Michael Horn-von Hoegen

Prof. Dr. Michael Horn-von Hoegen is a full professor in the Faculty of Physics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. His research focuses on ultrafast structural dynamics, surface physics, and 2D materials, particularly using electron diffraction and plasmonic imaging techniques. He leads the Horn-von Hoegen Group, which plays a central role in the Collaborative Research Center CRC 1242 Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Condensed Matter in the Time Domain, where his team investigates driven phase transitions and phonon systems with sub-femtosecond temporal resolution.

• Location: Office Window MF260, Faculty of Physics, Lotharstr. 1-21, 47057 Duisburg
• Contact: Tel. +49 (203) 379 1439 | Fax +49 (203) 379 1555

His research spans ultrafast electron diffraction of photo-induced phase transitions in atomic wires and topological materials, with recent breakthroughs on Kibble-Zurek dynamics in the Si(001) surface and chiral plasmon polaritons. The group’s 15 most recent publications (2025-2022) address phenomena such as negative thermal expansion in 2D materials, electron-phonon coupling in Pb/Si heterostructures, and quantum pathway analysis in Bismuth films. These works are categorized under disciplines like Condensed Matter Physics, Nanooptics, and Ultrafast Dynamics, with subfields including Ising Model Transitions, Plasmon Focusing, and Time-Resolved Diffraction.

Prof. Horn-von Hoegen serves as DFG Liaison Officer for the University of Duisburg-Essen, providing guidance on Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) proposals. His group has mentored notable researchers including Dr. Simon Sindermann (postdoc at IBM), Dr. Anja Hanisch-Blicharski (Leopoldina Fellow), Dr. Hichem Hattab (Leopoldina Fellowship), and Dr. Marin Petrovic (Humboldt Fellow). The group’s laboratory facilities include advanced ultrafast electron diffraction and photoemission microscopy systems, enabling studies of atomic-scale processes such as molecular dynamics simulations of laser-excited surfaces and domain wall motion in Si(553)-Au systems.