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Department of Physics
and Astronomy From the elementary to the extraordinary
Departement Natuurkunde
en Sterrenkunde Van het elementaire tot het buitengewone
KU Leuven
• Autonomous university founded in 1425
• Mission: providing high-quality interdisciplinary
research & education
• ~ 41,200 students (16% international)
• ~ 1,000 professors (9% international)
• ~ 1,000 postdocs (36% international)
• ~ 4,600 doctoral students (39% international)
• ~ 365 million euro annual research spending
• ~ 625 doctoral degrees per year (92 in science)
• ~ 98 spin-off companies
figures for 2012-2013
2
• ~ 45 faculty staff
• ~ 220 scientists
(PhD-students &
postdocs)
• ~ 55 technical &
administrative staff
Who are we?
Department of Physics and Astronomy
http://fys.kuleuven.be/
3
Faculty Staff
Tech & Admin
PhD student
Postdoc
Faculty Staff
Tech & Admin
PhD student
Postdoc
Facts & Figures
What do we do?
Scientific research
Research work, communication and team
discussions, publications, conferences,
projects and funding, …
Education
Physics Bachelor and Master programs
Other programs (~4500 students/year)
PhDs (~30/jaar)
Service
expertise, companies, scientific journals,
commissions and boards, community, …
4
Education
Bachelor and Master programs BACHELOR in de Fysica
MASTER of Physics (D/E)
MASTER of Astronomy and Astrophysics (D/E)
MASTER of Statistics (D/E)
MASTER of Earth Observation
MASTER of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (D/E)
MASTER of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Erasmus Mundus)
*MASTER of Mathematics (D/E)
*MASTER of Chemistry (D/E)
*MASTER of Biophysics, Biochemistry & Biotechnology
*MASTER of Bioinformatics (D/E)
*MASTER of Theoretical Chemistry & Computational Modelling (Erasmus Mundus)
* conditions apply ** after master
MASTER of Space Studies
MASTER in de medische stralingsfysica
SPECIFIEKE LERARENOPLEIDING
**
5
Education PhD
Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School
For Science, Engineering & Technology
Framework for efficient administration, training opportunities and
stimulating international collaborations
http://set.kuleuven.be/phd/
PhD in science, Physics ~ 4 years of original scientific research
high impact publications, manuscript and public defense
Funding? fellowship Research Foundation Flanders (fwo), Agency for
Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT), research funding of promoter, …
http://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en 6
Research areas at the Department of Physics and Astronomy
Hard condensed
matter
Soft condensed
matter and
biophysics Nuclear physics
Theoretical
physics
Stellar
astrophysics Physics
education and
research
7
Research infrastructure The Department has unique in-house
research infrastructure, some examples:
The ion and molecular beam laboratory
In situ molecular beam deposition,
ion beam synthesis and analysis, … State-of-the art
scanning probe
microscopy
infrastructure
Cryogenic facilities
and in-house helium
liquefaction
8
Research
infrastructure
Laser infrastructure, tunable lasers for
spectroscopy, e.g. in cluster and
nuclear science
2MJ capacitor bank for solid state
research in pulsed magnetic fields
upto 80 Tesla
Anechoic and reverberant rooms
The Department has unique
in-house research infrastructure,
some examples:
9
Research
infrastructure
Mercator Telescope @ La Palma
The Department has unique
next door and off-site research
infrastructure, some examples:
Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at CERN
Leuven NanoCentre
10
Bilateral industrial collaborations
Department of
Physics and
Astronomy
Examples:
11
Large international projects
Department of
Physics and
Astronomy
12
We are organized in research divisions:
Soft Matter and
Biophysics
n Nuclear and
Radiation Physics
Solid State Physics
and Magnetism
… and research teams
Astronomy
Theoretical
Physics
Physics
education
Semiconductor
Physics
13
Soft Matter and Biophysics
OVERALL GOAL:
• study the physics of soft, biological and
heterogeneous condensed matter by
advanced experimental techniques
• phenomena and applications in acoustics.
faculty; 5
postdoc; 3
PhD student;
8
tech/adm; 2
14
Physical acoustics, photothermal and
photoacoustic material research
Perception, room,
building and
environmental
acoustics
Soft Matter and Biophysics Research themes
Structure, self
assembly and phase
transitions in complex
soft and biological
matter
15
Institute of Astronomy
OVERALL GOAL:
To study stellar evolution in a broad
context
faculty; 4,2
postdoc; 19,1
PhD student; 10
tech/adm; 7,65
senior researcher
; 5
16
Institute of Astronomy Research themes
Investigating the
interiors of pulsating
stars through the
analysis of their
pulsation modes.
↔ The study of
earthquakes.
Studying stars with a
dusty circumstellar
environment.
Using theory and
telescopes (as ALMA,
Herschel, VLT(I),
Mercator, …)
Looking for a deeper
insight into the
uncertain physics of
low- and
intermediate-mass
single stars during
the late-stages of
stellar evolutions.
