E-Newsletter for members Published monthly Nr. 3 - October 2005

Editor : Anne RougemontTel. 022 / 379 64 99

Summary

Editorial What we have in store for students, by Prof. Oystein Fischer MaNEP Highlights p. 2 2006 SPS meeting - 2006 Summer School in Saas Fee Profile p. 3 Prof. Hans Rudolf Ott : “ I have a hobby profession “ Physics news and readings p. 5 A selection of news and articles Publications p. 6 A selection of publications by MaNEP members Agenda p. 10 A few highlights Adds p. 12 Open PhD position at the EPFL Flashback p. 13 SWM Les Diablerets : well done 2005, hello 2007 !

Next issue : mid-November 2005 / deadline : November 10, 2005

Edito by Prof. Oystein Fischer What we have in store for students

It was great to see you all at the Workshop in Les Diablerets. I really enjoyed the meeting and felt that we had great talks and excellent posters. In the Flashback section, you will find final remarks on the workshop, as well as information about some novelties for the 2007 edition. This and other meetings within MaNEP are an essential part of our activity since our common challenge is to enhance contacts and collaborations at all levels. Tis particularly important for the PhD students. It was therefore a special pleasthat so many of them participated and presented their research on this occasion.

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And we have more in store for the students at various levels. The second MaNEP Summer School will take place in September 2006 in Saas-Fee (see the Highlights section). As for the first Summer School, the topics will cover a broad area of MaNEP activities and thus have room for most of oustudents

r

urthermore, summer internships for undergraduate students will be offered in MaNEP institutions in

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lthough MaNEP is largely concerned by research, its members are practically all deeply involved with

he interaction between teaching and research is a cornerstone of science and of course also of

Fthe future. And for post-doctoral researchers it has been decided that we shall continue our mobile post-doc program. All this will be announced with more details during the winter semester, which stathese days. Aundergraduate teaching and the semesters are a particularly active period for all of us. TMaNEP, so I wish you all a very stimulating semester.

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MaNEP Highlights

2006 SPS Meeting MaNEP will actively participate with a symposium

MaNEP will organize a symposium during the Swiss Physical Society meeting in 2006. It will take place on February 13 and 14, at the EPFL in Lausanne, sat 8:30. We strongly encourage you to participate and contribute to the MaNEP sessions.

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Caution !

To register and submit abstracts, please use the MaNEP website which will provide the necessary link from October 25. Deadline for registration and abstracts is December 1st 2005 ! The MaNEP sessions topics and more practical details are available in this PDF.

2006 Summer School in Saas Fee Dates have been decided

The first MaNEP Summer School in 2004 was a success. Thus it has recently been decided to renew the experience in 2006, from September 1to 16, again in Saas Fee. MaNEP's Education manager

1 Michel Decroux will

be in charge of the project. The 2006 Summer School Committee is composed of Prof. Piero Martinoli (chairman), Prof. Oystein Fischer, Prof. Hans-Rudolf Ott, Prof. Frédéric Mila, Prof. Thierry Giamarchi, Prof. Marco Grioni and Dr Michel Decroux. It will soon decide what the 2006 Summer school Topic will be.

[see the 2004 website]

Profile

Prof. Hans Rudolf Ott : " I have a hobby profession..." [Read Prof. Ott's CV page]

Professor Ott, you are officially retired since the end of September 2005, but will be continuing your action within MaNEP. How you envisage your role in the network from now on ?

I hope I can still contribute to the research part. Of course, on a much mreduced basis than before, as I lost most part of my research group. But the ETH has also promised me some support and means.

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What would you consider your greatest scientific achievements since the beginning of your carreer ?

I guess I am proud to have contributed to the discovery of electrons in metals with very high effective masses, which later lead to a new branch in condensed matter physics ; to have found the second example of a heavy-electron superconductor; to have initiated and contributed to the search for

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experimental evidence for unconventional superconductivity in heavy-electron superconductors ; to have contributed to the enhancement of Tc in cuprate superconductors to a record high value ; to have been among the first who provided experimental evidence for d-wave superconductivity in cuprates....And, unknown to most, to have set a new upper limit of the mass of photons at temperatures below 2.71 K (temperature of the universe).

