Stockholm university
Department of Physics

News

Eddy Ardonne, professor i kondenserade materiens teori
Department of Physics

Eddy is a teacher, researcher and newly appointed professor at Fysikum

Eddy Ardonne comes from the province of Zeeland in the south-west of the Netherlands. He obtained his Master's degree at Leiden University and Phd in Amsterdam. After being a Postdoc in the US for five years, he joined Nordita and then came to Fysikum in 2012. Until this year, he has been teaching in parallel with his research. In August 2024, the President promoted him to Professor of Condensed Matter Theory.

Illustration av hur man fångar gravitoner. Illustration: Igor Pikovskis forskargrupp.
Department of Physics

The graviton - the quantum particle of gravity

Igor Pikovski has been interviewed by Swedish Radio about how they will use a small supercold resonance box and quantum sensor technology to detect gravitons. They believe that gravitons can be detected using quantum sensor technology. These particles have previously been considered impossible to observe. Igor Pikovski is a senior lecturer at the Department of Physics.

ForskarFredag 2024 med utställning i AlbaNovas ljushall
Department of Physics

Fysikum's interesting lessons, demonstrations and tours attracted many students and teachers

Several thousand pupils and their teachers came to this year's Researcher's Friday at Vetenskapens hus and AlbaNova on September 27, 2024. Fysikum had a packed programme with scientists giving lessons, demonstrations and tours of our laboratories. Researcher's Friday is part of the European Researchers' Night science festival with events across Europe on 23-28 September 2024. In 2019, European Researchers' Night reached 1.6 million visitors in 27 countries. 433 cities participated and 36,000 researchers were involved.

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Ludvig Doeser, årets vinnare av Magnus Axelsson-priset. Foto: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Ludvig Doeser is the winner of Magnus Axelsson Prize 2024

Ludvig Doeser studied Engineering Physics at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in parallel with hosting exhibitions at Tom Tits in his spare time. During his master programme he was an exchange student in the USA. In 2021, he did his thesis with Jens Jasche and collaborated with Magnus Axelsson at Fysikum. Since January 2022 he is a PhD student at the division of Cosmology, Astroparticle Physics and String Theory - COPS. He teaches and is responsible for the outreach event FysikShow. Ludvig is awarded this year's prize because he intends to introduce FysikShow's experiments into physics teaching.

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Installations- och promotionshögtid. Foto: Ing-Marie Andersson
Department of Physics

New professors at Stockholm University

The President has recently decided to promote several new professors, including Eddy Ardonne to Professor in Condensed Matter Theory specialising in strongly correlated quantum systems, Maria Hermanns to Professor in Theoretical Physics and Markus Hennrich to professor in experimental quantum optics.

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Eleonora Svanberg, boksläpp: Study with me
Department of Physics

Eleonora Svanberg, releases the book Study with me

Eleonora Svanberg studied on the Bachelor's programme in Physics at Fysikum when she was also our student ambassador for social media. She then took her master's degree at Cambridge and will do her PhD at Oxford University in England. Today she releases the book ‘Study with me - how to build mathematical confidence’.

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Eleonora Svanberg - mottagare av Nordic Pioneers 2024
Department of Physics

The Nordic Pioneer Prize 2024: Eleonora Svanberg is one of four winners

The prize was established in 2021 by Nordic Safe Cities, which works to strengthen democracy and counter extremism in the Nordic region. Eleonora Svanberg, alumna of Fysikum, is one of the four prize winners. ‘I am incredibly honoured by the prize, which shows how important it is to work for gender equality in STEM,’ says Eleonora, who founded Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). The award ceremony will take place on 19 September in Denmark.

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Andrea Gallo Rosso, Postdoc fellow, the Department of Physics
Department of Physics

Turning the ghostly substance into actual light

Postdoctor Andrea Gallo is a researcher in astroparticle physics at Fysikum, Stockholm University. He was born in Turin, Italy, and in 2019 he did his PhD at the Gran Sasso Science Institute in L’Aquila. In March 2021 he came to Stockholm and Fysikum. He's now working in the ALPHA experiment. Together with Jan Conrad he will be working on a project developing a framework for the simulation and analysis of axion experiments (dubbed ASSAI). The project is funded by a grant of the Olle Engkvist foundation.

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Scientists worked out how single gravitons can be detected. Igor Pikovski Group
Department of Physics

How to catch a graviton

Gravitons, the quantum particles of gravity, were thought to be impossible to observe. Scientists have now worked out how they can be detected by using quantum sensing technology.

