News from FZU

Dear colleagues,we would like to invite you to the seminar of Division of Elementary Particle Physics of Institute of Physics, presented by Marek Taševský.For more info, please see invitation.

This year we will also celebrate twenty years of Researchers' Night in the Czech Republic at the Institute of Physics! In 2025, the Institute of Physics will also participate in the nationwide event Researchers' Night, during which hundreds of scientific buildings will come alive! You can look forward to excursions, workshops, a fun zone and much more. The theme of this year's event is Wealth. The event will take place on Friday 26 September 2024 from approximately 16:00 to 21:00. While we are preparing the program for you, you can have fun with the online program or look back at last year's Night of Science at www.nocvedcu.cz.

The conference program of ICOMAT 2025 will cover all branches of research in the field of martensitic transitions and phase-transforming materials, ranging from the latest theoretical, technological and characterization advancements to the state-of-art engineering applications, bringing together experts from all over the globe. 

Scientists led by Jakub Dostalek from the Division of Optics of the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences have published a review article on the latest advancements of optical biosensors using plasmon enhanced fluorescence (PEF). This cutting-edge technology enables exceptionally sensitive detection of biomarkers with applications ranging from disease diagnosis and environmental pollution monitoring to single molecule analysis. The paper was published in the prestigious journal TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry.

This year, we mark the tenth anniversary of International Women and Girls in Science Day with the life story of our colleague Evgenia Chitrova, head of the Rare-Earth and Actinide Science Research Group in the Department of Magnetic Measurements and Materials. Her story is the perfect proof that encounters with science and an indomitable curiosity shape a lifelong commitment to scientific work.

Dear colleagues,we would like to invite you to the seminar of Division of Elementary Particle Physics of Institute of Physics, presented by Pavla Federičová.For more info, please see invitation.

Abstract: In 1997 Maldacena proposed a remarkable equivalence between  quantum gravity and gauge theory.  Since then this `holographic' duality has had a profound impact on many areas of physics. In this talk I will attempt to give a gentle introduction to the basics of the duality as well as a tour of its successes and applications. I will also touch on  some recent advances and generalizations.More info at: https://indico.fzu.cz/event/277/   

Better understanding of microorganisms, advances in retrovirus research, the development of promising systems for molecular electronics, as well as uncovering the archaeological heritage of the Sahara or law focused on climate protection. This is a brief selection of the broad range of research topics supported between 2013 and 2019 by the Akademická Prémie and Lumina Quaeruntur awards. The recipients of these prestigious awards, granted by the Czech Academy of Sciences, will present their research findings from February 10 to 12, 2025.

This year we will be looking forward to everyone at VědaFest, the 13th annual fun science festival, which takes place under the open sky at Vítězné náměstí in Dejvice. 

For the second time this year, we will visit a family weekend event called ABC Festival, which will take place again this year in the premises of the National Agricultural Museum in Prague!       

Want to learn what the physics of the future looks like? Or solve puzzles and try out our exhibits? At the stand of the Institute of Physics at the Science Fair, we will transport you to the world of modern materials or cosmology.      

Dear colleagues,we would like to invite you to the seminar of Division of Elementary Particle Physics of Institute of Physics, presented by Jakub Vícha.For more info, please see invitation.

Update 1. 1. 2025 A new comet was spotted on the night of 24–25 December 2024 by scientist Martin Mašek from the Institute of Physics over the western horizon in Argentina. He operated the telescope online from Liberec (city in the Czech Republic). This is the first Czech discovery of a comet where the observer was not physically present in the observatory, and the first Czech discovery from the southern hemisphere. The comet will not appear above our horizon until late February or early March. 

Czech physicist Tomáš Jungwirth is one of the most important figures in contemporary world science thanks to his groundbreaking research in the field of spintronics. In 2024, he gained awards on several prestigious platforms, confirming his key contribution to scientific knowledge.

In the time of advent, for the second time we organized a collection to support the Klokánek in Prague 8, which helps children in difficult life situations. Thanks to the generous involvement of colleagues across all the divisions, we managed to collect a large number of toiletries, hygiene products, non-perishable food and other useful items that Klokánek will use in its daily care for children. Thanks to the financial donations, we were able to give Klokánek vouchers for the purchase of drugstore and food items that they can use throughout the year. 

The family of magnetic materials has been traditionally divided into the ferromagnetic branch known for several millennia and the antiferromagnetic branch known for nearly a century. Researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences have recently made a discovery of a new branch of the magnetic family, termed altermagnetic. 

In December, a new mural dedicated to the only Czech winner of the Nobel Prize in the field of natural sciences, Jaroslav Heyrovský, was ceremoniously unveiled at Ládví. In their work the authors, Josefína Jonášová and Štěpán Jílek, interconnected science, history and the local community.