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Department of Physics

Quantum mechanics predicts effects that are counter-intuitive

Quantum mechanics predicts effects that are counter-intuitive and impossible to reconcile with our daily experience. One of the most intriguing examples of these predictions is that a pair of particles can be entangled. When two particles are entangled we cannot describe the properties of one of them without referring to the other, they behave as a single entity.

Quantum mechanics predicts effects that are counter-intuitive - Read the full article
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Optik experiment med ett prisma. Två studenter syns suddiga i bakgrunden.
Department of Physics

Fysikum at SU Open Day

On March 22 between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., it's time for the Open Day at Stockholm University in Aula Magna. Where you will be able to meet students and the academic advisor Filippa Koskelainen and the study administrator for the foundation year, Alexandra Lundholm. We're from Fysikum and you're welcome to find out what it is like to study physics.

Fysikum at SU Open Day - Read the full article
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The Future is Quantum
Department of Physics

The Future is Quantum: 20 - 22 February 2023

An emerging field of physics and engineering is quantum technology, encompassing technologies that rely on the properties of quantum mechanics. Quantum computing being one example of these technologies, representing a paradigm shift for computing technology, since it can outperform much more than existing computers. On February 21 at 13:00, in the: Svedberg salen (FD5), AlbaNova, Professor Akira Furusawa from University of Tokyo, RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing will have a presentation with the title THE FUTURE IS QUANTUM - The development of Quantum Computing.

The Future is Quantum: 20 - 22 February 2023 - Read the full article
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Geometry-dependent SOT-driven magnetization dynamics
Department of Physics

Magnetic sandwich between two worlds

An international research team involving Stockholm University creates a bridge between the macroscopic and quantum worlds. An international research team, including Stefano Bonetti, a researcher at Fysikum in Stockholm, and led by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), has developed an effective new method for making electromagnetic waves - the waves that allow our mobile phones to communicate - interact with microscopic "spin waves", or magnetic waves.

Magnetic sandwich between two worlds - Read the full article
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Medical Radiation Physics Division: Iuliana Toma-Dasu, Marta Lazzeroni, Emely Kjellsson Lindblom
Department of Physics

Special investment in training for hospital physicists

The government is making a special investment in the training of medical physicists, of which Medical Radiation Physics at Fysikum is one of the four educational sites in Sweden. Today, the management consists of three women: Iuliana Toma-Dasu, Emely Kjellsson Lindblom and Marta Lazzeroni. Medical Radiation Physics is a broad and complex field of research in which radiation physics is applied to medicine and biology.

Special investment in training for hospital physicists - Read the full article
AlbaNova campus hosting the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Oskar Klein Centre
Department of Physics

Creative research environment attracts physicists and astronomers to Stockholm

In 2008, the Oskar Klein Centre in Stockholm was founded to tackle the greatest problems in astrophysics and particle physics in an interdisciplinary manner. It is now celebrated as a rich and rewarding research environment that attracts internationally leading researchers, including Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek.

Creative research environment attracts physicists and astronomers to Stockholm - Read the full article
Model system with 2 electronic states exhibiting a sloped CI
Department of Physics

Mapping molecular funnels with X-rays: precise timings of non-adiabatic excited state dynamics

Time-resolved spectroscopy is a tool that provides access to the time-scale of chemical reactions as they happen. With the help of ultra-short light pulses, it is possible to observe conformal changes in molecules on the time-scale of the atomic motion and electronic motion. Photochemical reactions, such as the damage of DNA by means of sunlight or the key-step in the process of vision, can thus be observed in great detail.

Mapping molecular funnels with X-rays: precise timings of non-adiabatic excited state dynamics - Read the full article
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Molecular structures of 1-cyanonaphtalene
Department of Physics

Yet another breakthrough for researchers at DESIREE!

An international collaboration led by Mark H. Stockett (Fysikum) and James N. Bull (University of East Anglia) last week published results from experiments conducted at the DESIREE infrastructure at Fysikum in Nature Communications. After decades of speculation and searching, astronomers have recently begun to identify complex Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules in interstellar clouds.

Yet another breakthrough for researchers at DESIREE! - Read the full article
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Fig. 1: Comparison of estimates for the LDL–HDL binodal.
Department of Physics

Liquid-liquid phase separation in supercooled water from ultrafast heating of low-density amorphous

Recent experiments continue to find evidence for a liquid-liquid phase transition (LLPT) in supercooled water, which would unify our understanding of the anomalous properties of liquid water and amorphous ice. These experiments are challenging because the proposed LLPT occurs under extreme metastable conditions where the liquid freezes to a crystal on a very short time scale.