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Mörkret och människan av Jonas Enander
Department of Physics

Jonas Enander releases a book about darkness and mankind

Jonas first took a master's degree in physics at Fysikum and then went on to complete a PhD at the CoPS group and the Oskar Klein Centre. "Nowadays I'm a part-time research communicator at the Oskar Klein Centre. On 28 August, I'll be releasing my book Darkness and Man."

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Sreenath Manikandan
Department of Physics

Sreenath is a postdoctoral researcher at Nordita

Sreenath Manikandan is a researcher in Professor Frank Wilczek's group at Nordita. "My research is mainly about Q-ball which is a hypothetical form of matter in theoretical physics. Quantum connections is an amazing summer school for early career researchers like me. The school brings great lecturers from around the world on frontiers of quantum physics."

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Vendela Kennemyr, upper secondary school student taking courses at Fysikum
Department of Physics

Vendela Kennemyr came back for more courses at Fysikum

After doing practical work experience (Prao) at Fysikum in the spring of 2022, Vendela returned to us during the autumn holidays. "Since then, I have taken six courses - two at master's level and four on the bachelor's programme in physics. Physics and maths are incredibly fun and studying it at university is fantastic!"

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Professor Frank Wilczek
Department of Physics

Quantum Connections Summer School at Högberga for the thirteenth time

This year's summer school runs from 9 to 22 June at Högberga konferensgård on Lidingö outside Stockholm. About fifty participants will come there to deepen their knowledge. It is a summer school organized for PhD students and postdocs, both theoretical and experimental, in all aspects of quantum limits. Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek, Professor at Fysikum and Professor Antti Niemi, Nordita are the initiators of the summer school.

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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.

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Frank Wilzcek, Nobel Laureate and professor at Fysikum. Photo: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Frank's curiosity has earned him the Nobel Prize and several fruitful collaborations

Professor Frank Wilczek's was interested in mathematics and big numbers even as a child. His father was an electrical technician who fixed radios and tvs when they were broken. Frank was inspired and liked to take apart and put together things to see how they worked. This was the beginning of a fantastic career in Physics. In 2004, Wilczek received the highest honor in science — the Nobel Prize in Physics — for his discovery of asymptotic freedom and the development of the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Since 2016 he has been working at the Department of Physics.

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Sommarledighet 2024
Department of Physics

Summer Greetings

The summer holidays will soon be here for both staff and students. The vast majority of our staff will be back in August. Our students are welcome back for the start of term on 2 September. We wish you a wonderful summer of warmth and relaxation.

Fysikerna Stuart McAlpine och Jens Jasche med fysikstudenter
Department of Physics

Mingle with Fysikum students and alumni

On May 30, we celebrated the graduation of a number of students from the Bachelor and Master programmes. Staff, alumni and students mingled with each other and then enjoyed lectures from Jonas Enander, Communications Officer at the Oscar Klein Centre, and Jens Jasche, Researcher in Cosmology. The students received diplomas and everyone present enjoyed drinks and snacks.

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Claes Orsholm, alumn från Fysikum och vd på Savantic
Department of Physics

Claes completed his PhD at Fysikum and then founded Savantic

Claes Orsholm's physics and maths teacher inspired him to study at Fysikum, where he went on to gain a PhD in electron microscopy with sensor development. Immediately after my PhD, I founded Savantic where I work as CEO. My advice to prospective students is to cultivate your curiosity, try to let go of the details and look at what you learn from a bird's eye view.

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Jón Gudmundsson

Shedding new light on dark matter

No one has yet managed to show what dark matter is made of, even though it appears to make up over 80 percent of the mass in the universe. At Stockholm University a new kind of sensor is being built to study hypothetical particles called axions. If these invisible particles do in fact exist, they may provide a solution to the mystery of dark matter.

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Most members of the board of NornDip met at the conference in Bergen.
Department of Physics

Report from the NornDip conference

This year the conference was given at the University of Bergen in Norway, May 7-8. The theme of the conference was “Smoothening the bumpy road – on gender microagressions”. During the conference seminars on physics was mixed with seminars on gender and diversity topics.

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William Lejon, masterstudent i teoretisk fysik, Fysikum
Department of Physics

William Lejon: Physics is something you learn throughout your studies

William will be 24 years old in August, comes from Stockholm and is studying on the Master's programme in theoretical physics at Fysikum. He is currently working on his master's thesis, which he plans to present in June. "The important thing is not that you understand now, tomorrow or even in a week. Physics is something you learn throughout your studies."

