Institute of Physics

Physics research and education at our institute covers a wide range of topics - both experimental and theoretical, and ranging from fundamental to more applied.

A single cell’s siesta

Too much of a good thing is no good at all. Living organisms enjoy sunlight – in fact, they need it to stay alive – but they tend to avoid light that is too bright. Animals go to their shelter, humans have a siesta, ...
Emergence at all Scales

The consortium ‘Emergence at all Scales’, led by UvA-IoP physicist Jay Armas, has received a €7.1 million Research on Routes by Consortia grant from NWO. With the grant, the consortium will investigate the phenomenon ...
Ludovica Guarneri featured in Laser Focus World

The "Quantum Innovators" supplement to the Fall 2024 issue of the magazine Laser Focus World features an interview with Ludovica Guarneri, about the quantum effects that have led to the world's thinnest flat lens.
Vidi grant for Mazi Jalaal

IoP physicist Mazi Jalaal has received an NWO Vidi grant for a project that aims to better understand processes in living systems based on a new class of active materials.
Jasper van Wezel appointed professor in Condensed Matter Theory

As of 1 July 2024, Dr Jasper van Wezel has been appointed professor in Condensed Matter Theory at the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam.
Shrouded in axions

A team of physicists from the universities of Amsterdam, Princeton and Oxford have shown that extremely light particles known as axions may occur in large clouds around neutron stars. These axions could form an ...
In memoriam Tom Hijmans

Dr Tom Hijmans has passed away. It did not come unexpectedly. We have lost an appreciated colleague and, above all, a wonderful person. Tom retired last summer after a long career at UvA, both at IoP and WZI and (in ...
Cosmos Book Prize for Marcel Vonk

On Friday 11 October, the annual Cosmos Book Prizes were presented at CREA Amsterdam. The Cosmos Book Prize is a prize for the best popular science book in Dutch published in 2023. The book ‘Van Getal naar Heelal’, ...
Best Paper Prize for Lorenz Eberhardt

Every year, Journal of Physics A awards up to three Best Paper Prizes, which serve to celebrate well written papers that make significant contributions to their fields. Winners are chosen using the criteria of ...
Black hole pairs may unveil new particles

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters this week, physicists from Amsterdam and Copenhagen argue that close observations of merging black hole pairs may unveil information about potential new particles. The ...