Light!
An introduction to modern Physics of Light
The European Summer School of the University of Strasbourg is a prestigious one-week meeting of students from all over Europe. They present their research projects and attend lectures on some of the most recent topics in physics presented by internationally known scientists.
Light is around us every day, providing energy for life, contrast and beauty in our landscapes and in our art, tools for amazing technological progress, and a fascinating challenge for scientists. In 2014, two Nobel Prizes rewarded scientific achievements related to the usage or production of light: the Nobel Prize in Physics went to the inventors of the blue LED, and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to those who first succeeded in tracking the few photons emitted by a suitably prepared single molecule. These prizes were not the first, and will not be the last. Light remains the most direct messenger between matter and us, the observers, be it at the smallest or the largest scales in the universe. Its interactions with matter can be exploited in many ways. This Summer School will provide insights into the intriguing double nature of light (electromagnetic wave and particle), and into the ways light can be exploited to explore nature from the tiniest scales to stars and the cosmos. The student will obtain an overview of the interactions between light and matter, and see detailed examples of how the understanding of these interactions helps inventing new technologies or manipulating the radiation itself.
While most lecture topics have been selected for their links to research projects at the Strasbourg and Freiburg institutes, we aim for a significant number of external lecturers (~50%). We have started contacting lecturers. Discussions are on going and the programme still evolving. Details of the program may change.
Students are expected to have validated at least 3 years of university studies in physics in order to be able to follow the lectures.
Now open for applications until June 1st, 2010
The lectures will start on Monday morning, the 6th of July and will end on Saturday noon, the 11th of July.
All lectures will take place at
UFR Physique et Ingénierie
3-5 rue de l’Université, Strasbourg
except on
Wednesday morning:
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg
11 rue de l’Université, Strasbourg
Wednesday evening:
18:00-19:30 Public evening lecture: Light! Glorious atmospheric phenomena
(Prof Jürgen Rendtel, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Germany)
Collège Doctoral Européen
46 Boulevard de la Victoire, Strasbourg
Validation of the Summer School
An attestation for the successful participation at the summer campus will be established on the basis of the Poster presented and the active involvement in the workshops and discussions during the lectures. The attestation may help to validate ECTS points at the home university. We suggest that home universities recognize the successful participation with up to 3 credit points (ECTS). Due to the short (1 week) duration of the school it is not possible to organize a formal examine at the end.
Participating Institutions
The School is funded by the French Excellence Initiative (IdEx), the université franco-allemande (ufa) and the Region of Alsace. This support underlines the collaboration between the Universities and Research Institutions in the region of the Upper Rhine Region. Besides the scientific programme the participants will have the opportunity to explore the cultural and political heritage of the region of Alsace and Strasbourg, where the European Parliament and the Council of Europe are located.
List of institutions supporting the European Summer School 2015.