The Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics (IOQ) focuses on the interaction of extremely intense laser radiation with matter, ranging from research topics on phase-stabilized single cycle pulses up to petawatt-class laser performance, photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry.

Having a unique technological competence in this area, the institute hosts a number of high-power laser systems, e.g. POLARIS, currently the world's most powerful fully diode-pumped laser system, which is used for experiments on laser-particle acceleration. Furthermore, the IOQ operates the JETI40 laser, which delivers pulses with peak powers of up to 40 TW for studies in relativistic optics, a phase-stabilized few-cycle laser system to investigate processes occurring on time-scales shorter than the optical cycle, and various other high-power laser systems. In addition, the IOQ is proud of a long research tradition in attosecond physics and x-ray optics.