Interview

Scientists at the HiLASE centre have pulled off something no one had managed before. Using the FREYA hyperspectral camera, they captured a burning meteor in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum for the first time. But space isn't the only direction HiLASE technology is heading. The centre, part of the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, develops lasers for industry and defence.

Silence, the smell of books, and whispering readers. That is the traditional image of a classic library. But the Scientific Library Cukrovarnická at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences quickly proves this stereotype wrong. There is no quiet reading room here, and the idea of sacred silence is just a dream. In reality, it is an active workplace that provides solid support for research teams.

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. 

The 2025 Academic Award, an award given each year to three outstanding individuals whose past research results promise good prospects for the future, was presented to Lukáš Palatinus, a scientist at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Unlike in working with particle accelerators, where scientists plan their experiments in detail in advance, Patrik Čechvala has to wait and see what particles arrive from the depths of space. He is dedicated to observing particle showers caused by photons with extraordinary energies. In an interview about the MSCA COFUND Physics for Future postdoctoral program at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, he talks about why space is the best laboratory and how cosmic rays help uncover the secrets of the pyramids – as well as how to present the topic to the public in contests such as FameLab, in whose Czech finals he represented the Institute of Physics this year.

Will Barker is part of a new generation of theoretical physicists reshaping how we think about gravity, black holes, and the fundamental structure of the universe. His recent research explores the strange frontier where Einstein’s general relativity may no longer hold — a region populated not by traditional black holes, but by their uncanny cousins: black hole mimickers. Since joining the Physics for Future fellowship in Prague, Barker’s work has taken on a broader scope. In this interview, he reflects on the role of uncertainty in physics, how cosmology can test bold new ideas, and why running to work through the hills of Prague has become part of his scientific routine.

Thomas Gouder’s life's work at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Karlsruhe (JRC) is a state-of-the-art modular system for surface science. The instrument, used for cutting-edge research on nuclear fuel safety, corrosion, catalysis, and actinide chemistry, has served scientists from all over Europe, including teams from Prague. What is it used for, and what lies ahead for its future?

Altermagnets and magnonics have both made the headlines repeatedly last year. Miina Leiviskä, a MSCA COFUND Physics for Future fellowship postdoc at the Institute of Physics of the CAS, blends these topics that have so recently upturned the world of physics. Are they at the core of future computing, or is it not so simple?