Physics@FOM Veldhoven 2016 will take place on 19 en 20 January 2016.
Physics@FOM Veldhoven takes place each year in January. It is a large congress that provides a topical overview of physics in the Netherlands. Traditionally, young researchers are given the chance to present themselves and their work alongside renowned names from the Dutch and international physics community. The programme covers Light and matter, Atomic, molecular and optical physics, Nanoscience and nanotechnology, Statistical physics and Soft condensed matter, Surfaces and interfaces, Physics of fluids, Subatomic physics, Plasma and fusion physics, and Strongly correlated systems. For an impression of the congress, see the compilation video of Physics@FOM Veldhoven 2015.
Steering Committee
Herman Clercx (TU/e), Hans Hilgenkamp (UT) and Stan Bentvelsen (Nikhef) are the members of the the Steering Committee for Physics@FOM Veldhoven. This Committee decides on the overall set-up of the conference and appoints a Programme Committee to complete the programme.
Programme Committee
The members of the Programme Committee of Physics@FOM Veldhoven 2016 are Peter Christianen (RU), Ronald Hanson (TUD), Vincenzo Vitelli (LEI), Bart Kooi (RUG), Hans Kuerten (TU/e), Richard Engeln (TU/e), Olga Igonkina (Nikhef) and Erik van Heumen (UvA).
Plenary programme
This year, the Tuesday evening lecture will be given by Peter Littlewood. The other plenary speakers are Anton Zeilinger and Laura Baudis . A short biography of the speakers is given below.
Peter Littlewood
Dr. Littlewood is an internationally respected scientist who holds six patents, has published more than 200 articles in scientific journals and has given more than 200 invited talks at international conferences, universities and laboratories. His research has focused on the dynamics of collective transport: studying the phenomenology and microscopic theory of high-temperature superconductors, transition metal oxides and other correlated electronic systems – and the optical properties of highly excited semiconductors. He has applied his methods to engineering, including holographic storage, optical fibers and devices, and new materials for particle detectors.
Peter Littlewood is the Director of Argonne National Laboratory and a Professor of Physics in the James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago.
Anton Zeiliger
Professor Anton Zeilinger studies the fundamental aspects and applications of quantum entanglement. In the 1970s, Zeilinger started his work on the foundations of quantum mechanics with neutron interferometry. In the mid-1980s Zeilinger became interested in quantum entanglement. His most significant contribution are multi-particle entangled states discovered as 'GHZ-states' in 1987 and experimentally realized by Zeilinger and his group in 1998. Zeilinger also pioneered the experimental realization of number of basic protocols such as quantum teleportation, hyper dense coding, entanglement swapping, entanglement-based quantum cryptography, quantum interference of large molecules, and one-way quantum computation. He received the Wolf prize, and in 2008, the Inaugural Isaac Newton Medal of the Institute of Physics for "his pioneering conceptual and experimental contributions to the foundations of quantum physics, which have become the cornerstone for the rapidly-evolving field of quantum information".
Zeilinger is at the University of Vienna and at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Laura Baudis
Professor Baudis dedicates her research to answering fundamental questions in particle astrophysics and cosmology. She is particularly interested in the search for dark matter. Dark matter makes up a large part of our universe. However, up until now, we have only detected dark matter via gravitational interactions. Baudis aims to find a method of direct detection, using liquid xenon in the international XENON1T project in Gran Sasso. Dark matter particles are expected to collide with xenon, and thus provide researchers a tell-tale sign of their presence. Baudis is also active in the field of neutrino physics. She searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay in 76- germanium.
Baudis is a professor at the Physik Institut of the University of Zürich. You can watch an interview with Baudis on YouTube.
New on the programme
The following events are new on the programme.
Six Secrets of Simple Scientific Stories
On Tuesday 19 January, during the lunch, the workshop 'Six Secrets of Simple Scientific Stories - Scientific Storytelling for Laymen' will take place. In this short crash course, researchers can learn how to share their work in an exciting and accessible way that is appropriate for a broad audience. These skills are essential when you give media interviews, lab tours or when you prepare lectures for a general audience. Story teller Gijs Gijs Meeusen, former FOM PhD, will lead the workshop. Everyone is welcome to join, there's no need to register in advance.
Physics meets Industry
Also new this year: the 'Physics meets Industry' event. During this event, researchers and industrial partners are invited to meet and inspire each other. The Physics meets Industry event is open to all participants. Industrial partners can register for the event via the registration form . They are invited to present themselves with a poster, banner or with a short pitch. The focus will be on potential collaborations and career opportunities for young researchers.
The Physics meets Industry event will take place on Wednesday, during the lunch and thereafter, during that afternoon's focus sessions. The programme will include a variety of speakers, interviews and of course, plenty of opportunity to network.
This event replaces the 'Netwerklunch', the company posters and the industrial focus session, as organised in the previous years.