17
Institute of Astronomy Research themes
Binary stars are a
prime source of stellar
fundamental
parameters, in
particular of stellar
masses.
∼ 50% of all stars
Interdisciplinary
research bringing
together expertise
from astronomy,
mathematics, and
chemistry to study
exoplanets
Mercator telescope
@ La Palma, Spain
Involvement in
space instruments:
PACS, SAFARI,
CoRoT, PLATO,…
18
• The strong and weak interaction at work
in the atomic nucleus through radioactive
beam research
• The link between structural and functional
materials properties at the nano scale
Nuclear and Radiation Physics
faculty; 8
postdocs; 22
PhD; 39
tech/adm; 13
19
Fundamental weak interaction studies
at low energies:
- search for permanent
neutron electric dipole moment
- precision beta spectrum shape measurements
- beta-emission asymmetry in 35Ar decay
Nuclear and Radiation Physics Research themes
Laser spectroscopy on exotic, radioactive nuclei to fingerprint their
structure
20
Study the structure of exotic nuclei using radioactive ion beams
- Use of decay and reaction methods (CERN-ISOLDE(CH), GANIL (F),…)
- New techniques for the production and detection of rare isotopes:
ISOL@MYRRHA
Nuclear and Radiation Physics Research themes
21
Create, characterize, and image
nanostructures via interactions
between ion beams and matter.
Determine impurity lattice locations.
Probing magnetism at the
atomic level via hyperfine
interactions and neutron
scattering at magnetic
surfaces and interfaces,
in multiferroics and in
magnetic semiconductors
Nuclear and Radiation Physics Research themes
Ni
Si
Atomic scale redistribution
during solid state reaction of
silicides and germanides.
Vibrational properties of
nanoislands and nanowires.
Link with superconductivity.
22
Semiconductor Physics
OVERALL GOAL:
Identification of electron states at
semiconductor interfaces: spin and charge
faculty; 3,1 postdoc; 1
PhD student;
15
tech/adm; 1,3
23
Atomic identification of traps and
point defects at semiconductor/insulator
interfaces by means of MR techniques
Semiconductor Physics Research themes
Electronic band diagram of
semiconductor heterostructures:
functionality of interfaces
h h
S i S i M e O
x
A u / A l ( 1 5 n m )
p A
B I A S
+ -
p A
B I A S
- +
V g > 0 V
g < 0
A u / A l
First principles modeling of 2D
semiconductor materials and
interfaces
24
Solid State Physics and Magnetism
OVERALL GOAL:
understand and control functionalities
at the nanoscale
faculty; 7,1
postdoc; 21 PhD
students; 40
tech/adm; 5
25
Solid State Physics and Magnetism Research themes
Understand physical and chemical
properties of (binary) clusters of a
few up to several 100 atoms and
induce new properties in cluster-
assembled systems.
Address challenges related to
superconductivity at the nanoscale
• Vortex matter
• Proximity effects
in hybrid
superconductors
• Phonons in
nanoscale
superconductors
26
Create and investigate
functional interfaces
between nanomaterials and
biomolecules or cells
Solid State Physics and Magnetism Research themes
Control functionality in complex oxides
and advanced nanomaterials
Assemble into devices and systems
Scanning probe
microscopy to link
physical functionalities to
atomic structure and/or
spatial confinement
27
Institute of Theoretical Physics
OVERALL GOAL
• Modeling physical phenomena in
mathematical frameworks
• Understanding experimental results
and basic structures of nature
faculty; 9
postdoc; 8
PhD students
; 19
tech/admin; 2 We are happy when there
are applications,
but our main focus is on
insights and structures
of the laws of physics.
28
Institute of Theoretical Physics Research themes
Mathematical physics
Quantum information
theory
Statistical mechanics
Dynamical systems
High-energy
Physics
Inspired by high-energy physics and
cosmology: string theory,
supergravity, theory of black holes
and branes, quantum cosmology
Holography: gauge-string dualities,
with applications to cosmology and
solid-state physics
29
Statistical physics
wetting of nanostructured surfaces
models of non-equilibrium phase transitions
response coefficients and transport properties
Spin glasses; networks; random matrices
Biophysics: DNA microarrays and thermodynamics
applications to nanobiointeractions in a cell
Institute of Theoretical Physics Research themes
30
Physics Education Research
OVERALL GOAL
understand and improve physics learning
and teaching
faculty; 1
PhD students;
3
tech/adm; 1
high school teachers
and volunteers;
5
31
Physics Education Research Research themes
Student understanding of specific
physics concepts
STEM education at the
secondary school level
Use of mathematics in
physics learning
32
Our mission
explore
understand
model
NEW
KNOWLEDGE
PREDICT
NEW
PHENOMENA
33
MAKING NEW KNOWLEDGE
35
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