The program details

Location Guide

• PVA EXPO PRAHA - Beranových 667, 199 00 Praha 9
• Troja Campus - V Holešovičkách 747/2, 180 00 Praha 8
• N1, N2, N3 - Pavilion Impakt
• T1, T2 - Auditorium building "T"
• Campus Karlov
• M1, M2, M3 - Ke Karlovu 2027/3, 121 16 Praha 2
• F1, F2 - Ke Karlovu 2027/5, 121 16 Praha 2
• Faculty of Natural Sciences - Albertov 2038, 128 00 Nové Město
• Large geological auditorium
• Mineralogical auditorium
• Left drawing room
• P. M. Club - Trojická 8, 120 00 Nové Město

You will find here:

• Opening
• Walk around Prague
• Nations' evening
• Trip to the Karlštejn Castle
• Presentations of Science
• Schedule and annotations of Thursday excursions
• Lecture on Thursday
• Panel discussion
• Program for teachers during the competition
• Problems' Analysis
• Party
• Schedule and annotations of Saturday lectures
• Schedule and annotations of Saturday excursions
• Buffet
• City Ralley

Opening ceremony and get-to-know-you games

09:00-11:30, Troja N1

During Monday, 12 teams from countries all around the world will arrive. In order for the participants to get to know each other and to take away new friendships in addition to the experience of the stay and the competition itself, Tuesday morning is dedicated to socialization activities.

Trip around Prague

13:30-17:30

Participants will have the opportunity to get to know Prague from a physics-oriented perspective. On all the routes, participants will stop at interesting or important places and hear about the remarkable things related to them.

Nations' evening

18:30-22:30, Hotel Duo

The Nations' evening will be an opportunity for all foreign participants to get to know each other's cultures and learn something new about them. Each team will prepare a small introduction of their country, which may include food, clothing, songs, dances or other cultural enrichment.

Trip to the Karlštejn Castle

08:00-16:00

On Wednesday, the participants will also look outside Prague for Czech monuments, specifically for one of the icons of Czech culture, the Karlštejn Castle. We will travel there and back by train. We will also have lunch and some free time to discover the castle surroundings.

The tour of the castle itself takes place from 11:00 to 12:00.

Presentations of Science

19:00-21:30, Troja N1

Presentation of science and famous scientists from abroad by local participants. The presentation will take place in the auditorium of IFF UK on the Troja Cam- pus in N1 and T1.

One Day with Physics Excursions

09:00-11:30, Troja Campus, T Auditorium

All groups except for November arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. at the Troja Campus to the "T" auditorium.

The November group gathering point is at the Hotel Duo at 8:00.

Excursion annotation

Surface Physics Group (SFPo)

Basic research on surfaces of materials and nanostructures with interesting physicochemical properties - heterogeneous catalysts, gas sensors, energy conversion, biocompatible materials.

Department of Atmospheric Physics (KFA)

As the only university department in the Czech Republic, we provide the study of atmospheric processes, meteorology and climatology, including mathematical and physical descriptions. Research and teaching in our department focus on highly topical issues with great societal impact. Major issues include the climate and climate change, forecasting of the atmosphere and hazardous atmospheric phenomena, modeling of atmospheric chemistry and air quality, or modeling of turbulent flow and pollution propagation. In these areas, the Department is involved in a number of foreign and domestic scientific projects in which our students participate.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)

The atomic structure of substances can be displayed using a sharp tip: We measure the interaction between the last atom of the tip with the atoms on the surface of the crystal, and by rasterizing the tip we can reconstruct an image of the surface. We use either force measurement or quantum tunneling to do this. The tunneling effect is the basis of a method called scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and the force measurement gives rise to atomic force microscopy (AFM). The method helps in the investigation of new materials for electronics or renewable energy sources.

