Current Research Projects

EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers

  • Differential Lunar Laser Ranging
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: M. Sc. Mingyue Zhang
    Year: 2021
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG), DLR-SI
    Duration: 2021 - 2022
  • Relativistic investigations with LLR data
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Dr.-Ing. Liliane Biskupek
    Year: 2019
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG)
    Duration: 2019 - 2025

CRC 1464 (TerraQ)

  • Terrestrial Clock Networks: Fundamental Physics and Applications (CRC 1464, C02)
    The continuous developments of optical clocks and the long-distance links via fibers, especially within TerraQ, will give access to terrestrial clock networks in practice, which will enable the novel measurement concept of chronometric levelling. From a theoretical perspective, this project will elaborate the rigorous relativistic formalism for clock-based geodesy and assess the effects of approximations in different scenarios. Furthermore, this project will figure out the most promising applications for clock networks in geodesy and fundamental physics.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Prof. Dr. Claus Lämmerzahl
    Team: Marion Cepok, Asha Vincent
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
  • Quantum Gravimetry (CRC 1464, A01)
    Within TerraQ we aim to establish atom-chip based Quantum Gravimetry with Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and explore its potential for mobile gravimetry. Deploying QG-1 (Quantum Gravimeter) with steadily increasing frequency and performance in measurement campaigns for C01, A05 and C05 will allow us to prove the in-field applicability of the associated methods and demonstrate an operation of QG-1 under varying, rough conditions.
    Led by: Dr. Waldemar Herr, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Prof. Dr. Ernst Rasel
    Team: Nina Heine, Marat Musakaev
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
  • New Measurement Concepts with Laser Interferometers (CRC 1464, B01)
    We will study a new type of optical accelerometer (ACC) and gradiometer, advance Laser Ranging Interferometry (LRI) technology conceptually to enable new satellite constellations, and investigate observations of the angular line-of-sight velocity for gravity field recovery with simulations.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Dr. Vitali Müller
    Team: Alexey Kupriyanov, Arthur Reis
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
    Duration: 2021-2024

Terrestrial Gravimetry

  • Quantum Gravimetry (CRC 1464, A01)
    Within TerraQ we aim to establish atom-chip based Quantum Gravimetry with Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and explore its potential for mobile gravimetry. Deploying QG-1 (Quantum Gravimeter) with steadily increasing frequency and performance in measurement campaigns for C01, A05 and C05 will allow us to prove the in-field applicability of the associated methods and demonstrate an operation of QG-1 under varying, rough conditions.
    Led by: Dr. Waldemar Herr, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Prof. Dr. Ernst Rasel
    Team: Nina Heine, Marat Musakaev
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
  • A mobile absolute gravimeter based on atom interferometry for highly accurate point observations
    Atom interferometers have demonstrated a high sensitivity to inertial forces. The Gravimetric Atom Interferometer (GAIN), developed at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, is a mobile atom interferometer based on interfering ensembles of laser-cooled Rb-87 atoms in an atomic fountain configuration. In the continued development state-of-the-art superconductiong gravimeters and laser-interferometer based absolute gravimeters are used for comparisons with and the characterization of GAIN.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller
    Team: M. Sc. Manuel Schilling
    Year: 2012
    Funding: DFG
    © IFE / M. Schilling

Gravity Field and Geoid Modelling

  • Quantum-based acceleration measurement on geodesy satellites (Q-BAGS)
    Collaboration between the Observatoire de Paris Department Systèmes de référence temps-espace (SYRTE) and the Institute of Geodesy (IfE) of Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) embedded in the QUANTA research cooperation between Germany and France.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Annike Knabe
    Year: 2021
    Funding: BMWK / DLR e.V. (50WM2181)
    Duration: 10/2021 - 09/2024

Relativistic Geodesy

  • Terrestrial Clock Networks: Fundamental Physics and Applications (CRC 1464, C02)
    The continuous developments of optical clocks and the long-distance links via fibers, especially within TerraQ, will give access to terrestrial clock networks in practice, which will enable the novel measurement concept of chronometric levelling. From a theoretical perspective, this project will elaborate the rigorous relativistic formalism for clock-based geodesy and assess the effects of approximations in different scenarios. Furthermore, this project will figure out the most promising applications for clock networks in geodesy and fundamental physics.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Prof. Dr. Claus Lämmerzahl
    Team: Marion Cepok, Asha Vincent
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
  • Differential Lunar Laser Ranging
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: M. Sc. Mingyue Zhang
    Year: 2021
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG), DLR-SI
    Duration: 2021 - 2022
  • Improved modelling of the Earth-Moon system
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Vishwa Vijay Singh, M.Sc.
    Year: 2020
    Funding: DLR-SI
    Duration: 2019 - 2022
  • Relativistic investigations with LLR data
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Dr.-Ing. Liliane Biskupek
    Year: 2019
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG)
    Duration: 2019 - 2025
  • High-performance clock networks and their application in geodesy
    The rapid development of optical clocks and frequency transfer techniques provides the opportunity to compare clocks’ frequencies at the uncertainty level of 10-18. This will enable relativistic geodesy with the aimed accuracy of cm in terms of height. Clock networks are thus highly relevant to various geodetic applications, such as the realization of a height reference system and the determination of regional/global gravity fields. In this project, we aim to investigate the potential of high-performance clock networks and quantify their contributions to specific applications through dedicated simulations.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Dr.-Ing. Hu Wu
    Year: 2019
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 “QuantumFrontiers” (DFG)

Satellite Gravimetry

  • New Measurement Concepts with Laser Interferometers (CRC 1464, B01)
    We will study a new type of optical accelerometer (ACC) and gradiometer, advance Laser Ranging Interferometry (LRI) technology conceptually to enable new satellite constellations, and investigate observations of the angular line-of-sight velocity for gravity field recovery with simulations.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller, Dr. Vitali Müller
    Team: Alexey Kupriyanov, Arthur Reis
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
    Duration: 2021-2024
  • Hybridization of Classic and Quantum Accelerometers for Future Satellite Gravity Missions
    Using cold atom interferometry (CAI) accelerometers in the next generation of satellite gravimetry missions can provide long-term stability and precise measurements of the non-gravitational forces acting on the satellites. This allows for a reduction of systematic effects in current GRACE-FO gravity field solutions. In this project, we first aim to investigate the hybridization of quantum CAI-based and classical accelerometers for a GRACE-like mission and we discusse the performance improvement through dedicated simulations. Then we investigate different orbital configurations and mission concepts to find the optimal setting for future satellite gravimetry missions.
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Müller
    Team: Dr. Alireza HosseiniArani
    Year: 2020

Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR)

  • Differential Lunar Laser Ranging
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: M. Sc. Mingyue Zhang
    Year: 2021
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG), DLR-SI
    Duration: 2021 - 2022
  • Improved modelling of the Earth-Moon system
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Vishwa Vijay Singh, M.Sc.
    Year: 2020
    Funding: DLR-SI
    Duration: 2019 - 2022
  • LLR contribution to reference frames and Earth orientation parameters
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Dr.-Ing. Liliane Biskupek
    Year: 2019
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG), DLR-SI
    Duration: 2019 - 2025
  • Relativistic investigations with LLR data
    Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Müller
    Team: Dr.-Ing. Liliane Biskupek
    Year: 2019
    Funding: Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers (DFG)
    Duration: 2019 - 2025