On 9 and 10 April, the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) will welcome two distinguished physicists: Serge Haroche, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, and F. Duncan Haldane, winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. Both scientists have been invited by the IAC to take part in the 18th Congress of Physics Students (COEFIS), organised by students from the University of La Laguna, and will each give a lecture in the IAC Lecture Hall from 10.30 am.
On Thursday 9 April, the IAC will welcome Professor Haroche, and on Friday 10 April it will be Professor Haldane’s turn. In both cases, the IAC will extend a warm welcome, beginning with a reception and the signing of the centre’s Guest Book. Following this, each will deliver a lecture in the IAC Lecture Hall. The day will conclude with a tour of the institute’s facilities, where staff will give them a first-hand look at the projects and capabilities that make the IAC one of the world’s leading astrophysics centres.
Lectures at the IAC
Under the title “The Laser and Quantum Physics”, Serge Haroche will take the audience on a journey through a hundred years of quantum physics, placing the laser at the heart of the story: from Einstein’s discovery of stimulated emission to its current role in the detection of gravitational waves, quantum computing and the search for answers regarding the nature of dark matter.
Professor Haldane, for his part, will deliver the lecture “Quantum topological states, quantum entanglement and the ‘second quantum revolution’”, in which he will explore the field of topological states in quantum condensed matter—special ways in which certain materials can organise themselves at the subatomic scale, following rules of quantum physics that make them surprisingly robust. This is one of the most active areas of contemporary physics.
About COEFIS
The presence of both scientists makes this edition of COEFIS a milestone in the history of the conference: it is the first time the event has featured two Nobel laureates simultaneously. The 18th COEFIS will be held on 9 and 10 April in the Blas Cabrera Felipe Lecture Theatre, in the Physics and Mathematics building of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of La Laguna.
The Physics Students’ Congress (COEFIS) is a scientific event launched in 2008 as an initiative by the University of La Laguna’s own physics students, with the aim of creating a meeting place for young researchers and scientists of recognised standing. After eighteen consecutive editions —including one held online in 2020— COEFIS has established itself as the annual scientific conference with the greatest impact among ULL students and one of the most significant student-organised conferences at a national level.
This year’s programme includes, in addition to lectures by the two Nobel laureates, presentations by national and international researchers, presentations by undergraduate, master’s and PhD students, and scientific poster sessions. The conference is open to both university students and the general public with an interest in science, and is supported by the IAC, the University of La Laguna and various partner companies.