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Anita Girelli, Postdok och medlem i SDAQS, Kemisk fysik, Fysikum
Department of Physics

Understanding proteins and water with physics

Anita Girelli is a new fellow in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program from the European Commission in 2024. Originally from Verona in Italy, Anita came to Fysikum in 2022 to start her first postdoc with Foivos Perakis. The way from Italy to Sweden was not always straight forward. For one, Anita took some time to fall in love with physics— I always liked math but at my first contact with physics, I thought it was weird and boring.

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Professor Emil Johansson Bergholtz outside AlbaNova. Photo: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Emil became a physicist thanks to the research branch

Emil Johansson Bergholtz is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Fysikum. He has been appointed both a Wallenberg Academy Fellow and a Wallenberg Academy Scholar. "It was a coincidence that I got into the subject of physics. I liked solving problems and things that gave resistance. But without the research branch, it is not certain that I would have continued with physics. It was fun and inspiring with the advanced problem solving in the program, says Emil Bergholtz.

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Sara Strandberg, Professor at Fysikum
Department of Physics

Sara Strandberg on Wallenberg Scholar and the Higgs particle

The Wallenberg Scholars program supports and stimulates some of the most successful senior researchers at Swedish universities. The grant is for five years with the possibility of a five-year extension. There are currently 88 active Wallenberg Scholars and Emil Bergholtz was recently appointed. Sara Strandberg received a five-year extension. On April 12, Sara participated in the Swedish Radio program Vetenskapsradion on the topic of the Higgs particle.

The laser light is circularly polarized. Image created by AI

Quantum breakthrough when light makes materials magnet

The potential of quantum technology is huge but is today largely limited to the extremely cold environments of laboratories. Now, researchers at Stockholm University, at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics and at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice have succeeded in demonstrating for the very first time how laser light can induce quantum behavior at room temperature – and make non-magnetic materials magnetic. The breakthrough is expected to pave the way for faster and more energy-efficient computers, information transfer and data storage.

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Påsk 2024
Department of Physics

Happy Easter!

Easter in Sweden has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar since 1844. Nowadays, Easter has become a family celebration, mixing ancient folklore, Norse and Christian traditions. The children dress up as witches, we put feathers in the rice and eat Easter sweets and food. We wish you all a very happy Easter!

Department of Physics

International Water Day: research on water at Fysikum

The UN General Assembly started the initiative in 1992 and since then, different water-related themes have been highlighted every year. In Sweden, World Water Day is coordinated by the Swedish Hydrological Council (SHR) and has been celebrated since 2006. At Fysikum, we tell you about our research on water during this day.

Forskare och studenter med VR-glasögon.

We create a digital twin of the universe to understand the Big Bang

I try to gain a full understanding of how the universe was created 13.8 billion years ago. As a cosmologist, I have the luxury of travelling out into the universe in my mind every day and see life on Earth from a different perspective. This makes it clear how precious our little planet is.

Kvinnliga fysiker på Kvinnodagen 2024
Department of Physics

International Women's Day 2024: Women in physics

March 8 is International Women's Day and today we want to highlight women in physics. There are many examples including Marie Curie, Maria Goeppert Mayer and Lise Meitner to Fabiola Gianotti and Lene Hau. We also mention some of the female professors of physics who belong to the Fysikum.

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David Marsh, assistant professor, Fysikum
Department of Physics

David Marsh is Vice Director of EuCAPT

EuCAPT is a European consortium for astroparticle theory. It aims to bring together European researchers in theoretical astroparticle physics and cosmology. In early February, David Marsh took over as Vice Director of the consortium. At Fysikum he is a researcher in astroparticle physics and teaches the course Quantum Phenomena and Radiation Physics.

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Sara Strandberg, professor i partikelfysik på Fysikum, Stockholms universitet.
Department of Physics

A scientific train journey to CERN with Sara Strandberg

On 15 April, the train departs from Stockholm to Geneva and cicerones are particle physicist Professor Sara Strandberg from Fysikum and science journalist Anna Davour from Forskning & Framsteg. Participants will learn more about the smallest components of our matter with quarks, leptons and other elementary particles. CERN is the world's largest particle physics laboratory and home to the Large Hadron Collider - the world's largest particle accelerator.

