Janina Maultzsch is a German physicist who is the Chair of

Experimental Physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and ...

at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Her research considers the electronic and optical properties of carbon

nanomaterials * Nanomaterials describe, in principle, materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale). Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to nan ...

Early life and education

Maultzsch was an undergraduate student at the

Technical University of Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

, where she studied physics. She remained in Berlin for doctoral research, investigating the vibrational properties of carbon allotropes including

nanotubes file:Chiraltube.png, A scanning tunneling microscopy image of a single-walled carbon nanotube file:Kohlenstoffnanoroehre Animation.gif, Rotating single-walled zigzag carbon nanotube A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with diameters ...

and

graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on large ...

Research and career

Maultzsch moved to the

University of Siegen The University of Siegen (german: Universität Siegen) is a public research university located in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia and is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities. The Univers ...

, where she worked on near field microscopy. She returned to the Technical University of Berlin in late 2004, where she worked as a researcher in the Institute of Solid State Physics. She moved to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2006, working as a postdoctoral researcher with Tony Heinz. She returned to Technical University of Berlin in 2008, where she was made an assistant professor. She is interested in low-dimensional materials, including transition-metal dichalcogenides and

graphene Graphene () is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure.

. Maultzsch contributed to the understanding of

carbon nanotubes A scanning tunneling microscopy image of a single-walled carbon nanotube Rotating single-walled zigzag carbon nanotube A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with diameters typically measured in nanometers. ''Single-wall carbon nan ...

. In particular, she investigated their electronic and vibrational properties. She made use of resonant

Raman spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy () (named after Indian physicist C. V. Raman) is a spectroscopic technique typically used to determine vibrational modes of molecules, although rotational and other low-frequency modes of systems may also be observed. Raman sp ...

to uncover the optical transition energies and radial mode frequencies of various metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. She showed that the optical transition energies and electronic structures depend on the

chirality Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is distinguishable from ...

index of the nanotube. She revealed that electron-phonon coupling increases for smaller chiral angles. In 2010, Maultzsch was awarded an ERC Starting Grant focused on the characterisation of carbon nanomaterials. In 2015, she was promoted to full Professor for Novel Materials. In 2017, Maultzsch was appointed the Chair of Experimental Physics at the

University of Erlangen–Nuremberg University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (german: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU) is a Public University, public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich–Alexander ...

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maultzsch, Janina 21st-century German physicists Technical University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg German women physicists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)