Liquid-liquid phase separation in supercooled water from ultrafast heating of low-density amorphous - Read the full article
Department of Physics

Nine Swedish universities and MAX IV launch unique education programme to tackle societal challenge

A new intersectoral and interdisciplinary project between nine Swedish Universities and MAX IV – a Ph.D. programme called PRISMAS – launches in January 2023. The program is dedicated to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Horizon Europe's essential research and innovation areas. The project will create a connected network of next-generation X-ray experts, enabling various stakeholders to take full advantage of world-leading synchrotron facilities such as MAX IV, while tackling current societal challenges in the same breath. Foivos Perakis and Sergey Koroidov from Fysikum are part of the program.

Nine Swedish universities and MAX IV launch unique education programme to tackle societal challenge - Read the full article
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Karolina Anurova, physics student and Facebook ambassador
Department of Physics

Karolina Anurova is our new ambassador for Fysikum's Facebook

Karolina is in her second year of the Bachelor of Science in Physics programme. She is 24 years old and grew up in Botkyrka. "In the beginning, it can take some time to adjust and then it's good to think about what actually works and what study habits might be worth reviewing." She is studying Portuguese and plans to continue her studies in Brazil in the future.

Karolina Anurova is our new ambassador for Fysikum's Facebook - Read the full article
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Thesis Search for Neutrinos from Gamma-ray Bursts using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
Department of Physics

From stars in Himalaya to neutrinos in Antarctica's ice

Kunal Deoskar is a PhD at the Department of Physics. He's from Nagpur from the state of Maharashtra in central India. When he grew up he got fascinated in astronomy during hikes with his parents in the Himalayas. That led to studies in physics in India and in 2017 he came to Fysikum. He recently defended his PhD Thesis on the search for Neutrinos from Gamma-ray Bursts using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.

From stars in Himalaya to neutrinos in Antarctica's ice - Read the full article
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Nobelföreläsningarna i Aula Magna 2022. Foto: David Sturman
Department of Physics

Nobel lectures at the Stockholm University

To be honest, at first I was a bit surprised that the Nobel lectures are open to the public and in Aula Magna of SU. But my feeling almost instantly turned to excitement. So last Thurday, Dec 8 2022, I was in line with many other students, teachers and whoever was interested to hear the three Nobel laureates in Physics to talk about their research. Our Student Ambassador David Stuhrman was there.

Nobel lectures at the Stockholm University - Read the full article
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Chad Finley bedriver forskning vid Sydpolen i IceCube-projeket
Department of Physics

Neutrino research below zero

It can be challenging to work if it's below zero. At the South Pole it's about -30°C in the summer and -60°C in the winter. How do you conduct research in severe cold? Chad Finley is an associate professor at Fysikum and member of the international collaboration that operates the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. - We took turns when we were carefully installing sensors on the telescope. Otherwise our hands quickly froze and became useless, says Chad who spent two months there in the summer.

Neutrino research below zero - Read the full article
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Byst av Alfred Nobel
Department of Physics

Nobel laureates speak at Stockholm University

18 Nobel Laureates visit Stockholm University during this year's Nobel Week. Listen to this year's Nobel Laureates in Aula Magna on Thursday at the KVA's official Nobel Lectures. Three of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2020 and 2021, Professors Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez and Giorgio Parisi, will be at AlbaNova on 7 December. On December 12 in the morning, the workshop From Bell and Beyond will take place for experts, PhD students and postdocs in all aspects of quantum limits. In the afternoon, there will be a panel discussion with the 2022 Nobel Laureates in Physics.

Nobel laureates speak at Stockholm University - Read the full article
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Lise Meitner-dagarna 2022
Department of Physics

Wilma Svedlund: Lise Meitner Days 2022

This weekend, this year's edition of the Lise Meitner Days was held at AlbaNova. It's an event for swedish upper secondary school students interested in physics. Lise Meitner (1878-1968) was an Austrian-Swedish nuclear physicist who discovered nuclear fission, and has one element named after her: meitnerium. The students came to AlbaNova to listen to exciting lectures, participate in educative labs and more! Last Friday, an exhibition was held and I got the chance to stand in Fysikum's booth.

Wilma Svedlund: Lise Meitner Days 2022 - Read the full article
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Michael Faradays julföreläsning 2022
Department of Physics

Christmas Lecture - Michael Faraday's 190-year tradition - 20th Anniversary!