Since the creation of MaNEP in 2001, do you think collaborations between Swiss researchers have been boosted ? Could we do better and if so how ?

MaNEP has clearly helped to stimulate collaborations in our fields. But I confess I am not a great believer in organized collaboration. In my experience, collaborations really emerge when two or more people not only have a common interest, but also think they would LIKE to work together. So one has to provide the opportunities, as MaNEP does with meetings, workshops, etc. It works and collaborations have increased, especially in the 2nd phase.

How do you explain the small number of young students that chose to study physics ? What should be done to improve this situation ?

I'm not quite sure this applies to the ETH. We never saw a reduction of our number of students, unlike in the rest of Europe. But it is true that the level of new students is not as good as before and this is seemingly due to the changings in "maturity" rules. These have done no good to the Natural Sciences, but teachers I know in other fields, like languages, feel the same. There is now a spread-out feeling that something has to be done against that. I also think that college students are a little too pampered nowadays, that things go a little slow at school, and so the shock is great when they get to the uni. Maybe it should also be better explained that studies in physics develop qualities that are useful everywhere - independent thinking, self-contained work, etc. - and that the studies open many doors, not only in physics, but in biology, engineering, consulting, teaching, banks, insurance companies, etc. But of course, it is true that physics is not an easy field and one has to be a hard-worker to make it.

If you had to bet on the the discovery of superconductors at room Tc, how far in time would that be ? Would you bet on a Swiss research team to achieve it ?

Well... It could be tomorrow ! After the discovery of cuprates, I'd never say that anything is impossible.The biggest problem today is that room temperature is not even enough if we want things to be stable at room Tc... and that is yet another step ! But above all, I believe that the breakthrough will not occurr in the cuprates sector. One will have to think about something new. My guess is that it will be rather like an accident, that somebody will come up with a crazy new idea that will prove right. Would I bet on a Swiss team ? Well... I won't bet. And this has nothing to do with the quality of research in Switzerland, which is amazing. But again, I believe we need a new idea.

And finally, what does “half-retired” Professor Ott do when he is not working ?

The truth is that I'm not retired at all ! I'm still part of many committees and lately I took part in the organization of an Einstein Exhibition for example. Most things I do have to do with my... "hobby" profession I must admit ! But when I can, I read... history, crime stories, fiction, biographies (and not only of scientists) ! I also try to keep myself in shape by biking, skiing and... not taking the elevator !

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Physics news and readings

Nicolas Gisin in Nice - the video

Prof. Nicolas Gisin is a project leader at UniGE / Group of Applied Physics (optic group) and at the NCCR "Quantum Photonics" and a board member of the well-known Geneva start-up "Id Quantique" dedicated to the applications of quantum teleportation and entangled photons, especially for quantum cryptography. He recently gave a very interesting conference at the Sophia Antipolis University of Nice (France) on the subject, that was rather aimed at the general public and was recorded on video.

It is available here : http://irh.unice.fr/article.php3?id_article=99

SCENET Newsletter : highlight on the Geneva node

The September edition of the SCENET (the European network for Superconductivity) Newsletter has dedicated a whole section (4 pages) to the "Geneva node", where you can read about some historical aspects of research in solid materials at the UniGE and the DPMC, its role as a leading house of MaNEP and a description of the research groups and

their activities.

[download the PDF]

What's wrong with Quantum Mechanics ?

In honor of the World Year of Physics, which commemorates Einstein's "miraculous year" in 1905, the "Physical Review Focus" website presents papers from the Physical Review archive related to Einstein's accomplishments.

Resume "Albert Einstein never really liked quantum mechanics. In 1935, he and two colleagues argued in the Physical Review (A. Einstein et al., Phys. Rev. 4, 777) that the theory was missing something essential. They described an

imaginary experiment in which measurements of one particle revealed information about another particle without measuring the second one directly. They claimed that the possibility of such an experiment contradicted a basic tenet of standard quantum theory. Although the argument was essentially disproved later, it still leaves difficult questions unresolved, if largely ignored, by most working physicists." [Link to the paper: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PR/v47/p777] [COMPLETE Focus story : http://focus.aps.org/story/v16/st10]

A global role for physics

As the World Year of Physics draws to a close, delegates from around the world are meeting in South Africa this month to discuss how science can improve the lives of people in developing nations. Katepalli Sreenivasan (the Abdus Salam Honorary Professor and adirector of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy) writes for "Physics Web" about why physics has such a vital role to play.