Application for autumn 2024
Department of Physics

Applications for autumn 2024 opens on March 15

The application period starts on 15 March and 15 April is the last day to apply for courses and programmes starting in the autumn term 2024. Welcome with your application. Apply via antagning.se. Here you can read more about our programmes in physics.

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Department of Physics

Non-Hermitian extended midgap states and bound states in the continuum

Maria Zelenayová, PhD student at Fysikum, and her supervisor Professor Emil Bergholtz looked into localization phenomena in non-Hermitian systems that challenge traditional beliefs about states within the energy continuum and those in the gap. The understanding of non-Hermitian extended band gaps and bound states holds significant implications across various domains. In quantum mechanics, this opens up new possibilities for controlling and manipulating the properties of materials. In technology, these insights can be utilized to develop more efficient semiconductors and other advanced materials.

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Figur 2: En sällsynt vy inifrån det unika Double ElectroStatic Ion-Ring Experiment, DESIREE
Department of Physics

The mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide

Using the unique DESIREE facility, researchers at Stockholm University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have for the first time been able to directly visualise the neutral products of the mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide, and report three different product channels: two channels were attributed to a predominant electron-transfer mechanism, and a smaller channel was associated with proton transfer. The two-beam collision experiment is an important step toward understanding the quantum dynamics of this fundamental reaction. Their findings are published in the journal Science. A team of scientists led by Prof. Daniel Strasser at The Hebrew University in Israel joined with a team led by Dr. Richard Thomas at The Department of Physics at Stockholm University, to investigate this reaction using the DESIREE facility.

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Foivos Perakis, assistant professor, Chemical Physics Division, Fysikum. Photo: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Applying physics and chemistry problems in biological systems

Foivos Perakis was born and raised in Athens, Greece. Already at high school he was attracted to math, physics or computer science. During his studies at the Physics department at the University of Crete, he took the opportunity to study as an ERASMUS student at the University of Amsterdam. Later on, Foivos did his PhD in University of Zurich and a postdoc at Stanford. In 2016 he moved to Sweden as a researcher at Fysikum. He was appointed as an assistant professor in 2019 and a Wallenberg Fellow in 2023. His research group focuses on liquid-liquid transitions and proteins in crowded and cryogenic environments.

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N-O internuclear separation
Department of Physics

When Opposites Fatally Attract: The Mutual Neutralisation Story

One reaction involving atomic and molecular ions which is extremely difficult to measure and explore in detail is mutual neutralisation, where a positive ion and a negative ion meet up, and neutralise. Thanks to a unique ion storage ring device, DESIREE, in Stockholm Sweden, these oppositely charged ions can be stored and controlled, then merged together in a cryogenically cold environment where the MN reaction happens. Using a cutting edge camera, we identify the reaction products and reconstruct the moment these opposites became fatally attracted, and neutralised.

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Alex Sulai, student of Master Programme at Fysikum
Department of Physics

Alex Sulaj is a Master student in Physics at Fysikum

His name is Aleksandros Sulaj (everybody calls him Alex) and he's am from Greece. After graduation from the University of Athens he came to Sweden and is now a Master student in Physics at Fysikum. He's done an internship and wants to stay in Sweden working in the industry. His advice to other students is to travel abroad and to do an internship.

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Halo over Stockholm
Department of Physics

Christmas Greetings

The autumn semester is now over and we are all looking forward to a holiday over the Christmas and New Year period. We will return with more news later in January 2024 and wish all students and staff a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Foto från CRP mötet
Department of Physics

Understanding the role of molecules in fusion plasmas

For a long time, physicists have been dreaming about using fusion processes to produce energy on earth. ITER is a giant fusion tokamak being built in France as a large collaboration of several nations. The idea for a joint fusion project was launched in 1985 and the construction has been underway since 2010. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organizes Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) were experts on fusion plasma modeling as well molecular physicists working on theoretical calculations of molecular scattering processes are invited. Professor Åsa Larson, Atomic Physics division, participated in this confererence.

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Medlemmar i ALPHA-gruppen på Stockholms universitet som arbetar med en tidig prototyp.
Department of Physics

A Plasma Haloscope for the Post-Inflation Axion

In Fall 2022, a consortium of the Simons Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation published a solicitation seeking to make profound advancements in physics by means of Small-Experiments of “table-top” size. The proposal “A Plasma Haloscope for the Post-Inflation Axion”, lead by the Berkely group has been announced as one of the 11 awardees among hundreds of initial proposals, for which a total of $30M over five years has been pledged by the foundations. “With this funding and also the earlier funding by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation we’re ready to start developing and building this detector that has the potential to discover axions”, says Jón Gudmundsson, senior researcher at Stockholm and current spokesperson of the ALPHA collaboration.

