Volker Karle

Welcome! I am a postdoctoral researcher studying quantum and topological phenomena in periodically driven systems, with a focus on atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter, and hybrid light-matter interactions. I am part of the Lemeshko group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA).

Previously, I worked on quantum chaos, ultracold atoms, and many‑body physics. Currently I investigate how to engineer topological phases with periodically kicked molecules. A list of publications is on Google Scholar and this site.

Beyond quantum physics, I am interested in dynamical and chaotic systems. During a project at the PIK, I studied interactions between climate tipping elements and how they can shift critical thresholds.

Feel free to reach me at vkarle[at]ist.ac.at or on Mastodon.

Academic background

2019 – PhD at ISTA (Lemeshko group)
2016 – 2018 M.Sc. Physics, University of Heidelberg
2011 – 2015 B.Sc. Physics, University of Freiburg

For a concise tour of current work, see the research overview or browse project pages below.

selected publications

arXiv

Anomalous multi-gap topological phases in periodically driven quantum rotors

Volker Karle^*, Mikhail Lemeshko, Adrien Bouhon, and 2 more authors

arXiv preprint arXiv:2408.16848, 2024

Abs HTML Website

We discovered novel multi-gap topological phases in periodically driven quantum systems, revealing unexpected connections between driving protocols and topological protection.
PRL

Topological charges of periodically kicked molecules

Volker Karle^*, Areg Ghazaryan, and Mikhail Lemeshko

Physical Review Letters, 2023

Abs DOI HTML Website

We introduced the concept of topological charges in molecular systems subject to periodic driving, opening new avenues for quantum control and topological protection in molecular physics.
PRL

Area-Law Entangled Eigenstates from Nullspaces of Local Hamiltonians

Volker Karle^*, Maksym Serbyn, and Alexios A. Michailidis

Physical Review Letters, 2021

Abs DOI HTML Website

We demonstrated a novel mechanism for generating area-law entangled states through nullspace engineering, providing new insights into quantum many-body scars and thermalization.