The Christmas Lectures are held annually at the Royal Institution in London to present scientific issues in an informative and entertaining way. They began as early as 1825 and one of the earliest and most frequent lecturers was Michael Faraday. In his spirit, we present experiments for all ages, now for the twentieth time.

Christmas Lecture - Michael Faraday's 190-year tradition - 20th Anniversary! - Read the full article
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Photo Credit: Nasa
Department of Physics

David Stuhrmann: Fly me to the moon

On Wednesday November 16th at 7:47 CET one could finally watch the launch of the Artemis I mission. I was looking forward to it for a while now as the launch date was postponed multiple times because of technical issues and some hurricanes. But as often in science it is worth waiting as the mission is now going well. Are you also excited that humanity wants to return to the moon and with the first Artemis mission came closer to this goal?

David Stuhrmann: Fly me to the moon - Read the full article
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Tomas Palmqvist, sjukshusfysiker
Department of Physics

PhD student Thomas Palmqvist, MSF, participates in Naturvetarpodden

Imagine that a nuclear accident would happen in Sweden or that nuclear weapons would be used in our neighbourhood. Then we need to know how to act to reduce the damage caused by ionising radiation. How the damage is treated depends on how much of the cells' DNA has been destroyed. Listen to the authorities and follow the instructions, is hospital physicist Tomas Palmqvist's advice. The best way to protect yourself is to keep your distance from the radiation source and expose yourself to as little radiation as possible. Concrete houses protect better than wooden ones and close all the vents in case the worst happens.

PhD student Thomas Palmqvist, MSF, participates in Naturvetarpodden - Read the full article
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The ATLAS experiment
Department of Physics

Fysikum received project grants from the Swedish Research Council

The Swedish Research Council has decided on the applications to be awarded grants within Natural and engineering sciences 2022 and the total grant amount for 2022-2026 is more than 1,2 billion SEK. Project grants approved from Fysikum include grants from Vladimir Krasnov, Henning Schmidt, Sara Strandberg, Markus Kowalewski, Chistophe Clement, Chad Finley.

Fysikum received project grants from the Swedish Research Council - Read the full article
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Daniel Slominsky, USA, studerar teoretisk fysik på Fysikum
Department of Physics

Meet Daniel, a Master's student in theoretical physics

Every year Stockholm University welcomes thousands of international students from all over the world. Each bringing their own backpack full of experiences, expectations and dreams. Each with their own story. Meet Daniel, a Master's student in theoretical physics from the US. He had always wanted to become a professional baseball player, but life had different plans for him.

Meet Daniel, a Master's student in theoretical physics - Read the full article
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IceCube

IceCube neutrinos provide new view of a nearby galaxy

For the first time, an international team of scientists has found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from a nearby galaxy. The galaxy, NGC 1068 (also known as Messier 77) is an active galaxy in the constellation Cetus and one of the most familiar and well-studied active galaxies. The results are published in Science.

IceCube neutrinos provide new view of a nearby galaxy - Read the full article
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Wilma Svedlund - student på kandidatprogrammet i fysik
Department of Physics

Bachelor in Physics and dark matter

When I was about to start university I chose between a bachelor+master in physics and engineering physics. One of the last student ambassador's for Fysikum, Eleonora, made a post this spring about the differences between a bachelor and engineering degree which I recommend if you are interested. Since I want to do research in the future and have always been interested in WHY things work, I chose to study a bachelor. I'm now in the second year of my bachelor and currently taking a math course in Analysis and a course in statistics.

Bachelor in Physics and dark matter - Read the full article
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David Stuhrmann - din inre fysiker
Department of Physics

What is your inner physicist?

In my physics studies I encountered many homework and lab exercises but overall I think one can group these in three categories. There are the classical theoretical homework problems like solving the damped harmonic oscillator. They are very good in training your mathematical and logical thinking for becoming a physicist. Then there are the practical labs where you have to work with a setup like some optics and a laser and if everything is correct you can measure something. Before starting my studies I really underestimated the work and difficulty of doing a good lab. But of course having experiments is essential to physics as we need to test the theoretical predictions. The third category of computer exercises, I only really got into later years of my studies.

What is your inner physicist? - Read the full article
Porträtt av Jón Gudmundsson
Department of Physics

Quest for the particles behind dark matter

Scientists have been pondering the existence of dark matter – matter that does not seem to interact with light – for almost a century. Thanks to a 27.5 million SEK grant, Jón Gudmundsson and his colleagues at Stockholm University can construct a new type of detector to find axions, a type of hypothetical particles that could constitute dark matter.