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AlbaNova's Lucia Choir 2023
Department of Physics

This year's Lucia celebration at AlbaNova

On December 13, Lucia was celebrated and mulled wine, gingerbread, lussekatt and coffee were served before and after the Lucia choir. The choir has been rehearsing since September under the direction of Sofia Qvarfort, postdoc at Fysikum and Nordita with the assistance of Marjorie Ladd Parada, postdoc KTH.

Collage of Wallenber Academy Fellows 2023

Eight Wallenberg Academy Fellows to Stockholm University

Of the 31 younger prominent researchers who are appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellows this year, eight are nominated by Stockholm University. Among other things, they do research on methane in the Arctic seabed and how we can make decisions about potential disasters.

AT_bs_prversionb
Department of Physics

Single-Shot Measurements of Phonon Number States Using the Autler-Townes Effect

Efficient and reliable detection of motional states is an essential component of many ion-trap experiments. In this recent work a new technique for measuring both Fock and thermal states, based on the Autler-Townes splitting, is demonstrated. The experimental work has been carried out in the group of Markus Hennrich at Fysikum, and was performed in collaboration with the groups of Celso Villas-Boas and Romain Bachelard in São Carlos, Brazil.

Professor Martin Beye. Photo: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Martin Beye is researching on catalysts working against the climate change

“In the past, we developed many new and powerful techniques with x-ray radiation. The time is ripe now to use them for something important”, says Martin Beye. Climate change is the most important topic to be addressed in the world for the coming decades. Martin commits to make his contribution working at Stockholm University, after his start at Fysikum in September 2023. “At Stockholm University, there is a unique environment, knowledge and infrastructure and wonderful colleagues – all that is required to actually make an impact."

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Julföreläsningen 2023
Department of Physics

Christmas Lecture - Michael Faraday's 198-year tradition

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 on the 7th December.

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Nordita logo
Department of Physics

Nordita's Open House 20 November

There will be talks by representatives of all the Nordita strands, informal discussions of possible Master projects with many Nordita scientists, fika, many board games, table tennis, and billiard. Nordita is the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics.

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AlbaNova. Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein
Department of Physics

OKC15 - an anniversary for physics research that lasted for three days

The Oskar Klein Centre is celebrating 15 years with an anniversary that took place on October 17-19 2023. OKC is a hub and network for physics research in Stockholm. The scientific conference covered topics in cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics. "It has been great to celebrate our successes with all our colleagues both in Sweden and the Nordic countries as well as our alumni", says Professor Ariel Goobar, Director.

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Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Department of Physics

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 - Quantum dots

Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 for the discovery and development of quantum dots. These tiny quantum systems have unique properties and many applications: they emit light used in television screens and LED lamps, they catalyse chemical reactions, and their emission marks the borders of tumor tissue for a surgeon. Ana Predojević, is associate professor at Fysikum: "We use the best tools and methods available to modern science to generate quantum light, harness its unique properties, and bring it closer to real-world application."

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Professor Anders Nilsson, Fysikum. Foto: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

Professor Anders Nilsson receives the 2024 Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy & Dynamics

This prize recognizes notable contributions to the field of molecular spectroscopy and dynamics. The prize consists of $10,000, an allowance for travel expenses, up to $1000, to attend the meeting at which the prize is to be presented and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient. The motivation is “for seminal contributions in the application of x-ray spectroscopy methods to the molecular dynamics of water and catalytic reactions.”

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Flätskyddade topologiska bandstrukturer med oparade exceptionella punkter
Department of Physics

Particles protected by Braids and Knots

We present a class of systems in which a particle - antiparticle pair cannot annihilate each other after they have moved along a loop, and instead form a new type of composite particle. This occurs in so-called non-Hermitian systems; classical metamaterials or "open" quantum systems that are coupled to the rest of the universe. Lukas Königis a PhD Student at Fysikum and is part of the research group Quantum and Complex Systems.

