Department of Spintronics and Nanoelectronics

The family of magnetic materials has been traditionally divided into the ferromagnetic branch known for several millennia and the antiferromagnetic branch known for nearly a century. Researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, together with international collaborators, have recently made a discovery of a new branch of the magnetic family, termed altermagnetic.

Filip Křížek's materials research was awarded the Lumina Quaeruntur fellowship by the Czech Academy of Sciences. The scientist is working on the development of new materials and components for a new generation of quantum technologies. 

Professor Tomáš Jungwirth from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences has been included in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list of the world's most cited scientists for the fourth time. This annual list recognizes researchers whose contributions have demonstrated broad and significant influence in their fields. 

Imagine flipping a dial to make a material behave like a perfect conductor, a complete blocker, or something intriguingly in-between that could help us to better understand the puzzling quantum world. That’s the idea behind a new study in Physical Review Letters, co-authored by FZU researcher Filip Křížek within an international collaboration.

It is with deep sadness that we announce that on Saturday, August 23^rd, our friend and colleague, physicist Dr. Karel Výborný, suddenly and tragically passed away. Karel died in an accident in the mountains he loved. He was 47 years old and is survived by his wife and two children.

Czech physicist Tomáš Jungwirth is one of the most important figures in contemporary world science thanks to his groundbreaking research in the field of spintronics. In 2024, he gained awards on several prestigious platforms, confirming his key contribution to scientific knowledge.

The family of magnetic materials has been traditionally divided into the ferromagnetic branch known for several millennia and the antiferromagnetic branch known for nearly a century. Researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences have recently made a discovery of a new branch of the magnetic family, termed altermagnetic. 

The Česká hlava (Czech Head) National Government Award has been presented by the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation to Tomáš Jungwirth from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He received the most prestigious scientific award for his contribution to spintronics research. The ceremony of the 23rd edition of the competition brought recognition also to David Vojna, who received the Doctorandus Award for Technical Sciences.

On 18th and 19th November 2024, a traditional workshop organized by the Department of Spintronics and Nanoelectronics of FZU took place in Villa Lanna. The program was divided into thematic lecture blocks encompassing not only the recently discovered family of altermagnetic materials but also superconductivity and terahertz and antiferromagnetic spintronics from both theoretical and experimental points of view.

A double interview with Helena Reichlova and Barbora Špačková, who have succeeded in tough competition and both won five-year funding for their own Dioscuri centres. They describe, for example, the role they believe social media play in research careers. And they also explain what guides their selection of new collaborators.

May 1st 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic joining the European Union (EU). The past 20 years have profoundly changed the Czech research landscape, German-Czech research cooperation and the European Research Area. “Science has greatly benefitted from the possibilities that Europe offers during the last decades. Mobility is a striking example, funding opportunities are another,” says Max Planck President Patrick Cramer at the opening ceremony for the first three Dioscuri Centres in the Czech Republic on 17 May 2024. 

Theoretical interpretation often steps into the spotlight first once breakthrough experiments have been finished. A much more exciting situation, especially in the realm of spectral properties of magnetic materials, is when a theoretical prediction persuades researchers to undertake a specific measurement approach, and subsequently, the collected data align precisely with the prediction. Research that resulted in a paper published last week in Physical Review Letters, where an international team reported that the way light is absorbed by a magnetic substance varies according to its state of polarization, followed just this less common line of development.