News from FZU

In the presence of Her Excellency Ms Jarmila Povejšilová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Argentina, her deputy Filip Kanda and the Head of Unit for Research Infrastructures of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic Marek Vyšinka, the Director of the Institute of Physics Michael Prouza signed an agreement to extend the operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory for another 10 years.

As part of the Week of the Academy of Sciences the staff of the Institute of Physics present groundbreaking research to students and the curious public. This year was no exception. The opportunity to get a glimpse into the world of scientific experiments and cutting-edge technologies that scientists work with on a daily basis has been taken by 1348 visitors. 

Did you know that the displays of the future could be brighter and more colourful, yet more energy efficient? This technological advancement is made possible by quantum dots – objects so small that they behave according to the laws of quantum physics that govern the behaviour of the microworld.These tiny crystals have unique optical properties that make them useful in modern imaging technologies. As part of the 2024 Talent Academy, twelve talented high school students learned to synthesize quantum dots and explore their extraordinary properties directly for use in new displays.

The division of elementary particles seminar. Abstract:The upcoming High-Luminosity LHC era necessitates a shift to 4D tracking in High Energy Physics experiments to reduce occupancy from pile-up. This transition requires detectors with excellent spatial resolution, time-tagging capabilities, and higher radiation tolerance. Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) have emerged as a promising technology to meet these challenges.This seminar explores LGAD developments for precise track timing, covering detection principles and recent design improvements. We introduce the potential of silicon carbide (4H-SiC) in LGADs, a wide-bandgap material that could offer enhanced radiation resistance for inner tracking layers.Results from lab tests and beam experiments demonstrate the capabilities of these advanced detectors, showcasing good gain uniformity, timing resolution, and energy sensitivity. These findings underscore LGAD technology's potential for next-generation particle detectors in future HEP experiments. More info: https://indico.fzu.cz/event/263/ 

Laser-matter interaction in material processing: Towards more knowledge and better control 

The degree of ordering in solids has a very important impact on their physical properties and the ensuing applications. For example, magnetic atoms frequently form so-called antiferromagnetic order, where the magnetic moments (spins) of the nearest neighbors in the crystal lattice are oriented in mutually opposite (antiparallel) directions, since this allows lowering the overall energy. 

Where does science end and art begin, and vice versa? This is the question posed to visitors by the new exhibition Reflections, which brings together the works of four leading Czech and Polish artists, scientific perspectives on their artworks and new works inspired by these scientific analyses. Science turns its gaze to art, which returns it, and the cycle of inspiration unfolds.

This seminar provides a short introduction to the MSCA Cofund project that will be performed at the FZU as a 2-year postdoctoral research. The main topics of the seminar include: Building a comprehensive understanding of Heusler nanowires, Plans to employ the observed materials’ behavior in nanoscale sensing & actuation, Knowledge transfer and cooperation

It is our sad duty to announce to the physics community and the wider public that the eminent plasma theorist and research organizer Karel Jungwirth has passed away. 

Dne 29. září tohoto roku oslavil CERN, Evropská laboratoř fyziky částic, místo, kde se v roce 1989 zrodil web a v roce 2012 byl objeven Higgsův boson, 70 let od svého založení. Popud k němu vyšel od francouzského teoretického fyzika, laureáta Nobelovy ceny za fyziku za rok 1929 Louise de Broglie, jenž v roce 1949 navrhl vytvoření Evropské fyzikální laboratoře, aby se zabránilo odlivu talentovaných fyziků do USA. 

This year's photo competition of the Institute of Physics surprised the jury not only by the number of images submitted, but also by the variety of topics chosen by the contestants. This year's main theme was physical phenomena. In the category of primary and secondary schools:1st place               Tomáš Kupka: Weather Change2nd place             Adam Denko: Changing View of Saturn's Rings3rd place              Eduard Plic: Aurora Borealis in the Czech Republic. I believe that the photograph fits this year's competition theme, as auroras are one of the most dynamic and variable astronomical event. In the university category:1st place               Julie Matulová: LC Crystallization Process2nd place             Jakub Ferenčík: Bismuth3rd place              Jan Mackovčák: Butterfly Wing In the category of FZU employees:1st place                Alžběta Horynová: Still Life Targets2nd place              Matěj Hývl: The Lonely Chamois3rd place              Hongwei Ma: Visual Labyrinth  

Electronic structure is a common denominator of basic properties of actinide systems. U compounds are at the threshold of localization of the 5f states. This brings excellent opportunities to observe phenomena related to the onset of localization (as anomalous superconductivity) but the degree of localization is difficult to quantify. U hydrides (a- or ß-UH3, UH2) are FM with relatively high TC (exceeding 100 K), and the question is whether they are conventional band magnets, well described by DFT calculations, or the e-e correlations play a more fundamental role. Electron spectroscopies (XPS, UPS, BIS) bring more direct information (taken with some precautions) on electronic states than bulk properties.We used a combination of thin-film synthesis of U hydrides (provides clean surfaces for high-quality PES studies) with in-situ spectroscopic and ex-situ bulk (XRD, magnetic, transport) studies to reveal reasons for high TC in UH3 [1]. In addition, systems with Mo and Zr substitutions, which give elevated TC values (up to 203 K), or stabilize transient a-UH3 phase in bulk [2], were studied in film form. The confrontation with results of various computations indicates that DMFT-type of calculations are needed to understand the valence-band spectra, reflecting features of atomic multiplets, with intensity and energy of individual lines affected by hybridization.[1] L. Havela et al., J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 239 (2020) 146904.[2] L. Havela et al., J Magn. Magn. Mat. 400 (2016) 130-136.

This year's Researchers‘ Night at the Institute of Physics, although rainy and gloomy, attracted 494 visitors to the premises of the Institute of Physics, who overcame the bad weather to immerse themselves in the world of science. Participants were impressed by the beauties of the microworld, the starry sky in the mobile planetarium, scintillating crystals and followed the tracks of invisible particles in the fog chamber. Physics enthusiasts could attend a panel discussion with leading scientists. Yet the evening was not only about science. The program also featured the Sleeping Lion drama group with a two-act comedy from the period of the First Republic and a screening of photo contest images. The contest winner announcement ended the night's program. Image Show all 20 photos

On (not only) open questions in physics with David HlaváčekIn the "Open Questions in Physics" interview series we introduce you to different research areas and personalities of the Institute of Physics. At the Department of Astroparticle Physics, David Hlaváček is involved in the design of one of the control modules of the upcoming LISA space mission, which aims to capture gravitational waves possibly dating back to the very beginning of the universe. In addition, he is also involved in the outreach and philosophy of science. Where does he see physics going, what will LISA tell us about the cosmos and why is it important to inspire new generations of scientists?

On open questions in astroparticle physics with Jakub VíchaWhere do high-energy cosmic ray particles come from and how can we even learn what they are? Can they open up an opportunity for us to discover completely new physical processes? And can cosmic rays influence the weather? These questions have not been answered yet, but research by Jakub Vícha from the Department of Astroparticle Physics at FZU is bringing us closer to unravelling these mysteries.