Quest for the particles behind dark matter - Read the full article
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Medical Radiation Physics
Department of Physics

Emely researches and teaches Medical Radiation Physics at Fysikum

Emely Kjellsson Lindblom is a senior lecturer at Fysikum, Stockholm University. She works with Medical Radiation Physics. "Research in medical radiation physics focuses primarily on optimization of radiation therapy. We have several ongoing projects linked to Karolinska University Hospital's racetrack microtron in Solna, and there are also plans for a light ion radiation therapy facility.

Emely researches and teaches Medical Radiation Physics at Fysikum - Read the full article
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Kelvin Water Dropper
Department of Physics

The Kelvin Water Dropper separates water droplets into positively and negatively charged ones

On September the 30th Fysikum together with KI, KTH and Vetenskapens hus arranged ForskarFredag (Research Friday). It's an event mainly aimed at students from upper secondary school, but also for high school students and other interested, which aim to increase the interest in research. ForskarFredag took place at AlbaNova, and I as a student ambassador for Fysikum had the opportunity to participate. Our Student Ambassador Wilma Svedlund tells us more on Facebook.

The Kelvin Water Dropper separates water droplets into positively and negatively charged ones - Read the full article
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Moa Kristiansson and Gustav Eklund, the DESIREE Group
Department of Physics

Precision electron affinity measurement in DESIREE

The electron affinity of an element is defined as the amount of energy released when an additional electron is bound to the system, which is—of course—equal to the energy needed to remove the negatively charged ion. An efficient way to determine electron affinities is to expose an ensemble of negative ions to a laser field and then vary the wavelength of the light to find the threshold for a signal relating to the photodetachment process separating an electron from the now neutralized atom. The longest wavelength where this happens corresponds to a photon energy equal to the electron affinity, so by finding the threshold and transforming from wavelength to photon energy one can determine the electron affinity.

Precision electron affinity measurement in DESIREE - Read the full article
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Artist’s impression of the MHz-XPCS technique being used to measure the dynamics of proteins in dens
Department of Physics

Capturing protein dynamics in crowded environments with the world’s brightest X-ray laser

Proteins carry out a wide range of important functions in our bodies. Knowledge about how they move around and through the crowded environments of our cells and tissues is key to understanding how they perform these crucial functions. Experiments exploring protein dynamics, however, often use samples that do not reflect the crowded and complex environments of the cell. At the European X-ray Free Electron laser (XFEL), scientists carried out X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy experiments to measure the nanoscopic structural dynamics of protein solution samples. The results, reported in Nature Communications open up the unique possibility of studying collective dynamics in protein solutions with high concentration, which is particularly interesting in the context of intracellular transport in eukaryotic cells and in drug design.

Capturing protein dynamics in crowded environments with the world’s brightest X-ray laser - Read the full article
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Nobelpriset i fysik 2022
Department of Physics

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022: Entangled states – from theory to technology

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 to Alain Aspect, Université Paris-Saclay and École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, John F. Clauser, J.F. Clauser & Assoc., Walnut Creek, CA, USA and Anton Zeilinger, University of Vienna, Austria

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022: Entangled states – from theory to technology - Read the full article
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Eleonora Svanberg
Department of Physics

Wavelike nature of the vertical shear instability in global protoplanetary discs

Our former Ambassador for Fysikum's Facebook, Eleonora Svanberg, is doing her Masters in Cambridge. She has had her first research article published in Oxford Academic. - I think it's been a fantastic opportunity to try my hand at research, and getting published feels like an important milestone in my future career. I hope more students will get the chance to do this,' says Eleonora Svanberg.

Wavelike nature of the vertical shear instability in global protoplanetary discs - Read the full article
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David Stuhrmann - presentations and open lectures
Department of Physics

David Stuhrmann: Attending short talks or presentations

When I started studying physics I new the names of the big topics in physics like quantum mechanics and general relativity. Proceeding with lectures and semester, I felt that my knowledge in these basic and broad fields increased. But as the time for the thesis project came closer and closer, I noticed that research happens on so many smaller topics and varieties than I encountered in my daily lectures. Often a question popped up in my mind on how I could learn more about these various research topics there are existing today.

David Stuhrmann: Attending short talks or presentations - Read the full article
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Wilma Svedlund
Department of Physics

Wilma Svedlund about her physics studies

To get started with your studies in the early fall can be hard when you have many things going on in your life. The last warm summer nights have passed and you may have a habit of scrolling on social media during your days, go for long powerwalks, or you may be one of many that likes staying up late playing video games with your friends. No matter what stands in your way, it will get easier if you give yourself the best possible conditions to study.

