Program Overview

Plenary Session

Nine plenary talks will be adressing latest advancements in different research fields.

• Claudia Draxl, Humbold-Universität Berlin: Artificial intelligence in materials science - hype or revolution?
• Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, EPFL: Compound semiconductor nanowires synthesis and sustainability aspects
• Edda Gschwendtner, CERN: First electron acceleration in AWAKE, the proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment
• Ravit Helled, Universität Zürich: Understanding Giant Planets
• Patrick Maletinsky,Universität Basel: Probing nanoscale magnetism using single spin magnetometry
• Greta R. Patzke, Universität Zürich: Economic Materials Design for Clean Energy
• Olaf Reimer, Universität Innsbruck: Galactic High-Energy Particle Accelerators
• Heike Riel, IBM Rüschlikon: The Future of Computing
• Monika Ritsch-Marte, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck: Synthetic holography with spatial light modulators for biophotonics applications

Furthermore a public lecture is scheduled in the evening of Tuesday 27 August:

• Rainer Blatt, Universität Innsbruck: The Quantum Way of Doing Computations (New Technologies for the Information Age)

The following parallel sessions will be scheduled:

• Applied Physics and Plasma Physics
• Atomic Physics and Quantum Photonics
• Biophysics, Medical Physics and Soft Matter
• Condensed Matter Physics (KOND)
• Earth, Atmosphere and Environmental Physics
• History and Philosophy of Physics
• MaNEP: Correlations and topology in quantum matter *
• Nuclear, Particle- & Astrophysics (TASK)
• Quantum and Artificial Intelligence: New Jobs for Physicists in Emergent Industries
• Quantum Beam Science: bio, materials and fundamental physics with neutrons and X-rays ***
• Quantum Science and Technology **
• Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Films
• Skyrmions in magnetic materials ****

* organised in collaboration with Association MaNEP, ** organized in collaboration with NCCR QSIT, *** organized in collaboration with the Swiss Society for Neutron Science (SGN), **** organized in collaboration with Association MaNEP and Sinergia projekt 171003 "NanoSkyrmionics"

Dependent on the number and contents of the contributed papers, each topical session will be split into special thematic sub-sessions.

As every year outstanding scientific works will be honoured with the SPS awards, in the respective fields of General Physics (sponsored by ABB Research Center), Condensed Matter Physics (sponsored by IBM Zürich Research Laboratory), Applied Physics (sponsored by Oerlikon Surface Solutions), Metrology (sponsored by METAS) and in Computational Physics (sponsored by COMSOL). Each award is granted with CHF 5000.-.

The winner of the Charpak-Ritz Award sponsored by the Société Française de Physique (SFP) and the SPS will be honored, too.

ÖPG will award the Boltzmann- and the V.-F. Hess prize, CHIPP and the Swiss Society for Neutron Science will also award their respective winners.

The award ceremony will be held on 28 August at 10:50h.

The general assembly is scheduled for 27 August. The agenda will be published in the SPS Communications No. 58. We encourage all members to actively participate and contact the committee if special points of interest should be discussed at the assembly.

An exhibition with scientific devices, equipment, software and literature will be organized in parallel to the sessions. An invitation letter has been mailed to interested companies. If your company would like to join the exhibition, but did not receive the letter by the end of March, please contact the SPS Secretariat.

A conference dinner is scheduled for the evening of 29 August in the "Zunfthaus zur Meisen". You can select the dinner during the normal registration procedure. The price is CHF 80.- (incl. apéro, 3-course meal, drinks).

Theoretical Physics

Theoretical contributions are highly encouraged and will be included directly in a corresponding topical session. This way, the sessions will profit from a broad range of experimental, phenomenological, and theoretical advancements that are relevant in the specific topical field and thus can engage in broader and deeper discussions.
Please submit your abstract to the session which best matches your topic. You can optionally mark your contribution as "theoretical" in the submission interface.

Contact: Philippe Jetzer

Quantum and Artificial Intelligence: New Jobs for Physicists in Emergent Industries

In recent years, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence have started to impact an amazingly wide range of fields, from research instrumentation to financial modelling. Beyond the research domain, more and more products are being made with or for these new technologies. In this session, opportunities for physicists in these emergent industries will be presented. If you have an interesting story to tell on this subject, please submit your contribution before the abstract submission deadline.

Contact: Thilo Stöferle

Quantum Science and Technology (organized by the NCCR QSIT)

The quantum science and technology session will combine presentations on recent scientific advances in the fields of quantum computing, communication, simulation and sensing. Both Austria and Switzerland are important players in the quantum technology landscape in Europe with many groups contributing to the European Quantum Flagship and other important international research programs. The session is organized by the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research on Quantum Science and Technology and wishes to bring together the two quantum communities from Austria and Switzerland. We welcome oral and poster contributions from both senior and junior researchers. Please submit your contribution before the abstract submission deadline.

Contact: Andreas Fuhrer

Condensed Matter (KOND)

The condensed matter program welcomes contributions from all topics within Condensed Matter Physics, including magnetism, superconductivity, semiconductors and more. Where relevant, we encourage participants to submit their abstracts to the relevant focus sessions described below.

Contact: Henrik M. Rønnow, Alberta Bonanni

Quantum Beam Science: bio, materials and fundamental physics with neutrons and X-rays

The Swiss Neutron Science Society, the PSI division for photon science and their Austrian counterparts invite abstracts from the growing user-base of neutron, synchrotron and free electron laser facilities to share their research. Abstract submissions are welcome from all topics where neutron or X-ray experiments have contributed. Contributions do not have to be centered on the technique and we specifically encourage contributions where quantum beam experiments were one among several techniques involved.

Contact: Neutrons:Markus Strobl, X-rays:Luc Patthey, General:Henrik M. Rønnow

MaNEP Session: Correlations and topology in quantum matter

The session is dedicated to recent developments in the study of materials with novel electronic phenomena that arise from electronic correlations or topological properties. This encompasses the physics of low-dimensional materials including van der Waals materials and surface or interface physics, quantum magnetism, superconductivity, the physics of oxide materials, topological phases of matter, novel probes and more. Abstract submissions are welcome from all researchers working in the field, you don't have to belong to a MaNEP member group.

Contact: Marta Gibert, Titus Neupert

MaNEP Focus Session: Skyrmions in magnetic materials

Over the last decade, there has been a huge research effort into skyrmions stabilized in magnetic materials. Due to their nanometric size, topological protection and easy manipulation by external stimuli, skyrmions offer new perspectives for spintronics and cutting-edge device technologies. Within the framework of a running Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) funded Sinergia project 171003 ‘NanoSkyrmionics’, in this focus session we bring together experimentalists and theoreticians from both Switzerland and abroad, to highlight recent advances in materials discovery, measurement and control of skyrmions. Xiuzhen Yu (RIKEN CEMS, Japan), Peter Hatton (Durham University, UK), and Stefan Blügel (FZ Jülich, Germany) will give invited talks. Abstract submissions are welcome from all researchers working in the field, you don't have to belong to a MaNEP member group. Financial support from both MaNEP and the SNSF is gratefully acknowledged.

Contact: Jonathan White