Beschreibung

• Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a spectroscopic technique that allows detection of para-magnetic centres and magnetic nuclei coupled to them on a time scale as short as nanoseconds and with spatial resolution from the atomic up to the nanometer scale. Recent progress in this technique has been mainly driven by specific needs in the research areas of biological and material science. The Priority Programme has been bringing these research areas together in a coordinated effort to increase the sensitivity of EPR as an essential spectroscopic technique for biology, chemis-try, materials science and physics.As a major goal, applications such as the investigation of megadalton molecular machines, in cell protein-protein interactions or enzymatic mechanisms, catalytic processes on single-crystalline surfaces or the light-induced degradation of thin-film solar cells are addressed by EPR. The intrin-sic diversity of the studied systems implies that the envisaged sensitivity enhancement does not only rely on advances on the side of EPR hardware but involves alternative polarization and de-tection schemes and the adaptation of the method to ¿real world¿ samples.The programme invites applications for collaborative projects that focus on four major research areas. The first two areas comprehend methods to increase the sensitivity of EPR experiments: 1) methods for improved excitation and manipulation of electron spin magnetization and 2) methods for improved EPR detection. The third and fourth areas explore the applicability of these methods in fields of biological and material sciences, which are not amenable to EPR spec-troscopy at the current state-of-the-art.In the current first phase, the groups with focus on applications have adapted and expanded pres-ently available methods for increased sensitivity (such as the use of micro-resonators, THz spec-troscopy, electrical or optical excitation or detection) to their specific purposes. Groups with ex-pertise in EPR methodologies have been developing new experiments. In the second phase of the programme the focus is on joining these two development threads. The outcome from the me-thodical work in the first funding period will be transferred within the consortium and optimized to new specific applications.