Oldenburg. Success for the research focus on gravitational physics in the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan region: the German Research Foundation (DFG) has decided to continue the "Models of Gravity" Research Training Group. The Research Training Group will receive a total of 4.2 million euros in funding over the next four and a half years. Prof. Dr Jutta Kunz from the Institute of Physics at the University of Oldenburg and Prof. Dr Claus Lämmerzahl from the Centre for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen will lead the research training group. Both universities act as speaker universities. Jacobs University Bremen, the Universities of Hanover and Bielefeld and, as an external partner, the University of Copenhagen are also involved.
"With its decision, the DFG is once again recognising the research achievements in gravitational physics and the quality of doctoral training," says the President of the University of Oldenburg, Prof. Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper. This significantly increases the visibility of the two partner universities in this field. The Rector of the University of Bremen, Prof. Dr Bernd Scholz-Reiter, adds: "The extension of the Research Training Group underlines the good co-operation between the two universities of Bremen and Oldenburg." Over the years, gravitational physics has increasingly found its way into practical applications and space travel. Both university directors also praised the Research Training Group's exemplary measures to promote women in the natural sciences. In addition, this field of research is highly attractive to both students and the public.
In recent years, the Research Training Group has successfully conducted research in gravitational physics and trained doctoral students. "We are delighted that we will be able to continue this over the next four and a half years," emphasise Kunz and Lämmerzahl. Gravitational physics will be further strengthened as a research focus in northwest Germany, as members of the Research Training Group are participating in an Erasmus Mundus programme of the European Commission and are involved in a Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Hanover.
Gravitational physics has become much more topical and fascinating in recent years due to the direct detection of gravitational waves and the fact that these were generated by the merging of two black holes. This has provided further evidence of the existence of black holes. The MICROSCOPE satellite mission will also provide new insights into the equivalence principle and thus into the fundamental basis of the general theory of relativity.