Professor Dr Astrid Lambrecht

Research Priorities: Casimir effect, quantum dispersion force, quantum optics, microscopic and macroscopic systems, decoherence, and gravitation
Astrid Lambrecht is a French-German quantum physicist. Her research focuses on quantum optics and quantum fluctuations, in particular on the Casimir effect. These phenomena deepen the fundamental understanding of quantum physics and the nature of reality and are used in areas such as quantum technology and nanotechnology, as well as in chemistry and biology.
As a key consequence of the uncertainty principle in quantum physics, the quantum vacuum contains fluctuations with a median energy that is never “quiet”. This leads to major discrepancies at the interface between quantum physics and the theory of relativity , which describes gravitational interactions. To date, there has been no solution to the problem of vacuum energy. In order to examine the issue more closely, the physical effects of quantum fluctuations, and vacuum energy in particular, are studied in simpler and controlled laboratory systems. The Casimir effect, which describes the force that arises between two objects, is a typical example of such a laboratory experiment. Through its connection with the van der Waals force, the Casimir effect is also linked to physics, chemistry, and biology.
Astrid Lambrecht has worked in particular on developing and initiating new experiments in this area. For this purpose, she generalised quantum optics methods to describe the Casimir effect, and developed a general scattering theory for quantum fluctuations that can affect any object. In contrast to quantum optics, a particularity here is that no approximation is possible for the frequency area that is to be observed. The method developed by Astrid Lambrecht is valid for calculating both the Casimir force between two surfaces of variable geometry and surface quality, and for calculating the Casimir-Polder interaction between an atom or molecule in the vicinity of a surface, as well as for calculating the van der Waals force between two atoms, molecules, or aggregates.
The results of Astrid Lambrecht’s research are used in areas such as nanotechnology and micro-electromechanical systems.