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Non-Hermitian Systems
Department of Physics

Quantum metric unveils defect freezing in non-Hermitian systems

The fundamental postulates of quantum mechanics rest upon the fact that the Hamiltonian, which quantifies the energy of the system, is given by a Hermitian operator. This means that the complex conjugate and transpose of the Hamiltonian should be equal to itself. Almost a century after the formulation of quantum mechanics, researchers are now trying to break free from this constraint — non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, which do not satisfy the aforementioned property, are now a new frontier of exploration in both theoretical and experimental physics. Paolo Molignini is part of the project and is a Postdoctor in Condensed Matter and Quantum Optics at Fysikum.

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Scanning electron image of a small vortex-based memory cell.
Department of Physics

Word and bit line operation of a 1x1 μm2 superconducting vortex-based memory

The third industrial “digital” revolution is on the way. The volume of digital information, the amount of large computation facilities and the related energy consumption are growing in an explosive manner. The notorious “memory wall” problem reveals ineffectiveness of the standard processor-centered computation for processing of big data volumes and actuates the necessity of both hardware and software development for new types of in-memory computation. Simultaneously, silicon-based electronics is approaching its limits. The large resistivity of nano-scale semiconductor transistors and interconnections impedes operation speed and causes severe heat management problems. Sustainability of the present digitalization trend requires radical innovative solutions.

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MRP - Medical Radiation Physics
Department of Physics

Jeehong Lee is interviewing his classmates

Hello, it's Jeehong here! This week, I've interviewed some of my classmates who are studying in the Medical Physics program at Stockholm University. They have shared their experiences and thoughts about the program, and I look forward to sharing them with all of you! I hope their insights will be helpful for prospective students and provide you with a better understanding of what it's like to study in our program. ����

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Jeehong Lee, student Medical Radiation Physics and the Student Ambassador for Fysikum
Department of Physics

Meet Jeehong Lee - one of our new student ambassadors

Jeehong is 23 years old, was born in Seoul and now lives in Björkhagen. He is in his fourth year of the Hospital Physics programme and looks forward to inspiring new students with posts on Fysikum's social media. His future goal is to become a professor/researcher and contribute to the improvement of public health through physical means.

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Albano-invigning 20-23 september 2023
Department of Physics

Inauguration of Albano 20-23 September 2023

On September 20 - 23, Albano - Stockholm's new campus area - will be inaugurated. Here, a vibrant neighbourhood has been created which, with its strategic location a stone's throw from the city, strengthens the links between Stockholm University and KTH and promotes the city, the region and Sweden as a nation of knowledge.

Eleonora - from undergraduate at the Physics Department to PhD student at Oxford
Department of Physics

Eleonora - from undergraduate at the Physics Department to PhD student at Oxford

Eleonora Svanberg studied on the bachelor's programme in physics at Fysikum when she was also our student ambassador for social media. She then took her Master's degree at Cambridge and is now doing her PhD at Oxford University in England - "I left every Sunday free to socialise with friends, visit other cities and follow up on my TV shows. That, combined with a clear structure, got me through it. Don't be afraid to aim higher than you feel comfortable with!

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Gruppfoto från workshopen om att utforska simuleringar av gravitation och kvantgravitation
Department of Physics

Workshop about exploring simulations of gravity and quantum gravity

In July Fysikum hosted a workshop in Stockholm, jointly organized by Igor Pikovski from Fysikum and Rivka Bekenstein from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its focus was the study of quantum gravity in the lab. 20 participants spent 3 days at Näsby Slott to discuss quantum simulations and quantum aspects of gravity.

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Oskar Klein Centre

Welcome to the 15-year anniversary conference!

The Oskar Klein Centre is celebrating 15 years as a hub for physics research in Stockholm. To recognize this achievement, and also look towards the future, we are organizing a lively scientific conference covering topics in cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics.

Halo in Stockholm
Department of Physics

Fysikdagarna 2023: Engaged presenters and active high-schools teachers

The national conference of the Swedish Physical Society, Fysikdagarna, was held in Stockholm 14–16 June 2023 with lectures, poster session and lab tours taking place in the main building in AlbaNova University center. Fysikdagarna 2023 was organised by the Swedish Physical Society together with Stockholm University and KTH. "We look forward to learn about the location for the next version of Fysikdagarna held in two years' time", says the organizing committee.

