Lee Yeong Kim

Faculty of Physics

University of Vienna

Vienna, Austria

Currently, I’m working as a postdoc with BIOTIMA team in Prof. Markus Arndt’s group, researching biomolecule matter-wave interference, with the aim of extending it from larger peptide (> 2,000 Da) towards proteins.

My PhD thesis focused on matter-wave scattering (⁴He and D₂) from surfaces at extremely small incidence angles, a regime that accesses a kinetic-energy range of 2–100 neV and lets us probe the atom-surface dispersion potential directly. That work demonstrated two classical optical principles — Babinet’s principle and the reciprocity theorem — in the matter-wave context, and uncovered a new non-destructive reflection mechanism: multiple edge-diffraction reflection.

I have also contributed to molecular deflection experiments using a counter-propagating, non-resonant laser pulse and a pulsed molecular beam, with deflected molecules ionized and detected via velocity-map-imaging mass spectrometry, focusing on trajectory simulations of rotational-state-dependent molecular polarization.

Going forward, I am motivated to pursue quantum optics, quantum phenomena on solid surfaces, dispersive interactions between materials, and AMO physics more broadly — laser cooling, trapping, and precision spectroscopy. See my CV for full details and publications for the complete list of my work.

news

Feb 10, 2026	Received a Seal of Excellence from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship, European Commission (proposal score 95.8/100).
Jan 01, 2026	Started as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, working with Prof. Markus Arndt.
Oct 01, 2025	Awarded the quantA Postdoctoral Fellowship: Empowering Women in Quantum Science (2026–2027).

selected publications

PRA

Comprehensive peak-width analysis in matter-wave diffraction under grazing incidence conditions

Lee Yeong Kim^†, Do Won Kang^†, Jong Chan Lee, Eunmi Chae, Wieland Schöllkopf, and Bum Suk Zhao^*

Physical Review A, 2024

DOI Bib

@article{kim2024comprehensive,
  title = {Comprehensive peak-width analysis in matter-wave diffraction under grazing incidence conditions},
  author = {Kim, Lee Yeong and Kang, Do Won and Lee, Jong Chan and Chae, Eunmi and Schöllkopf, Wieland and Zhao, Bum Suk},
  journal = {Physical Review A},
  volume = {110},
  pages = {013313},
  year = {2024},
  doi = {10.1103/PhysRevA.110.013313},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.110.013313},
}

PCCP

Enhanced elastic scattering of He2 and He3 from solids by multiple-edge diffraction

Lee Yeong Kim, Sanghwan Park, Chang Young Lee, Wieland Schöllkopf^*, and Bum Suk Zhao^*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2022

Awarded DOI Bib

Front cover article

@article{kim2022enhanced,
  title = {Enhanced elastic scattering of He2 and He3 from solids by multiple-edge diffraction},
  author = {Kim, Lee Yeong and Park, Sanghwan and Lee, Chang Young and Schöllkopf, Wieland and Zhao, Bum Suk},
  journal = {Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics},
  volume = {24},
  pages = {21593},
  year = {2022},
  doi = {10.1039/D2CP02641D},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CP02641D},
}

Sci. Adv.

Scattering of adiabatically aligned molecules by nonresonant optical standing waves

Lee Yeong Kim^†, Byung Gwun Jin^†, Tae Woo Kim, Ju Hyeon Lee, and Bum Suk Zhao^*

Science Advances, 2020

DOI Bib

@article{kim2020scattering,
  title = {Scattering of adiabatically aligned molecules by nonresonant optical standing waves},
  author = {Kim, Lee Yeong and Jin, Byung Gwun and Kim, Tae Woo and Lee, Ju Hyeon and Zhao, Bum Suk},
  journal = {Science Advances},
  volume = {6},
  pages = {eaaz0682},
  year = {2020},
  doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aaz0682},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz0682},
}

PRL

Matter-wave diffraction from a periodic array of half planes

Ju Hyeon Lee^†, Lee Yeong Kim^†, Yun-Tae Kim, Chang Young Lee, Wieland Schöllkopf^*, and Bum Suk Zhao^*

Physical Review Letters, 2019

Awarded DOI Bib

Editor’s Suggestion

@article{lee2019matter,
  title = {Matter-wave diffraction from a periodic array of half planes},
  author = {Lee, Ju Hyeon and Kim, Lee Yeong and Kim, Yun-Tae and Lee, Chang Young and Schöllkopf, Wieland and Zhao, Bum Suk},
  journal = {Physical Review Letters},
  volume = {122},
  pages = {040401},
  year = {2019},
  doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.040401},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.040401},
}

PRL

Rotational-state-dependent dispersion of molecules by pulsed optical standing waves

Xing Nan Sun^†, Lee Yeong Kim^†, Bum Suk Zhao^*, and Doo Soo Chung^*

Physical Review Letters, 2015

DOI Bib

@article{sun2015rotational,
  title = {Rotational-state-dependent dispersion of molecules by pulsed optical standing waves},
  author = {Sun, Xing Nan and Kim, Lee Yeong and Zhao, Bum Suk and Chung, Doo Soo},
  journal = {Physical Review Letters},
  volume = {115},
  pages = {223001},
  year = {2015},
  doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.223001},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.223001},
}