[Link to the article : http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/18/10/3]

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MaNEP Publications

You will find below a selection of recent top publications by MaNEP members. Please, keep us informed of the publications you would like to appear in the next MaNEP E-newsletters. A complete list of our scientific publications can be found each year in MaNEP's annual report and on MaNEP's website.

Physical Review Letters (2 articles) Physical Review B (4 articles) Journal of Physics : Condensed Matter (2 articles) New Journal of physics (1 article) Physica E (1 article) Advanced Engineering Materials (3 articles) arXiv.org (1 article)

Physical Review Letters (2 articles)

1 - Absence of Single-Particle Bose-Einstein Condensation at Low Densities for Bosons with Correlated Hopping

by Rachel Bendjama / EPFL (picture), Brijesh Kumar, and Frédéric Mila - Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 110406 (2005)

Abstract Motivated by the physics of mobile triplets in frustrated quantum magnets, the properties of a two-dimensional model of bosons with correlated hopping are investigated. A mean-field analysis reveals the presence of a pairing phase without single-particle Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) at low densities for sufficiently strong correlated hopping, and of an Ising quantum phase transition towards a BEC phase at

larger density. The physical arguments supporting the mean-field results and their implications for bosonic and quantum spin systems are discussed.

[link to the PDF]

2 - Photoemission of a Quantum Cavity with a Nonmagnetic Spin Separator by C. Koitzsch, C. Battaglia, F. Clerc, L. Despont, M. G. Garnier, and P. Aebi /UniNE (picture) - Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 126401 (2005)

Abstract Quantum well states are a consequence of confinement in a quantum cavity. In this study we investigate with photoemission the influence of the interface electronic structure on the quantum well state energy dispersion in ultrathin Mg(0001) films on W(110). Coupling between the sp-derived quantum well states and the substrate across the interface becomes manifest in a deviation from free electronlike dispersion

behavior. Most importantly, we observe a marked level splitting, which is interpreted as due to the Rashba effect at the interface. Such an interfacial electron beam splitting on materials with strong spin-orbit coupling is an essential ingredient for novel spintronic devices. The combination of a quantum cavity with a heavy, electron reflecting substrate reveals spin-splitting effects in ultrathin films without conventional magnetism being involved.

[link to the PDF]

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Physical Review B (4 articles)

1 - Visibility of current and shot noise in electrical Mach-Zehnder and Hanbury Brown Twiss interferometers

by V. S.-W. Chung, P. Samuelsson, and M. Büttiker / DPT - UniGE (picture) - Phys. Rev. B 72, 125320 (2005)

Abstract We investigate the visibility of the current and shot-noise correlations of electrical analogs of the optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the Hanbury Brown Twiss interferometer. The electrical analogs are discussed in conductors subject to high magnetic fields where electron motion is along edge states. The transport quantities are modulated with the help of an Aharonov-Bohm flux. We discuss the conductance (current) visibility and shot noise visibility as a function of temperature and

applied voltage. Dephasing is introduced with the help of fictitious voltage probes. Comparison of these two interferometers is of interest since the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an amplitude (single-particle) interferometer, whereas the Hanbury Brown Twiss interferometer is an intensity (two-particle) interferometer. A direct comparison is only possible for the shot noise of the two interferometers. We find that the visibility of shot noise correlations of the Hanbury Brown Twiss interferometer as a function of temperature, voltage or dephasing, is qualitatively similar to the visibility of the first harmonic of the shot noise correlation of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. In contrast, the second harmonic of the shot noise visibility of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer decreases much more rapidly with increasing temperature, voltage or dephasing rate.

