Felix Karbstein

Dr. Felix Karbstein serves as Expert Group Leader for Strong-Field QED at the Helmholtz Institute Jena and maintains dual affiliation with the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. He completed his habilitation in theoretical physics in January 2024 with the thesis "Quantum Vacuum Nonlinearities in Strong Electromagnetic Fields," granting full teaching qualification. His career includes postdoctoral positions at HI Jena (2010-2017) and Technical University of Munich (2009-2010), culminating in leadership of the DFG Research Unit 2783 since 2019.

Education:

• PhD in Theoretical Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (2006-2009), thesis: "Integrating out the Dirac sea"
• Habilitation in Theoretical Physics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (2024)

Karbstein's research centers on quantum vacuum phenomena under extreme electromagnetic conditions, exploring nonlinear quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects in high-intensity laser fields. His work bridges theoretical predictions with experimental verification using facilities like POLARIS and JETI lasers, focusing on vacuum birefringence, photon-photon scattering, and Schwinger pair production. As Principal Investigator for the DFG Research Unit 2783 "Probing the Quantum Vacuum at the High-Intensity Frontier," he coordinates Germany's leading theoretical-experimental collaboration in strong-field QED.

Scientific Recognition:

• Principal Investigator, DFG Research Unit 2783 (2019-present)
• Expert Group Leader, Helmholtz Institute Jena (2018-present)
• ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2239-1789

His funding portfolio includes continuous DFG support for collaborative quantum vacuum research, leveraging HI Jena's experimental infrastructure including POLARIS (10 PW laser), JETI40, and JETI200 systems. Karbstein actively mentors early-career researchers within the Research School of Advanced Photon Science network while developing theoretical frameworks for upcoming experiments at FAIR and XFEL facilities. His group maintains critical partnerships with GSI, DESY, and HZDR for cross-institutional beamtime access and detector development.

Operating within HI Jena's Relativistic Laser Plasma Theory division, Karbstein's team collaborates directly with experimental groups using the institute's flagship laser systems. Current projects focus on optimizing vacuum polarization signatures for detection at 10-100 PW laser facilities, with theoretical work directly informing POLARIS experimental campaigns targeting quantum vacuum nonlinearities through X-ray polarimetry techniques.