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MaNEP Newsletter n°46 - June 2023
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Dear colleagues, dear members of the MaNEP association,
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Even if the world is still very far from being back to normal the daily life of our association seems to be back to the “exceptional business” as “usual”.
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Indeed, as you will discover in the newsletter, the last six months have been rich in truly excellent research works. This is our core mission and it’s good to see the remarkable steps forward with condensed matter and cold atomic gases getting closer and closer to help us unravel the puzzles of materials.
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There are also other exciting developments that fulfill the other missions of MaNEP, such as a game to make science better known to the public. In our world and with the challenges that await us it is crucial that the younger generations are aware of and trust in science and such outreach missions are the way to reach that goal.
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The period has also been rich with rewards, in terms of scientific recognition with prices and grants. Congratulations to our colleagues for these accomplishments.
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Last but not least, real life interactions are restarting. The school in Saas-Fee took place at the beginning of this year and was a resounding success. Congratulations and many thanks to the team that carried the school (also during the difficult times of Covid) and for this wonderful event. Another sign that exchanges are restarting is given by the Swiss-UK meeting to foster further collaborations in the field of quantum materials.
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So, thanks to all that contributed to this newsletter and shared in doing so their passion for science. As the summer is approaching with its lot of conferences and travel, I wish you a lot of exciting exchanges and discussions (in 3D).
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What's new ?
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In the second week of January 2023, the 9th MaNEP winter school brought together 63 participants in Saas-Fee. Among them were 55 PhD students, representing a diverse group from various Swiss universities, while 19% of attendees were from foreign countries.
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In early June, the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK, in collaboration with the University of Geneva and the University of Manchester, hosted the workshop on Adaptive quantum materials & quantum technologies: Towards a Roadmap for British-Swiss Collaboration. This meeting aimed at exploring the synergies and complementarities of research on ‘adaptive quantum materials’ carried out in the UK and in Switzerland as a basis for future collaboration.
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Following his receipt of the Cogito grant, João Ferreira from UNIGE has now successfully brought his innovative project, the quantum physics board game |Hop>, to completion. |Hop> is a clever fusion of quantum mechanics and engaging gameplay, designed to be both a compelling competitive pursuit and a valuable educational tool. Next month, João is set to launch a crowdfunding campaign on the Wemakeit platform to expand the reach of |Hop>.
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The award recognizes the excellence of this researcher’s work at the intersection of chemistry and physics, aimed at the discovery of new quantum materials. The award honors those whose work has already had a major impact in the field, as well as young researchers whose work already raises high expectations for future leadership.
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For their project "Non-polarizing optical module", Jérémie Teyssier and Volodymyr Multian received an Innogap grant from UNITEC, UNIGE. They have developed an optical module that can replace a beam splitter or a dichroic mirror while preserving the polarization state of the transmitted and reflected beams.
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By Fan Wu, Nicolas Ubrig and Alberto Morpurgo, UNIGE
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The discovery of 2D magnets discloses the possibility to combine semiconducting and magnetic functionalities in a broad platform of atomically thin crystals. Most 2D magnets investigated so far, however, exhibit poor – or very anomalous – semiconducting properties, because the width of their electronic bands is extremely narrow (~100 meV).
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By Andrea Caviglia, UNIGE
In two-dimensional electron systems found at interfaces of materials with a very low crystal symmetry, the geometry of electronic wavefunctions directly influences charge motion. This leads to electrodynamics that elude a classical description.
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By Jean-Philippe Brantut, EPFL
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The distinctive feature of cold atomic gases is the ability to control the interactions between particles at will. This allows to program a quantum gas to induce a wide variety of quantum phases, from superfluids or insulators to more exotic such as supersolids.
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Discover more MaNEP Network's research and innovations trough other publication highlights.
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Portrait
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What has been your main research activity and your most interesting scientific findings over the last few years ?
The main research activity in my group has been on the theory of unconventional superconductivity in complex quantum materials. Our work is strongly inspired by recent experimental developments, mainly the ones highlighting unexpected or apparently contradicting phenomena !
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Upcoming events
August 6-11, 2023, Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz, Switzerland
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(images credit: X. Ravinet /UNIGE, L. Windels/UNIGE, Swiss Embassy in the UK, Robin Lefèvre, P. Holzwarth, Harald Ritsch, UNIGE)
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MaNEP Switzerland Network
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24, quai Ernest-Ansermet - 1211 Geneva 4
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