[link to the PDF]

2 - Decoherence and full counting statistics in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer by Heidi Förster / DPMC - UniGE (picture), Sebastian Pilgram, and Markus Büttiker - Phys. Rev. B 72, 075301 (2005)

Abstract We investigate the full counting statistics of an electrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer penetrated by an Aharonov-Bohm flux, and in the presence of a classical fluctuating potential. Of interest is the suppression of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the distribution function of the transmitted charge. For a Gaussian fluctuating field we calculate the first three cumulants. The fluctuating potential

causes a modulation of the conductance leading in the third cumulant to a term cubic in voltage and to a contribution correlating modulation of current and noise. In the high voltage regime we present an approximation of the generating function.

[link to the PDF]

3 - Dynamic generation of orbital quasiparticle entanglement in mesoscopic conductors by P. Samuelsson and M. Büttiker - Phys. Rev. B 71, 245317 (2005)

Abstract We propose a scheme for dynamically creating orbitally entangled electron-hole pairs through a time-dependent variation of the electrical potential in a mesoscopic conductor. The time-dependent potential generates a superposition of electron-hole pairs in two different orbital regions of the conductor, a two-particle interferometer in the quantum Hall regime. The orbital entanglement is detected via violation of a Bell inequality, formulated in terms of zero-frequency current noise. Adiabatic cycling of the potential, in both the weak and strong amplitude limits, is considered.

[link to the PDF]

4 - Charge-density oscillation on graphite induced by the interference of electron waves by P. Ruffieux / EMPA (picture), M. Melle-Franco, F. Zerbetto, O. Gröning, M. Bielmann, and P. Gröning - Phys. Rev. B 71 (2005) 153403

Abstract We report on a pronounced redistribution of the local electronic density of states at the graphite surface, which isinduced by the presence of low energy hydrogen-ion induced point defects. Scanning tunneling microscopy

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reveals standing waves in the local density of states, which are due to backscattering of electron wave functions at individual point defects. The superstructure thereby formed is directly related to the pointlike structure of the Fermi surface of graphite. For high defect density interference patterns are observed which sensitively change structure on the relative positions of the defects. These patterns could be reproduced by tight binding simulations of various defect distributions.

[link to the PDF]

Journal of Physics : Condensed Matter (2 articles)

1 - Oxygen isotope effect on metal insulator transition in layered cobaltites RBaCo2O5.5 (R = Pr, Dy, Ho and Y)

by K Conder, E Pomjakushina / PSI (picture), V Pomjakushin, M Stingaciu, S Streule and A Podlesnyak - J Phys.: Condens. Mater 17 (2005) 5813-5820

Abstract Both differential scanning calorimetry and powder neutron diffraction have been applied to investigate an oxygen isotope effect on the metal–insulator (MI) transition in layered cobaltites RBaCo2O5.5 (R = Pr, Dy, Ho and Y).

For all the compounds it was found that O substitution increases the transition temperature TMI by about 2 K. A small negative isotope-effect coefficient α0 � −0.06 indicates that a delocalization of the pdσ holes in theCo3+ high spin state (rather than a spin-state transition) can be responsible for the MI transition, in agreementwith density-functional calculations(Wu 2003 J. Phys.: Condens.Matter 15 503).

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[link to the PDF]

2 - Reversible and irreversible magnetocaloric effect in the NdBa2Cu3O7 superconductor in relation with specific heat and magnetization - PREPRINT - accepted on September 21

by T. Plackowski /DPMC-UniGE (picture), Y.Wang, R.Lortz, A.Junod, Th.Wolf

Abstract A recently developed technique for measuring the isothermal magnetocaloric coefficient (MT) is applied to thstudy of a superconducting NdBa2Cu3O7 single crystal. Results are compared with magnetization (M) and specific heat (C). In the reversible region both C and MT follow the scaling law of the 3D-xy universality class.The anomalies connected with flux-line lattice melting are visible on MT(B) curves as peaks and steps, similar to C(T) curves yet with much smaller background. At lower temperature, in the irreversible region the MT(B)

behaviour resembles more that of M(B), exhibiting the "fishtail" effect. Our results confirm that the peculiarities of the phase diagram known from the high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7, e.g. vortex melting, dominance of critical fluctuatiand absence of a Bc

e

ons 2 critical field line, are a common property of RE-123 systems.