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Michael Gatchell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Fysikum
Department of Physics

Coronene molecules contribute to complex chemistry in space

Carbon forms the basis of all organic chemistry and thus the building blocks of life. There is increasing evidence that amino acids and other complex organic molecules can be formed in space and spread to planets through, e.g., comet impacts. Large carbon-based molecule such as coronene could play an important role in how such organic molecules are produced in astronomical environments. Michael Gatchell has been interested in understanding the universe for as long as he can remember. Here he tells us about his research at Atomic Physics division of Fysikum and new results can change how we imagine molecules such as coronene contribute to chemistry in space.

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Marion Mallweger, doktorand, forskningsgruppen Trapped Ion Quantum Technologies
Department of Physics

Marion Mallweger on Travelling by train to conferences

Marion Mallweger tells us about her experiences with travelling by train to conferences. She is a PhD and is a member of the research group Trapped Ion Quantum Technologies in the Condensed Matter and Quantum Optics division at Fysikum. - I like to travel by train because it gives you more the feeling of travelling and can be quite comfortable. It is also often more environmental friendly than flying.

Axel Gagge, PhD student at Fysikum combining art and physics
Department of Physics

Axel Gagge - PhD student at Fysikum combining physics and art

- I use a lot of drawing to understand concepts in physics and maths. It was quite natural for me to use tools like maths and programming in my methods, but also to incorporate physics issues into my studies at the Royal Institute of Art. He studied a bachelor and master in physics at Fysikum. Axel defended his thesis in theoretical physics and the title of his thesis was: Triptych of quantum matter in one dimension.

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Image caption: An X-ray flash illuminates a molecule. Credit: Raphael Jay
Department of Physics

X-rays visualise how one of nature’s strongest bonds breaks

The use of short flashes of X-ray light brings scientists one big step closer toward developing better catalysts to transform the greenhouse gas methane into a less harmful chemical. The result, published in the journal Science, reveals for the first time how carbon-hydrogen bonds of alkanes break and how the catalyst works in this reaction.

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Karolina Anurova, student Bachelor Program in Physics and Student Ambassador
Department of Physics

We thank Student Ambassador Karolina Anurova!

During the spring term 2023, student ambassador Karolina Anurova has published posts about her studies on Fysikum's social media. Karolina is in her final year of the bachelor's programme in physics and tells us about her future plans. We thank Karolina and are now looking for new student ambassadors for the autumn.

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Department of Physics

The Administrative division during summer 2023

During week 26 to 33 i.e. June 26 to August 20 fewer people will be available due to vacations and vacancies still not filled. We therefore appreciate your patience and understanding if matters may take slightly longer to solve during this period of time, and ask of you to prepare and hand in matters for the summer period well in time before week 26.

Professor Mohamed Bourenanne and PhD student Thomas Daugey
Department of Physics

New quantum communication infrastructure

Mohamed Bourenanne is part of the National Quantum Communication Infrastructure in Sweden (NQCIS) project, which received SEK 30 million from Vinnova and is coordinated by KTH. His research group works in the field of quantum communication and their laboratory is located at AlbaNova. - All eavesdropping attempts can be revealed thanks to the basic theories of quantum mechanics, thus increasing information security.

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Sergey Koroidov
Department of Physics

Conversion of carbon dioxide back into fuels

The conversion of carbon dioxide back into fuels via electrochemistry is a very attractive alternative. - In my studies, I am developing the essential understanding of these reactions by following time-resolved transformation at the atomic and molecular level, says Sergey Koroidov.

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Jonas Enander
Department of Physics

Jonas Enander is researching on the societal role of science

Jonas Enander studied at Fysikum around 2005 and earned his doctorate in 2015 "I did both my master's thesis and my doctoral work at the Division of Cosmology, Astroparticle Physics and String Theory." He now writes popular science and has a podcast featuring Senior Lecturer Sören Holst.

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Professor Anders Nilsson. Photo: Gunilla Häggström
Department of Physics

The importance of water and fuel cells in society

When he was in secondary school, he was mostly interested in chemistry and physics. He continued with this focus during the 4-year technical program and during studies abroad. Since then, Professor Anders Nilsson has worked in several countries and his list of publications and awards is long.

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Atomic Motion in Liquid Water Molecules
Department of Physics

Importance of Quantum Effects in Water

Using ultrafast electron diffraction, Anders Nilsson at Stockholm University have participated in a study lead by colleagues at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California on how the structure of water changes after a fast change in the quantum distribution of distances in the internal bond. Upon increasing the quantum number by one unit of the internal OH stretch the team surprisingly found that the hydrogen bond becomes strengthen. The finding is published this week in Nature.

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KS18 and its graph of compatibility
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.

