Section de Physique – University of Geneva unige.ch/sciences/physique/index.html

1. Section de Physique – University of Geneva • http://www.unige.ch/sciences/physique/index.html • Département de physique théorique (DPT) • Départment de physique de matière condensée (DPMC) • + lead house MANEP (NCCR Excellence Centre) • Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire (DPNC) • Groupe de physique appliquée (GAP) • Département d’Astronomie – University of Geneva • Observatoire de Genève • Integral Science Data Centre (ISDC) • CAP (a new initiative loosely linking DPT, DPNC, ISDC) March 2011

2. Teaching • Bologna System • 6 semester Bachelor • 2 semester course work + 1 semester thesis Master • 3 year Doctorate ( typically 4 years, maximum 5 years) • Bachelor courses include 2 years of general courses and laboratory. The third year includes introductory courses in each of • Astronomy and Cosmology • Nuclear and Particle Physics • Condensed Matter Physics • A wide range of optional and advanced courses • The ERASMUS program is widely used for student exchange • Master and Doctoral programs available in each of the departments, with specialisation in the research programs of the department and specialised advanced course work • Exchanges and equivalences between different universities are now widely encouraged • Excellence Bursaries are now available (Faculty of Science) March 2011

3. DPMC – Activities • Øystein Fischer (head Manep) • scanning tunneling spectroscopy of novel superconductors, the high Tc family and the recently discovered Iron Pnictides • Thierry Giamarchi • Condensed matter theory, emphasis on strongly correlated systems, high Tc superconductors, quantum magnetism, electronic structure, cold atomic gases • Didier Jaccard • Electronic correlations under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure • Alberto Murpurgo • Quantum electronic measurements including new nano-electronic applications • René Flükiger (emeritus) • Superconducting wire development (including high Tc) for MRI magnets etc with emphasis on high magnetic fields • Patrycia Paruch • Ferroelectric domain walls (disordered systems) • Combining ferroelectric oxide thin films with carbon nanotubes etc • Christoph Renner • Correlated electron systems and exotic quantum properties in low dimension systems • Jean-Marc Triscone • Interface physics with thin oxide films – high Tc and also exotic magnetic, ferroelectric and semiconducting oxides • Dirk van der Marel (Director) • Optical techniques to study electronic excitations in correlated systems • All these Faculty are part of the Swiss-wide MANEP consortium March 2011

4. DPMC – Activities • Øystein Fischer (head Manep) • scanning tunneling spectroscopy of novel superconductors, the high Tc family and the recently discovered Iron Pnictides • Thierry Giamarchi • Condensed matter theory, emphasis on strongly correlated systems, high Tc superconductors, quantum magnetism, electronic structure, cold atomic gases • Didier Jaccard • Electronic correlations under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure • Alberto Murpurgo • Quantum electronic measurements including new nano-electronic applications • René Flükiger (emeritus) • Superconducting wire development (including high Tc) for MRI magnets etc with emphasis on high magnetic fields • Patrycia Paruch • Ferroelectric domain walls (disordered systems) • Combining ferroelectric oxide thin films with carbon nanotubes etc • Christoph Renner • Correlated electron systems and exotic quantum properties in low dimension systems • Jean-Marc Triscone • Interface physics with thin oxide films – high Tc and also exotic magnetic, ferroelectric and semiconducting oxides • Dirk van der Marel (Director) • Optical techniques to study electronic excitations in correlated systems • All these Faculty are part of the Swiss-wide MANEP consortium March 2011

5. MANEP – Electronic Materials of the Future • MaNEP – Materials with Novel Electronic Properties. • http://www.manep.ch/ • Network of 250 top scientists working in Swiss universities, institutes of technology and industrial laboratories. • Part of NCCR Program of the Swiss National Science Foundation launched in 2001 to promote long-term research projects of strategic importance for the future of Swiss science, economics and society. • Materials: • High Tc superconductors • Materials with very large magneto-resistance • Ferroelectric materials • Fullerenes and nanotubes • Intermettallic and organic metals • http://www.manep.ch/fr/research-programmes/research_projects.html • http://www.manep.ch/fr/research-programmes/techniques_and_know-how.html 8 projects (previous slide) March 2011