[link to the PDF]

New Journal of physics (1 article)

Quasiparticle entanglement: redefinition of the vacuum and reduced density matrix approach By P. Samuelsson, E.V. Sukhorukov, M. Büttiker - New J. Phys. 7, 176 (2005)

Abstract A scattering approach to entanglement in mesoscopic conductors with independent fermionic quasi-particles is discussed. We focus on conductors in the tunnelling limit, where a redefinition of the quasi-particle vacuum transforms the wavefunction from a many-body product state of non-interacting particles to a state describing entangled two-particle excitations out of the new vacuum (Samuelsson, Sukhorukov and Büttiker 2003 Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 157002). The approach is illustrated with two examples: (i) a normal–superconducting system, where the transformation is made between Bogoliubov–de Gennes quasi-particles and Cooper pairs, and (ii) a normal system, where the transformation is made between electron quasi-particles and electron–hole pairs. This is compared to a scheme where an effective two-particle state is derived from the manybody scattering state by a reduced density matrix approach.

[link to the PDF]

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Physica E (1 article)

Ground State Entanglement Energetics by M. Büttiker and A. N. Jordan / DPT-UniGE (picture), Physica E 29, 272 (2005)

Abstract We consider the ground state of simple quantum systems coupled to an environment. In general the system is entangled with its environment. As a consequence, even at zero temperature, the energy of the system is not sharp: a projective measurement can find the system in an excited state. We show that energy fluctuation measurements at zero temperature provide entanglement information. For two-state systems which exhibit a persistent current in the ground state, energy fluctuations and persistent current fluctuations are closely related. The harmonic oscillator serves to illustrate energy fluctuations in a

system with an infinite number of states. In addition to the energy distribution we discuss the energy–energy time-correlation function in the zero-temperature limit. [link to the PDF]

Advanced Engineering Materials (3 articles)

1 - Formation of Al4Cu9 on the 5 fold surface of icosahedral AlPdMn by M. Bielmann and A. Barranco, P. Ruffieux, O. Gröning, R. Fasel, R. Widmer, and P. Gröning - Advanced Engineering Materials 7 (2005) 392

Abstract Skilful technical assistance was provided by the mechanical workshops of the University of Fribourg and Empa. We would like to thank M. Feuerbacher for providing us with high quality QC's. Furthermore, special thanks to J. Ledieu for intense and fruitfully discussion. This work was supported by the European Community through the SMART Quasicrystals Project Contract No. G5RD-CT-2001-00584 whose financial support is greatly appreciated.

[link to the PDF]

2 - Nanotechnology: An Approach to Mimic Natural Structures and Concepts by P. Gröning / EMPA (picture) - Review Article in Advanced Engineering Materials 7 (2005) 279

Abstract With the invention of the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) in 1981 by G. Binnig and H. Rohrer, the gate to the nanoworld was pushed open. The prospect to control matter and units on molecular and atomic level, inspired many scientists to think about new technological approaches - nanotechnology in the sense of Richard Phillips Feynman became reality. Thus, nanotechnology is not only the next step of the miniaturisation following microtechnology - nanotechnology is an approach to investigate natural

architectures and to mimic them for technological problems. In the present article we try to show that nanotechnology is an evolutionary process of our technological society with the potential to solve everyday problems with revolutionary concepts and devices.

[link to the PDF]

3 - Plasma Polymerization of Rhodamine 6G thin films by A. Barranco, M. Bielmann, R. Widmer, and P. Gröning - Advanced Engineering Materials 7 (2005) 396

No abstract [link to the PDF]

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arXiv.org (1 article)

The two colors of MgB2 - cond-mat/0509345 by V. Guritanu / DPMC - UniGE (picture), A.B. Kuzmenko, and D. van der Marel, S.M. Kazakov, N.D. Zhigadlo, and J. Karpinski

Abstract We present the anisotropic optical conductivity of MgB2 between 0.1 and 3.7 eV at room temperature obtained on single crystals of different purity by the spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectance measurements. The bare (unscreened) plasma frequency xp is almost isotropic and equal to 6.3 eV, which contrasts some earlier reports of a very small value of xp. The data suggests that the x-bands are characterized by a stronger electron-phonon coupling xtr but smaller impurity scattering ximp, compared to

the x-bands. The optical response along the boron planes is marked by an intense interband transition at 2.6 eV, due to which the reflectivity plasma edges along the a- and c-axes are shifted with respect to each other. As a result, the sample spectacularly changes color from a blueish-silver to the yellow as the polarization is rotated from the in-plane direction towards the c-axis. The optical spectra are in good agreement with the published ab initio calculations. The remaining discrepancies can be explained by the relative shift of x-bands and x-bands by about 0.2 eV compared to the theoretical band structure, in agreement with the de Haas-van Alphen experiments. The widths of the Drude and the interband peaks are both very sensitive to the sample purity.

