The 2017 detection of gravitational waves, with the accompanying electromagnetic emission, from merging neutron stars have revealed that we are at a pivotal point in our understanding of matter and gravity. The Research Cluster ELEMENTS brings together world-leading scientists from distinct fields of research – the physics of particles and nuclei, the gravitational physics of merging neutron stars, the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements – to address the question of the origin of the heavy chemical elements in our Universe. ELEMENTS capitalizes on a solid basis of already existing research structures: the CRC- TR 211 investigating strong-interaction matter under extreme conditions using first-principle methods such as lattice Quantum Chromodynamics, the CRC 1245 advancing ab-initio calculations of nuclei and nuclear matter and their application to astrophysical environments, the RTG 2128 promoting research training in particle-accelerator science, the LOEWE project “Nuclear Photonics” studying photonuclear reactions, and the Helmholtz Research Academy for FAIR (HFHF) providing academic support for the FAIR project. From these coordinated programs, ELEMENTS recruits an excellent and diverse group of Principal Investigators, decorated with outstanding scientific prizes and awards, such as eleven ERC grants and the only Humboldt professorship in Hesse. Experimentally, the research program benefits from the world-wide unique particle-accelerator infrastructure in the Darmstadt-Frankfurt area, including GSI and the international FAIR accelerator complex becoming operational in 2025 and the superconducting electron accelerator S-DALINAC at Darmstadt. On the theory side, highly advanced High-Performance Computing resources are provided by the Goethe-CSC and the Lichtenberg-II computer clusters.
Latest News
- Colloquium with Professor Eleonora Troja at Goethe University Frankfurt
On 9 February 2022 (start at 4 p.m. ct.), Professor Eleonora Troja from the University of Rome will give a talk at the physics colloquium of Goethe University… - ELEMENTS’ Virtual Christmas Stroll Attracts Wide Interest
On 30 December 2021, ELEMENTS invited everyone to explore the Universe with Professor Robert Roth from the TURM Observatory at TU Darmstadt. Among several inspiring cosmic objects, the… - Virtual Christmas Stroll in ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS would like to invite you for a virtual Christmas Stroll through the Universe on 29 December 2021. It is organised in cooperation with the Physics Department of… - Professor Hannah Elfner receives “Scientist of the Year” prize from Goethe University Frankfurt
Professor Hannah Elfner, a PI in ELEMENTS, was awarded the “Scientist of the Year” prize of Goethe University Frankfurt for her excellent research on quark gluon plasma. The… - Leibniz-Prize 2022 awarded to ELEMENTS’ Principal Investigator Professor Gabriel Martínez-Pinedo
Today, December 9th, 2021 the German Research Council (DFG) announced the ten awardees of the prestigeous Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Prize for the year 2022. Amongst them is Professor Gabriel… - Professor Yury Litvinov receives APS-Fellowship
Professor Yury Litvinov has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Litvinov is head of the Stored Particles Atomic Physics Research Collaboration (SPARC) detectors group…