Editorial – Is there a by-product of fundamental physics?
What is the aim of fundamental science? We have all asked ourselves this question, and however naive it may seem, we often have to provide an answer. When the question comes from policy makers and funding agencies, we suspect ulterior motives. Therefore, rather than explain that the purpose is to gain knowledge and understanding, which is the essence of fundamental science, it is easier to raise an equally important aspect: most of the greatest technological advances are the direct or indirect consequence of not politically oriented research. One example that is often mentioned is the invention of the laser.
Call for nomination of EPS president-elect
A number of vacancies will arise on the European Physical Society [EPS] Executive Committee in 2016, including the position of President-elect. According to the EPS bylaws, a Selection Committee has been created to establish a list of candidates for the replacement of outgoing members, and for the President-elect.
Winter 2014 Emmy Noether distinction presented to Anne L’Huillier
On 4 May 2015, the Winter 2014 Emmy Noether distinction was presented to Prof. Anne l’Huillier (Dept. of Physics, Lund University), by the European Physical Society Equal Opportunity Committee [EPS-EOC] Chair and the former EOC Chair, on behalf of the EPS President.
The ceremony took place at the Institute of Physics of the Freiburg University (Germany) and followed a very well attended seminar (Physikalisches Kolloquium) presented by the winner on the topic: “From Extreme Nonlinear Optics to Ultrafast Atomic Physics”.
International Year of Light News
The International Year of Light 2015 Closing Ceremony to be held in Mexico on 4-6 February: Save the Date
ECOC Travel Grants available for students from developing countries
Cast your vote for SPIE People’s Choice Award
Light and Colour Concert in Germany
LIGHT2015 Young Women in Photonics and Young Entrepreneur in Photonics Awards Winners Announced
The LIGHT2015 project – coordinated by the European Physical Society – is pleased to announce the LIGHT2015 Award winners. The Young Women in Photonics Award was created to recognise young female scientists who have made outstanding contributions to photonics. The 2015 award in the Fundamental category goes to Na Liu (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems) and to Nathalie Vermeulen (Photonics Team (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)) in the Applied/Engineering …
4th EPS Young Minds Leadership Meeting
On 29-30 May 2015, the Institute of Photonic Sciences [ICFO] in Barcelona hosted the 4th EPS Young Minds Leadership Meeting. This meeting brings together the members of the Young Minds (YM) programme of the European Physical Society [EPS]. Started in 2010, it encourages young physicists to collaborate, developing scientific, networking and outreach activities. 22 YM Sections took part in the event, representing 12 countries: Portugal, Lithuania, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine, Spain, France, Hungary, Denmark and Poland.
Naples 4 Nepal, an EPS Young Minds activity
On 25 April 2015, at 06:11 UTC, Nepal was shaken by a violent earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.8 Mw. Its epicentre was located in the north-west of the capital Kathmandu. In a few seconds, entire villages were flattened: nine thousand deaths, nineteen thousand people injured, with hundreds missing, and thousands more homeless.
Physical expertise for Europe
The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (German Physical Society, DPG) welcomes European Commission’s plans to set up a scientific advisory board.
Bad Honnef, 27 May 2015 – As surprising the dismissal of the Chief Science Adviser, Anne Glover, was for many, this decision now opens the opportunity to provide scientific advice to the European Commission on a new and broader basis. Therefore, the German Physical Society welcomes the aim of the EU Commission to establish an advisory board of at least seven scientific experts.
Investing in photonics (in Europe)
In April 2015 the European Photonics Venture Forum took place and a short video gives a powerful impression of this particularly successful event which brought together 110 people from 15 countries. Presentations included 24 short product presentations, 30 investors, and 45 one-on-one meetings. The video can be viewed directly on https://youtube/IgWa8gUNWXw or on the dedicated EPIC Venture & Finance website.
SESAME moves towards commissioning
Report on the 26th SESAME Council meeting held on 26-27 May 2015 and hosted by UNESCO in Paris. In order for commissioning to start in mid-2016, and for the first stage of Phase 1 to be completed in 2017, some additional capital funding is still needed. Egypt will join Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey (which are each providing $5 million) in making a voluntary contribution, which will partly fill the gap.
The Council was updated on progress in fabricating the magnets for the main storage ring, which is being managed by CERN, in collaboration with SESAME, using funds provided by the European Union…
Researchers from China Obtain High-quality InGaAs/GaAsSb Superlattice Structures
IInGaAs/GaAsSb superlattice structure is very attractive in photodetectors and light emitting devices. However, the growth of high quality GaAsSb alloys is a challenge. Recently, a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has successfully obtained high quality InGaAs/GaAsSb superlattice structures based on a broad analysis of growth mechanisms [1].
G7 sends powerful message on climate change
In their declaration following the G7 summit that took place on 7-8 june 2015 in Schloss Elmau, Germany, leaders stressed their determination to adopt a legal instrument to ensure global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius – ”The agreement should enhance transparency and accountability including thorough binding rules at its core to track progress towards achieving targets, which should promote increased ambition over time. This should enable all countries to follow a low-carbon and resilient development pathway in line with the global goal to hold the increase in global average temperature below 2 °C”.