[link to the PDF]

Agenda

MaNEP sponsors an Einstein exhibition October 27 to November 28 - Geneva - Sciences III

The Sciences III building will host a photo exhibition on key-moments and issues of Albert Einstein's life : the 'miraculous year' 1905, his first Honoris Causa doctorate from the UniGE in 1909, the World War II period, his family, his vision of faith, etc. This event is organized by Isaac Benguigui, a Privat Docent at UniGE, and is supported by the City of Geneva, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Swiss Association of Friends and by MaNEP. Opening hours : Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00.

ETHZ celebrates Einstein's years in Zurich Until October 29

Albert Einstein came to Zurich at the age of 18, in 1896, to study mathematics at the ETH. There he will also meet his wife, the physicist Mileva Maric. He will leave for Bin 1902, and come back as a teacher in 1909. To discover this very creative 'Zurich period', the ETH - which also celebrates its 150th annniversary this year - set up an exhibition displaying photos, letters, documents and protocoles.

erne

[all practical infos here]

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ESF Workshop on Highly Frustrated Magnetism November 7 - 9, La Londe Les Maures (France)

The Workshop's program includes the following themes : Quantum aspects / Spin liquids, Spin Ice / Pyrochlores, Lifting Degeneracies, Orbital Degeneracies, HFM in large magnetic fields, Synthesis and novel materials, Potential applications. [all details here]

2006 : 20th anniversary of High Tc superconductors Several events will take place next year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in cuprates. Among them, a Symposium will be held in honor of J.G. Bednorz and K.A. Müller (picture left) at the Physics Institute of the University of Zurich, on 27 - 29 March, 2006. Co-organizer : Hugo Keller / keller@physik.unizh.ch.

[all infos here]

THIOX - October news are out The ESF THIOX Network, launched by D. Blank (Twente), J. Mannhart (Augsburg) and J.-M. Triscone (Geneva) is interested in promoting epitaxial oxide thin film research and applications. The Network also finances student/postdoc exchanges atravel to conferences. You will find all details about future events in the October NewsDownload them in PDF

nd .

here.

[Further information : http://www.thiox.nl]

Meeting on strongly correlated systems December 2, University of Fribourg

The traditional meetings on strongly interrupted systems had been interrupted for a while, but will start again on the initiative of MaNEP's Forum member Prof. Dionys Baeriswyl, from the University of Fribourg. The program includes 5 talks of 30 minutes each. As this reunion is informal, there is no need to registrate.

Provisional schedule : from 14:00, at the Dpt of physics, University of Fribourg. For any suggestion and question, please mail to Prof. Dionys Baeriswyl. [for practical details, see UniFr website]

Superconductivity in everyday life : a travelling exhibition - REMINDER In Barcelona (Spain) - November 5 to 22 In Oxford (UK) - April 2006

This interactive exhibition presents the basics of operation and utilization of special superconductive instruments in an understandable way. During the exhibition you can view and test the levitated chess, magnetically levitated train, contactless conveyor, levitator and a number of other applications, such as flywheel with magnetic bearing, fault current limiter, water purifier, etc. The exhibition has already travelled in Hungary and Germany. [for all details, please refer to the website : www.superlife.info

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Einstein stars the PSI's Open Day October 30

Stands dedicated to the themes of Light, Atom, Space, time and also the faequation E=mc will be showed during the PSI's Open Day on October 30. An event for the whole family, to see also the biggest microscope of Switzerl3-D movie on climate change and happenings around the interaction betwart and science... Schedule : 10 to 16:00

mous

and, a een

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. [all details : http://www.psi.ch/index_tdot.shtml]

Training in Higher Education and Research Policies - REMINDER University of Lausanne and University of Berne - October 28th to June 2006