Space Physics Group (SKF)

The Space Physics Group studies the solar wind and the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field. The research is carried out using instruments placed on Earth satellites or probes operating in interplanetary space. We design and manufacture these instruments ourselves or in cooperation with a number of foreign institutions. In recent years, we have also been conducting laboratory research on the processes associated with dust in space, i.e. we have been simulating the processes affecting the charging of dust in interplanetary space under laboratory conditions.

Plasma Physics Group (SFPl)

Plasma is used in many applications from lighting to thermonuclear fusion. By studying its behavior, it is possible to obtain basic data important for understanding processes in, for example, interstellar space or industrial plasmas.

Van de Graaff Accelerator (VdG)

In the area of the heavy laboratories of the MFF UK in Troja, the Institute operates the Van de Graaf HV2500 electrostatic ion accelerator (VdG) with a maximum proton energy of 2.5 MeV. The accelerator can be used to perform basic research physics experiments - currently polarized neutron interactions on polarized targets are measured, as well as nuclear reactions for astrophysical research. In terms of application tasks, the facility is mainly suitable and used for calibration and testing of detectors with different particles at different energies (protons, neutrons, alpha particles, etc.).

Interactive Physics Laboratory (IFL)

Have you looked closely at the pixels on your mobile phone display? Do you know what a phosphor is and where you might encounter one? How does a Stirling or Mendocino engine work? And how does a bunch of electrons bend? Come and explore this with us and take physics into your own hands!

During the excursion, you can get acquainted with the Mössbauer spectroscopy laboratory. We will show you all the equipment, you will take unique measured samples, such as medicinal nanoparticle suspensions, amorphous metal strips and wires, minerals and semi-precious stones, colour-changing pigments used on exclusive cars, but also on banknotes and other interesting things. You will also see how radioactive emitters are transported to us, you can handle a lead container with a Mössbauer emitter, see the use of cryogenic liquids to cool measured materials at low temperatures or the process of achieving conditions for studying materials similar to, for example, the Earth's core or those found in space.

Superfluidity Laboratory (MbS II)

Low temperatures allow us to study the fragile states of systems with large numbers of particles that are destroyed at high temperatures. Reaching low temperatures also has important industrial applications, from magnetic resonance to the rapidly developing quantum computers. On this field trip, we'll look at the changes in the behavior of materials at the temperature of liquid nitrogen and briefly discuss the physics of liquid helium, which drops only four degrees above absolute zero.

Near Ambient Pressure Laboratory (NAP)

At the Department of Surface and Plasma Physics of the FMP CUNI, there is a unique laboratory, the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic, for operando studies that allow the analysis of structural and chemical changes of solid surfaces under realistic operating conditions, i.e. during reactions, in contact with various gases. The experimental equipment in our laboratory consists of an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer for chemical analysis of solid surfaces at higher pressures (Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, NAP-XPS) and a high-pressure scanning tunneling microscope (Near-Ambient Pressure Scanning Tunneling Microscope, NAP-STM), which allows imaging of surfaces on an atomic scale. The combination of these highly sensitive experimental techniques allows the study of chemical processes occurring on the surfaces of model but also real catalysts, gas sensors, fuel cells, etc.

Astronomical Institute (AU)

The universe covers a vast span of scales, both spatial and temporal. Not all of them, but quite a few are being studied at the Institute of Astronomy of CU. During the excursion, we will show you our facilities and introduce our research and experimental methods.

Silicon Detector Group (SKD)

Development and testing of semiconductor detectors.

Department of Radiofrequency Spectroscopy (RfS)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) laboratories have several modern spectrometers focusing on high resolution in liquids, solids and broadband spectroscopy over a large temperature range. NMR is a non-radioactive method that uses magnetically active atomic nuclei and is applied to the study of the atomic, electronic and magnetic structure of a variety of substances and materials.

Thursday Lecture

14:00-15:30, Troja N1

Mgr. Fedor Juraj Ph.D.: Quantum computing: Time to cool down

Panel Discussion

19:00-20:30, Troja N1

During the panel discussion, several scientists will share their personal experience to give you a closer look at life and work in science work.

