Stefan Hell
Encyclopedia
Stefan W. Hell is a physicist
and one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
in Göttingen
, Germany
as well as the head of the department "Optical Nanoscopy" at the German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ) in Heidelberg
.
, where, in 1990, he received his doctorate
in physics. His thesis advisor was the solid-state physicist Siegfried Hunklinger. From 1991 to 1993 Hell worked at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
in Heidelberg
and from 1993 to 1996 he worked as a group leader at the University of Turku
(Finland) in the department for Medical Physics
, where he developed the principle for stimulated emission depletion STED microscopy
.
From 1993 to 1994 Hell was 6 months a visiting scientist at the University of Oxford
(England).
He received his habilitation
in physics from the University of Heidelberg in 1996, and the following year became a group leader of his current research group dedicated to sub-diffraction-resolution microscopy at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen.
With the invention and subsequent development of Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy
and related microscopy methods
, he was able to show that one can substantially improve the resolving power of the fluorescence microscope, previously limited to half the wavelength of the employed light (> 200 nanometers). A microscope's resolution specifies its ability to separate closely spaced, identical objects, and is its most important property. Hell was the first to demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, how one can decouple the resolution of the fluorescence microscope from diffraction and increase it to a fraction of the wavelength of light (to the nanometer scale). Ever since the work of Ernst Karl Abbe
in 1873, this feat was not thought possible. For this achievement and its significance for other fields of science, such as the life-sciences and medical research, he received the 10th German Innovation Award (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) on the 23rd of November, 2006.
On October 15, 2002 Hell became a director of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and he established the department of Nanobiophotonics.
Since 2003 Hell has also been the leader of the department "Optical Nanoscopy division" at the German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ) in Heidelberg.
Hell is married and has two sons and one daughter.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen is a research institute of the Max Planck Society. Currently, 812 people work at the Institute, 353 of them are scientists....
in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as well as the head of the department "Optical Nanoscopy" at the German Cancer Research Center
German Cancer Research Center
The German Cancer Research Center , is a national cancer research center based in Heidelberg, Germany...
(DKFZ) in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
.
Life
In 1981 Hell began his studies at the University Heidelberg (Germany)Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
, where, in 1990, he received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in physics. His thesis advisor was the solid-state physicist Siegfried Hunklinger. From 1991 to 1993 Hell worked at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is a molecular biology research institution supported by 20 European countries and Australia as associate member state. EMBL was created in 1974 and is an intergovernmental organisation funded by public research money from its member states...
in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and from 1993 to 1996 he worked as a group leader at the University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
(Finland) in the department for Medical Physics
Medical physics
Medical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare...
, where he developed the principle for stimulated emission depletion STED microscopy
STED microscopy
Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy, or STED microscopy, is a fluorescence microscopy technique that uses the non-linear de-excitation of fluorescent dyes to overcome the resolution limit imposed by diffraction with standard confocal laser scanning microscopes and conventional far-field...
.
From 1993 to 1994 Hell was 6 months a visiting scientist at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(England).
He received his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in physics from the University of Heidelberg in 1996, and the following year became a group leader of his current research group dedicated to sub-diffraction-resolution microscopy at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen.
With the invention and subsequent development of Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy
STED microscopy
Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy, or STED microscopy, is a fluorescence microscopy technique that uses the non-linear de-excitation of fluorescent dyes to overcome the resolution limit imposed by diffraction with standard confocal laser scanning microscopes and conventional far-field...
and related microscopy methods
RESOLFT
RESOLFT, an acronym for REversible Saturable OpticaL Fluorescence Transitions, denotes a group of optical microscopy techniques with very high resolution...
, he was able to show that one can substantially improve the resolving power of the fluorescence microscope, previously limited to half the wavelength of the employed light (> 200 nanometers). A microscope's resolution specifies its ability to separate closely spaced, identical objects, and is its most important property. Hell was the first to demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, how one can decouple the resolution of the fluorescence microscope from diffraction and increase it to a fraction of the wavelength of light (to the nanometer scale). Ever since the work of Ernst Karl Abbe
Ernst Karl Abbe
- See also :*Abbe prism*Abbe refractometer*Abbe error*Aberration in optical systems*Calculation of glass properties* German inventors and discoverers-External links:*...
in 1873, this feat was not thought possible. For this achievement and its significance for other fields of science, such as the life-sciences and medical research, he received the 10th German Innovation Award (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) on the 23rd of November, 2006.
On October 15, 2002 Hell became a director of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and he established the department of Nanobiophotonics.
Since 2003 Hell has also been the leader of the department "Optical Nanoscopy division" at the German Cancer Research Center
German Cancer Research Center
The German Cancer Research Center , is a national cancer research center based in Heidelberg, Germany...
(DKFZ) in Heidelberg.
Hell is married and has two sons and one daughter.
Awards
- Prize of the International Commission in Optics]], 2000
- Helmholtz-Award for metrology, Co-Rezipient, 2001
- Berthold Leibinger InnovationspreisBerthold Leibinger InnovationspreisThe Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis is an innovation prize for applied laser technology open for participants world wide. It is biennially awarded by the German non-profit foundation Berthold Leibinger Stiftung for innovations on the application or generation of laser light. In total three...
, 2002 - Carl-Zeiss Research Award, 2002
- Karl-Heinz-Beckurts-award, 2002
- C. Benz u. G. Daimler-Award of Berlin-Brandenburgisch academy, 2004
- Robert B. Woodward Scholar, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2006
- 10. "Innovation Award of the German Federal President", 2006
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz PrizeGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz PrizeThe Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a research prize awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft every year since 1985 to scientists working in Germany. This highest German research prize consists of a research grant of 2.5 million euro, to be used within seven years...
, 2008 - Otto-Hahn-Preis, 2009
- Ernst-Hellmut-Vits-Prize, 2010
- Hansen Family Award, 2011
- The Gothenburg Lise MeitnerLise MeitnerLise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
prize, 2010/11 - Meyenburg PrizeMeyenburg PrizeThe Meyenburg Prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in cancer research by the Meyenburg Foundation in support of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg , which is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany...
, 2011