Subscription to specific units is still possible. Each unit (40 hours) can be followed separately. Themes of the units are : Science policies - Higher Education policies - Research promotion - Evaluation - Innovation systems and Technological policies - Management of knowledge flows. Contact : Olivier Glassey - tél. 021 / 692 37 04

[Further information : http://www.unil.ch/osps] [Download the brochure in PDF]

ESF THIOX Network : Topical Workshop in Spain - REMINDER Sala de Grados, Faculty of Sciences, Zaragoza - November 17th and 18th

This topical workshop will be devoted to the analysis of the intriguing physical properties of oxide materials that occur when one or more physical lengths of the system are on the nanometre scale. [Further information : http://www.thiox.nl]

Adds

Open PhD position at EPFL

The Laboratoire de nanostructures et nouveaux matériaux électroniques (LNNME) of Institute of Physics of Complex Matter is offering a

PhD position on 1D and 2D magnetic semiconductors

The LNNME is involved in the research of novel electronic materials, molecular materials and nanostructures (http://nanotubes.epfl.ch). Within the Swiss NCCR Materials with Novel Electronic Properties (MaNEP), we explore one- and two-dimensional oxide materials where the magnetism can be induced by diluting them with magnetic dopants.

Tasks The candidate will synthesize and characterize magnetic semiconducting oxides in one-dimensional nanostructures as well as in two-dimensional thin films. The origin of the induced magnetism in these oxides will be investigated and its scaling with size, dimensionality, and shape will be studied.

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Profile For this challenge we seek a highly qualified individual with a background in applied, solid-state physics as well as in chemistry. A strong interest to work on materials with novel electronic and magnetic properties and a high motivation to work in international and multidisciplinary research teams are essential. Excellent written and oral English is important. Contact Additional information can be obtained by contacting Dr. Jin Won (Maria) : jinwon.seo@epfl.ch. Interested applicants should submit a written application : Dr. Jin Won (Maria) Seo LNNME SB-Institut de Physique de la Matière Complexe Station 3, Bâtiment PH-D3-385 CH-1015 Lausanne

Flashback by Prof. Oystein Fischer

SWM Les Diablerets : well done 2005, hello 2007 ! The 2005 Workshop on Materials with novel electronic properties in Les Diablerets is behind us. This was the 6th meeting and the 3rd since MaNEP started. Looking back I find that both its size and quality have been growing steadily. With 211 participants - including 76 PhD students - this edition showed a record high participation and has thus been a true ALL-MaNEP meeting.

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We had 11 invited speakers - 8 were from abroad - and 21 contributed talks. I was impressed by the invited talks which all were on a very high level, both scientifically and pedagogically. This was especially true for the two tutorials : High Tc Superconductivity: Recent Progress and Open Questions by Mohit Randeria and Fermionic Atoms in Optical Lattices by Tilmann Esslinger, which both gave

brilliant accounts on the present situation in their respective fields. I was also pleased by the well prepared contributed talks which showed the richness MaNEP's fields. The poster sessions [picture left] are a very important part of the conference. This is often where the new results are found and they reflect the overall activity of MaNEP. We therefore decided to have all posters up during the whole workshop. For the same reason we increased the time for

poster sessions. I felt that this gave a better visibility to the posters. A new schedule for 2007 On Monday evening, the Steering Committee met to discuss the next edition, in 2007. We face a new problem: the Swiss universities and federal schools will, from 2007 on, start their semesters sooner, in the first half of September. This means that on the usual dates (end of September), the Workshop would take place during the semester... and we cannot decently empty all universities of all professors and assistants in our field for three days ! Still, the Committee judged that the last days of September are in principle the best period. It was thus decided to organize the 2007 edition on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from September 28 to September 30.

Let me conclude by thanking those who contributed to the success of this meeting. A special thanks to the organizing committee and our technical and administrative staff. The Eurotel Victoria, with its director, Klaus Wartner, and his team, also deserve special thanks. We enjoyed again a warm, friendly and professional service which makes us feel welcome each time we come back... [Picture left : the Organization Committee - Mrs Isabelle Bretton, Mrs Stéphanie Grandjean, Mrs Heidi Segura and Mr Renald Cartoni]

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