Supervisory Board Chairman MinDir Dr. K. E. Huthmacher
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Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Science; External Relations Prof. W. Marquardt (Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Scientific Division I Prof. S. M. Schmidt (Member of the Board of Directors)
Information and Communications Management A. Bernhardt
Institute of Complex Systems Prof. J. K. G. Dhont, Prof. C. Fahlke, Prof. J. Fitter (acting), Prof. G. Gompper, Prof. R. Merkel, Prof. A. Offenhäusser, Prof. D. Willbold, Dr. A. Wischnewski (acting)
Corporate Development Dr. N. Drewes
Nuclear Physics Institute Prof. M. Bai, Prof. U.-G. Meißner, Prof. J. Ritman, Prof. H. Ströher
Corporate Communications Dr. A. Rother
Institute for Advanced Simulation Prof. S. Blügel, Prof. P. Carloni, Prof. M. Diesmann, Prof. D. DiVincenzo, Prof. G. Gompper, Prof. Th. Lippert, Prof. U.-G. Meißner
Staff Units
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Prof. K. Amunts, Prof. A. Bauer (acting), Prof. P. Carloni, Prof. M. Diesmann, Prof. G. R. Fink, Prof. U. Habel, Prof. K. Konrad, Prof. B. Neumaier, Prof. F. Schneider, Prof. J. B. Schultz, Prof. N.-J. Shah, Prof. D. Sturma, Prof. P. Tass
International Relations I. Wetcke (acting)
Jülich Centre for Neutron Science Prof. Th. Brückel, Dr. A. Wischnewski (acting)
Office of the Board of Directors I. Wetcke
Peter Grünberg Institute Prof. H. Bluhm, Prof. S. Blügel, Prof. Th. Brückel, Prof. D. DiVincenzo, Prof. R. E. Dunin-Borkowski, Prof. D. A. Grützmacher, Prof. T. Noll, Prof. A. Offenhäusser, Prof. C. M. Schneider, Prof. S. Tautz, Prof. R. Waser, Prof. M. Wuttig
Sustainable Campus Dr. P. Burauel
IT-Services F. Bläsen
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Research
Cooperation
People
Campus
As of: May 2016
Scientific Advisory Council
Scientific and Technical Council
Chairman Dr. H. Riel
Chairman Prof. H. Ströher
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Scientific Division II Prof. H. Bolt (Member of the Board of Directors)
Infrastructure K. Beneke (Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Institute of Bio- and Geosciences Prof. W. Amelung, Prof. M. Bott, Prof. K.-E. Jaeger, Prof. J. Pietruszka, Prof. U. Schurr, Prof. B. Usadel, Prof. J. Vanderborght, Prof. H. Vereecken, Prof. M. Watt, Prof. W. Wiechert
Personnel Dr. M. Ertinger
Finance and Controlling R. Kellermann
Institute of Energy and Climate Research Prof. H.-J. Allelein, Prof. D. Bosbach, Prof. R.-A. Eichel, Prof. O. Guillon, Prof. J.-Fr. Hake, Prof. A. Kiendler-Scharr, Prof. Ch. Linsmeier, Prof. K.-J. Mayrhofer, N.N, Prof. U. Rau, Prof. M. Riese, Prof. U. Samm, Prof. L. Singheiser, Prof. D. Stolten, Prof. A. Wahner, Prof. P. Wasserscheid, Prof. M. Winter
Purchasing and Materials J. Sondermann
Law and Patents Ch. Naumann
Central Institute of Engineering, Electronics and Analytics Dr. S. Küppers, Prof. G. Natour, Prof. S. van Waasen
Organization and Planning A. Emondts
External Funding and Technology Transfer Dr. T. Voß
Central Library Dr. B. Mittermaier
Technical Infrastructure Dr. G. Damm
Safety and Radiation Protection B. Heuel-Fabianek
Building and Property Management M. Franken
Planning and Building Services J. Kuchenbecker
Project Management Organizations Project Management Jülich Dr. Ch. Stienen
Project Management Organization Energy, Technology, Sustainability Dr. B. Steingrobe
Staff unit Auditing U. Kalisch
Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
105
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Media
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Forschungszentrum Jülich Annual Report 2015
Impressions from 60 years of research Forschungszentrum Jülich is celebrating its 60th anniversary – an opportunity to look back at how it has developed over the decades. Visit our online exhibition: historie.fz-juelich.de/60jahre/EN/Home/home_node.html
Cover image
Page 21 | Research
Page 53 | Cooperation
1958
1964
1972
The laying of the foundation stone for the MERLIN research reactor by Fritz Steinhoff, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia; this is also regarded as the foundation of the entire facility.
Apparatus and operators for a chemical experiment
First official visit from the People’s Republic of China: the engineering scientist Prof. Zhang Wei from Tsinghua University, Beijing, visited Jülich.
Page 71 | People
Page 87 | Campus
1987
1960
Marine biologist Prof. Gotthilf Hempel during a presentation. He was a member of the scientific council and was strongly committed to the development of marine sciences in developing countries.
Research reactor DIDO is being built. MERLIN can be seen in the background, which is also under construction. The reactors served for pioneering materials research and basic physics research from 1962 onwards.
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Forschungszentrum JĂźlich
Annual Report 2015