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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.

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Ulf Ahlberg, Research Engineer, Technical Division, Fysikum
Department of Physics

Ulf produces parts for a polar expedition

After the closure of the Central Workshop at Frescati, some tasks have been transferred to the Technical Department at Fysikum. Ulf Ahlberg, a new employee at the department's mechanical workshop, is delivering parts for a lab container that will travel with the icebreaker Oden to the Arctic in the spring.

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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.

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Wilma Svedlund and David Stuhrman on a visit to UCL
Department of Physics

Wilma and David on a return visit to UCL

Previously we have written about the student project between Stockholm University and University College London, UCL, where we have been measuring air quality with Raspberry Pi's (a small Linux computer.) Now we returned to London for a handover of the project to their students.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Karolina Anurova is the student ambassador for Fysikum's Facebook
Department of Physics

Karolina Anurova: A new term has started

Actually, this is not just any term, I am now able to take classes I have been looking forward to a bit extra since start. Behind me I leave a longer period of math courses, which though I enjoy, it does feel pleasant to let go of the formality and use more intuition again.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Delar av Fysikums doktorandråd
Department of Physics

Meet your Fysikum Postdoc Council

The Fysikum Postdoc Council has been established to represent all the postdocs from the Fysikum Department. They have direct meetings with the head of the Department to provide a comprehensive view of the situation and discuss matters arising from the postdocs.

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Nya forskningssidorna på Fysikums webbplats. New research pages on the Fysikum web.
Department of Physics

The new research pages on the Fysikum website are published

The web project "Webb2021" has involved the whole of Stockholm University. Fysikum's education pages were first completed in 2021 and in January 2022 the About the Department pages were launched. In December 2022, our new research pages were published, containing all subject areas, research groups, projects and more.

Julföreläsningen på Albanova 2022
Department of Physics

The Christmas Lecture 2022

In 1825 a Christmas lecture was held at Royal Institution in London. The physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) lectured many time. This year was the 20th Christmas lecture here in Stockholm, and our Student Ambassador Wilma Svedlund was in the audience.

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Verklighetens fysik - podd från Nobelprismuseet
Department of Physics

Physics of Reality with Frank Wilczek

Physics laureate Frank Wilczek's book "Fundamental" is a backstage pass to reality as it really is - from the interior of matter to outer space. Based on his book, Wilczek explains the mysteries of physics - and how unexpected it is that we can actually understand how the world works.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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Porträtt av Jón Gudmundsson

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Department of Physics

Frank Wilczek on the 2022 Physics prize

Frank Wilczek is professor of theoretical physics at MIT and The Department of Physics at Stockholm university and a Nobel laureate. He held the Nobel prize in physics in 2004. Hear him comment on the Physics Prize of 2022, and giving advice to this year´s laureates arriving in Stockholm in December.

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.

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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.

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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.

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David Stuhrmann
Department of Physics

David Stuhrmann tells us about his physics studies

Let me tell you how a usual day of my studies looks like. This fall I am taking the courses Finite Element Methods and Quantum Optics. The first one is a numerical math course and combines theory and programming exercises. Quantum Optics is a purely physics course and even includes a practical lab.

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Magnus Axelsson
Department of Physics

In remembrance of Magnus Axelsson

In the middle of the summer we received the unexpected and very sad news that our colleague Magnus Axelsson has passed away. Thanks to his kindness, competence and helpfulness, Magnus was one of our most valued colleagues. His main commitment was to undergraduate education both at the department and the faculty.

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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.

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Physics book.
Department of Physics

Register for re-exams in August

One week at the end of August every year, the Department of physics arrange for students to take re-exams in almost all our courses.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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Matthias Geilhufe
Department of Physics

Novel quantum phase opens up for sustainable technology

A novel quantum phase and a new quasiparticle has been discovered by a researcher at Stockholm University. The results can be useful in developing quantum technology based on sustainable materials.

Fysikums frontpage
Department of Physics

New front page on Fysikums web

The entrance to Fysikum's Swedish and English web has been redesigned. The pages under Internal and About us on the old web have been moved to About the Department.

Anders Nilsson, Fysikum, forskar om vatten
Department of Physics

The supercool origins of water’s strange behaviour

Anders Nilsson's ERC project on water has been named a Success story by the European Commission. The article has been translated into several languages. Anders Nilsson is very pleased that the European Commission is drawing attention to water research, which could be one of the most important areas for understanding climate change.

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