Moderator:

doc. Mgr. Tomáš Mančal, Ph.D.

He is involved in research on open quantum systems. He received the Neuron Impuls Award in 2014 for his research on new materials. He works at the Institute of Physics of Charles University.

Performers:

Mgr. Anna Fučíková, Ph.D.

She is interested in biophysics and semiconductor nanoparticles. She received the Neuron Prize in 2015 for her research. She works at the Institute of Physics of the CAS, FMP CUNI, and UCT.

RNDr. Antonín Fejfar, CSc.

He is interested in the physics of thin films of nanostructured semiconductors. He is a member of the Science Council of the CAS and since 2017 he has been Deputy Director of the Institute of Physics of the CAS.

RNDr. Martin Kozák, Ph.D.

He is interested in electron microscopy and received a prestigious ERC grant for his research. He works at the Department of Chemical Physics and Optics of the FMP CUNI.

Mgr. Aleš Podolník, Ph.D.

He is involved in the study of edge plasmas in tokamaks. He works at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS. He was the main organizer of FYKOS and the 2nd-4th year of Fyziklani.

doc. Ing. Vladimíra Petráková, Ph.D. - canceled

She is interested in nanotechnology and its application in biophysics. She is a group leader at the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry CAS. She is a co-founder of the non-profit organization Czexpats in Science.

Problems' Analysis

17:30-19:00, Campus Karlov, M1, F1, F2

Party

19:30-23:59, P. M. Club

Come and meet the other competitors and organizers after Fyziklani. The party will take place at Trojická 10, Prague 2 in P.M. Club and you can look forward to DJ Stayer. All of that in a friendly mood and without alcohol.

Lectures Schedule

9:30-12:00, Faculty of Science

Registration for individual lectures is launched.

Lectures annotation

prof. Dr. Christian Bressler: Introduction to Femtosecond X-ray science [EN]

Can we possibly ever image with atomic-scale spatial resolution the detailed structural changes during an ongoing chemical reaction? Femtosecond X-Rays have the required temporal resolution and offer atomic-scale structural resolution, and this presentation will introduce the current instrumental and scientific efforts to resolve with razor-sharp precision such ultrafast processes.

prof. RNDr. Jiří Spousta Ph.D.: Fyzikální kabaret [CZ]

This lecture is only available in Czech.

Mgr. Miroslav Kloz Ph.D.: Historie světla [CZ]

This lecture is only available in Czech.

Zdeněk Jakub, Dr. Techn.: Seeing atoms as they move: a surface science approach to catalysis [EN]

Modern society fully depends on catalytic processes, as the vast majority of chemicals, fertilizers, fuels or pharmaceuticals require catalytic steps during production. Unfortunately, the best catalysts are often the rarest of metals such as Pt, Rh or Ir, and the demand is increasing due to the ongoing shift to carbon-neutral economy. In this talk I will show how surface physics helps in development of new catalysts, and how we use atomically-defined model systems to unravel the reaction mechanisms on novel single-atom catalysts.

prof. RNDr. Jiří Podolský , CSc., DSc.: Génius Einstein a jeho teorie gravitace [CZ]

This lecture is only available in Czech.

Ing. Jan Kaufman: Špatná fyzika ve filmu [CZ]

This lecture is only available in Czech.

Saturday Excursions

14:00-17:00

Registration for individual excursions is launched.

Excursion annotation

ELI Beamlines [EN]

ELI Beamlines Facility is a leading laser research centre and part of The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, pan-European research Infrastructure hosting the world’s most intense lasers. ELI provides unique tools of support for scientific excellence in Europe. ELI Beamlines has developed and operates four leading edge high-power femtosecond laser systems reaching unprecedent intensities. ELI Beamlines offers to its users unique femtosecond sources of X-rays and accelerated particles. These beamlines enable pioneering research not only in physics and material science but also in life science, laboratory astrophysics, chemistry with strong application potential.