Wilma Svedlund about her physics studies - Read the full article
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Cavity-molecule coupled system
Department of Physics

Triplet-triplet annihilation: An efficient photon upconversion route

Researchers at Fysikum recently investigated the triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) dynamics of naphthalene. The annihilation process involves the conversion of two spin triplet states into one singlet excited state. The triplet state contains two unpaired electrons with same spin whereas the singlet state electrons are all paired and have opposite spins.

Triplet-triplet annihilation: An efficient photon upconversion route - Read the full article
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Exclusion limits from various direct dark matter search experiments.
Department of Physics

The dark side of the Sun - Solar reflection of dark matter

When we look up to the night sky, we see a lot of bright objects. Stars, gas clouds, galaxies, or supernovae radiate light that our telescopes can catch. However, we know that the vast majority of matter in space does not send out light at all. We call it 'dark matter' due to its elusive nature. Indeed, dark matter seems to be completely invisible.

The dark side of the Sun - Solar reflection of dark matter - Read the full article
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Department of Physics

Water - the strangest liquid

This science documentary reveals groundbreaking insights into the puzzling substance that constitutes most of ourselves: water. Yet no one has been able to explain the origin of water´s unique anomalies on a molecular level. In this film we get to follow the scientific pursuit from the theoretical hypothesis of two liquids presented by Prof. Francesco Sciortino, to the experimental work led by the Swedish at Stockholm University Anders Nilsson and his team, when they test water under extreme conditions while conducting an experiment nobody considered possible.

Water - the strangest liquid - Read the full article
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Christopher Schlüter together with Peter Amann in the experiment hutch of P22
Department of Physics

Scientists solve the Mystery about the Active Phase in Catalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction

An international research team led by researchers of Stockholm University has for the first time been able to study the surface of a copper-zinc catalyst when carbon dioxide is reduced to methanol. The results – obtained at DESY´s brilliant light source PETRA III – are published in the scientific journal Science. A better knowledge of the catalytic process of methanol synthesis and the possibility of finding even more efficient materials opens the door for a green transition in the chemical industry.

Scientists solve the Mystery about the Active Phase in Catalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction - Read the full article
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Frank Wilczek
Department of Physics

Frank Wilczek receives the 2022 Templeton Prize

Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author, and professor at four universities among them Stockholm University, is awarded the 2022 Templeton Prize. We are delighted that Frank, with his extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge, is contributing to the Physics research community, says Jan Conrad, Head of the Department of Physics at the Stockholm University.

Frank Wilczek receives the 2022 Templeton Prize - Read the full article
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Sara Strandberg, professor and researcher, Department of Physics, Stockholm University
Department of Physics

World's largest particle accelerator restarts

The CERN research facility houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest particle accelerator. The accelerator has been undergoing further development for three years, and operations were restarted in April. Sara Strandberg is a professor at Fysikum and works at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. Here she tells us more about how she became interested in physics and her research at the ATLAS experiment.

World's largest particle accelerator restarts - Read the full article
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Hiranya Peiris, Professor in Astro Physics at Stockholm University and University College London
Department of Physics

Hiranya Peiris is a new members of the Class for physics

Hiranya Peiris divides her time between the Department of Physics at Stockholm University and University College London. She is a professor of astrophysics and has made significant contributions to cosmology by combining observations with theoretical physics research and advanced data analysis. She has now been appointed as a new member of the Physics Class of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Hiranya Peiris is a new members of the Class for physics - Read the full article
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Information på Fysikum
Department of Physics

Restrictions on Covid 19 lifted from February 9

On February 3, the government announced that most of the restrictions and recommendations put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted on February 9. For universities and colleges, this means a gradual return to teaching on campus. There will also be a gradual return to the workplace for employees. The university management intends to return next week with more detailed information on what this means for operations at Stockholm University.

Restrictions on Covid 19 lifted from February 9 - Read the full article
Estimated charge distribution changes on the APTS photoacid and conjugate photobase forms
Department of Physics

An ultrafast X-ray glance into photoacid electronic structure

Photoacids are molecules that release a proton upon electronic excitation, thus enhancing the acidity of a liquid. Pioneering work by Theodor Förster has shown the direct relationship between the wavelength position of optical absorption and acidity properties with which the increase in acidity in the first electronic excited state can be quantified.

An ultrafast X-ray glance into photoacid electronic structure - Read the full article
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