In the first part of this thesis we study the geometry of folding patterns.

Promotor: J. Aarts

In this thesis, we describe the latest advances in SQUID-detected Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM).

Promotor: M.L. van Hecke

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics fails to explain several observed phenomena and is incomplete. In order to resolve this problem, one may extend the SM by adding new particles.

What physics controls the properties of quantum matter, such as how electrons flow inside high-temperature superconductors? This question has captivated the physics community and industry for decades, in part due to the great technological potential such materials have, but also because they have resisted…

In this thesis, we develop a novel technique called Optical Near-field Electron Microscopy (ONEM), which aims to combine the advantages of both optical and electron microscopy: the high resolution of electron microscopy and the low sample damage of optical microscopy.

Biological cells, the basic building blocks of all life forms, are surrounded by a lipid membrane. More than half of the membrane is occupied by membrane proteins, which can regulate the cell functionality through specific arrangements.

This thesis investigates how cell shape and collective behavior influence the dynamics and structure of biological tissues, which are crucial for understanding processes like embryonic development, tissue regeneration, and metastasis.

Promotor: T.H. Oosterkamp

Promotores: J. Zaanen, A. Parnachev

Early time-resolved experiments by Frauenfelder on the ensemble of the kinetic rebinding of CO to myoglobin molecules resulted in a stretched exponential relaxa-tion due to a very large spread of the reaction rates of individual molecules.

Atoms and molecules are the basic units of matter. If we keep dividing a bar of gold or a glass of water into smaller parts, at the end we are left with a single gold atom or a water molecule.

In human cells, a meter-long DNA is condensed inside a micrometer-sized cell nucleus. Simultaneously, the genetic code must remain accessible for its replication and transcription to functional proteins.

In this thesis,

This thesis presents the results of a study on the interfaces of insulating oxides with and without the insertion of a magnetic layer.

This dissertation revolves around the design and implementation of novel instrumentation and related measurement techniques, at the single molecule level, for use in biophysical research. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the field of fluorescence-based single molecule measurements. In particular,…

The four possible segments A, T, C and G that link together to form DNA molecules, and with their ordering encode genetic information, are not only different in name, but also in their physical and chemical properties.

Promotor: C. W. J. Beenakker, Yu. V. Nazarov, Co-promotor: J. Tworzydlo

This thesis is a collection of experimental attempts to enhance photoluminescence of fluorescent molecules and quantum dots with single gold nanorods (GNRs) and relevant applications.

For many system in statistical physics the microcanonical and canonical ensemble are equivalent in the thermodynamic limit, but not for all.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Heck, Co-Promotor: B.P. Tighe

Promotor: Prof.dr. D. Bouwmeester

The genetic information of all living organisms is contained in their DNA. Cells modify the degree of DNA compaction by epigenetics, which largely determines what genes are read out and which genes are transcriptionally silent.

De Universiteit Leiden heeft onderzoeksinstituten gevestigd in Leiden en Den Haag.

Electron microscopy has become an extremely important techniquein a wide variety of elds.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Hecke

The key characteristic of active matter is the motion of an emergent collection (such as a flock of birds), which is driven by the consumption of energy by its active components (i.e. individual birds).

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Hecke, Co-Promotor: V. Vitelli

Promotor: J. Zaanen

Waar gaan de quantummechanica, de relativiteitstheorie en de zwaartekracht elkaar vinden? Wat is het missende stukje? Of is er een compleet nieuwe theorie die alle vormen van materie elegant beschrijft?

Promotor: T. H. Oosterkamp

Materials with strongly correlated electrons show some of the most mysterious and exotic phases of quantum matter, such as unconventional superconductivity, quantum criticality and strange metal phase.

This thesis explores how electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy can be used to investigate key biochemical processes.

Molecular materials have been a subject of interest in fundamental research and applications for decades, and have been studied as bulk crystals, (thin) films and as individual molecules, due to the large variety in their properties. This dissertation explores pentacene crystals near the two-dimensional…

In condensed matter systems electron-electron interactions, negligible in everyday metals, can dramatically alter the electronic behavior of the system. Examples of such altered behavior include high-temperature superconductivity and modulation of the electron density.

Understanding interactions in quantum many-body systems remains one of the most profound and difficult challenges in condensed matter physics.

There are many interpretations of quantum mechanics, and ultimately experiments are needed to verify or falsify these interpretations.

Promotor: J. Zaanen, Co-Promotor: V. Juricic

This thesis is devoted to an in-depth examination of the various effects of disorder in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

With the help of quantum mechanics, digital quantum hardware may be able to tackle some of the problems that are too difficult for ordinary computers. But despite these expectations and the ongoing effort of the research community, reliable quantum computers are not yet realized in a lab setting.

Promotor: V. Vitelli, Co-promotor: J. Paulose

This thesis is a collection of theoretical works aiming at adjusting quantum algorithms to the hardware of quantum computers.

The lipid membrane is a basic structural component of all living cells. Embedded in this nanometer-thin barrier, membrane proteins shape the membrane and at the same time respond to the shape of the membrane.

Promotor: D. Bouwmeester, Co-promotor: D. Kraft

Studievoorlichting

Op 4 mei 2024, van 10.00-16.00 uur, vond aan de Gewandeweg 100 een feestelijke dag plaats, omdat werd gevierd dat medewerkers en studenten van de Leidse Faculteit der Archeologie al 50 jaar veldwerk doen in en rondom Oss in goede samenwerking met de gemeente Oss, de plaatselijke erfgoed- en archeologische…

Erik Zürcher (1928 – 2008) geldt nog altijd als gezaghebbende bron in het onderzoek naar Chinees boeddhisme. Een nieuwe bundel met zijn publicaties is aanleiding voor een internationaal boeddhisme-congres in Leiden. Prinses Beatrix, die hem goed kende, is aanwezig bij de opening.

Na jaren van ontwikkeling is het moment eindelijk daar: een enorme cryostaat, een bijzonder geavanceerde vriezer die de gevoelige onderdelen extreem koud houdt, is vanuit Zürich in Leiden aangekomen. Het apparaat is het grootste onderdeel van METIS, een van de eerste instrumenten op ESO’s Extremely…

Elf onderzoekers van de faculteit Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen staan op de 2021 Highly Cited Researchers-lijst van Clarivate Analytics. Slechts 0,1 procent van de wereldwijde onderzoekers komt in deze lijst voor, waarmee ze dus letterlijk één uit duizend zijn.