Currently, several of the main laser beamlines are operational and are being expanded and upgraded to reach their full performance and maximum availability. Other laser beamlines are in commissioning and new cutting-edge laser sources are in the design and development phase. The ELI Beamlines Facility builds on 350 researchers, engineers and other professionals from more than 38 countries.

Tokamak Golem [EN]

Tokamak GOLEM was the first functional experimental device designed for basic research on microwave plasma heating in Tokamak-type vessels. In terms of size, the TM-1 MH is classified as a small tokamak. Until May 1976, the facility was located at the Institute of Atomic Energy I. V. Kurchatov in Moscow. Then it was handed over to the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic on the basis of a contract on cooperation and division of labour in the field of high-frequency plasma heating, concluded between the institutes in 1974. The device was installed in the Tokamak Hall of the Institute of Plasma Physics in the Academy's premises at Mazanka in Prague 8. It was put into operation there in September 1977 and subsequently named CASTOR The aim of the work on this device was to determine the conditions for efficient absorption of high-frequency waves in the region between the lower hybrid and electron cyclotron frequencies and to investigate the possibility of excitation of toroidal current by means of high-frequency waves. The new tokamak is located in the building of CTU, Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering under the name GOLEM and is used for study purposes.

Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry [EN]

Department of Physical Chemistry was established at the Faculty of Science in 1921 as the first department of physical chemistry in Czechoslovakia. Department was founded by Prof. Jaroslav Heyrovsky, who was later awarded a Nobel price (1959) for his discovery of polarography (1926). Prof. Heyrovsky was a Head of the department until 1952, when he has become a director of newly established Institute of Polarography of the Academy of Sciences.

The research in the department was primarily focused on electrochemistry; other branches of physical chemistry has become popular in 60's. Due to a strong interest in polymer science the department has been renamed to the Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry in 1992. Currently, variety of branches of modern physical chemistry, ranging from experimental to theoretical physical chemistry and chemical physics, biophysical chemistry and macromolecular chemistry, are actively investigated in the department.

Biocev [EN]

In the context of Czech (and European) science, BIOCEV represents a cutting-edge comprehensive platform for the development of modern biotechnology and biomedicine. Thanks to the establishment of this centre, it has been possible to combine traditionally strong fields of engineering and natural sciences, such as virology or chemistry. The quality of the scientific model is also reflected in the highest rating of the five large projects submitted to the Research and Development for Innovation Programme.

BIOCEV research groups focus on detailed understanding of organisms at the molecular level. Their results are directed towards applied research and the development of new treatments for serious health problems. The end results of the research work at the BIOCEV centre include drugs targeted to the precise site of damaged metabolism or protein and tissue engineering. More than 440 scientific and technical staff currently work at the centre. Almost a third of them come from abroad, e.g. Australia, Canada, China, France, Ukraine, Poland or Germany. BIOCEV research teams have already published more than 590 scientific outputs, including articles in prestigious international journals (e.g. Cell, Molecular Cell, Nature Communication and Gastroenterology, among others).

Institute of Thermomechanics [EN]

Laboratory of Rotational Laser Vibrometry (M. L. Mekhalfia) – non-contact measurement of vibrations of rotating blades in turbomachinery

Opto-Acoustic Laboratory (K. Zoubková) – laser-ultrasound techniques for evaluation of mechanical properties of materials

Laboratory of Hydrogen Technologies (M. S. Garapati) – nanostructured catalytic layers for hydrogen fuel cells

Institute of Physics [EN]

FZU – Institute of Physics is one of the Czech Republic's most successful research institutions. Our international scientific teams work to push the boundaries of knowledge along six main research directions in physics – elementary particle physics, condensed matter physics, solid-state physics, optics, plasma physics and laser physics. The inspirational environment at FZU provides top basic, applied and interdisciplinary research and training for students.