6. DPT – Activities • http://theory.physics.unige.ch/ • Faculty • Markus Büttiker – Physique mésoscopique, transport électrique. • Claudia de Rham – Cosmologie, Univers primordial, énergie sombre, dimensions supplémentaires et gravité massive. • Ruth Durrer Cosmologie et Physique des particules. • Jean-Pierre Eckmann Physique Mathématique. Systèmes dynamiques de dimension infinie. Systèmes hors equilibre. Problèmes mathématiques en biologie. 
 • Michele Maggiore: Ondes gravitationnelles. Cosmologie de l'Univers primordial. • Marcos Mariño Beiras Aspects mathématiques de la théorie des cordes et de la théorie quantique des champs, théorie des cordes topologiques, théorie topologique des champs quantiques, gravité quantique, méthodes non-perturbatives en théorie quantique des champs. • Eugene Sukhorukov Mesoscopic systems away from equilibrium: Shot noise, electron counting statistics, quantum measurement, and electronic entanglement. • Peter Wittwer Physique Mathématique. Mécanique des fluides. Equations à dérivées partielles. March 2011

7. DPNC – Activities • http://dpnc.unige.ch/ • Astroparticles – Martin Pohl (+ Maurice Bourquin emeritus) • AMS on the Space Station • POLAR to measure the polarisation of high energy gamma ray bursts • CTA project +…… • Close links to ISDC in context of CAP (new professorship appointment imminent) • Neutrinos – Alain Blondel • T2K experiment (Japan) – including NA61 experiment at CERN • MICE experiment (UK) • European R&D towards future neutrino beams • Large Hadon Collider and ATLAS – Allan Clark (+ MP) • ATLAS experiment – construction, physics analyses • R&D on silicon detectors towards future Collider activities • M. Nessi is Adjunct Professor, G. Iacobucci will soon join the Faculty • VERY strong links to CERN • Very strong links to other Swiss HEP institutes (CHIPP) March 2011

8. GAP – Activities • Biophotonics – Jean-Pierre Wolf • applications of ultrafast spectroscopy for biological, medical, and environmental research • novel experimental schemes to control molecular dynamics in biological systems • study non-linear phenomena induced by very intense femtosecond lasers, including atmospheric phenomena • Optics – Nicolas Gisin • Quantum cryptography and quantum communication • Nonlocality and entanglement • Quantum memories • Fibre optics • Superconducting materials • (see work of Flükiger in DPMC and Manep) • Quantum Electronics • (see work of Morpurgo in DPMC and Manep) • Climate Change and Climate Impact – Martin Beniston • Part of Institute of Environmental Studies, with Earth Science • Member of NCCR on Climate Change, and other FP7 etc programs • Main thrust is climate data analysis and regional climate modelling March 2011

9. ASTRONOMIE – Activities • Extra-solar Planets and Stellar Kinematics – Stéphane Udry (+ Michel Mayor) • Search for extra-solar planets (+ discovery of first extra-solar planet, 51 pegasi b) • Rotational velocity measurements (HARPS) • A lead institute in the ESA PLATO initiative • Stellar Evolution– Georges Meynet • Star rotation, stellar evolution modelling, nucleosynthesis etc • Extragalactic Modelling and Observation– Daniel Schaerer • Gravitational lensing for distant galaxies etc • Photometry and Gaia – Gilbert Burki • Star variability, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), Gamma-ray bursts, etc • ISDC- INTEGRAL Science Data Centre – Thierry Courvoisier • AGN’s, stellar variability, young star evolution • Integral (Data centre) –”high energy” gamma rays, gamma bursts, etc • Very high energy astrophysics with gamma rays (CTA project) • Acceleration mechanism of cosmic rays • Participation in Plank, Gaia, Polar, Astro-H • Future participation in EUCLID • http://www.unige.ch/sciences/astro/ • Extensive use of international facilities (La Palma, la Silla ESO etc) • Close collaboration with EPFL (Georges Meylan, weak lensing) • and with cosmology (DPT) as well as particle physics (DPNC) leading to CAP March 2011