On July 18th, Marko Milivojevic from the Institute of Informatics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, delivered a compelling lecture on "Interplay of Altermagnetism and Spin-Orbit Coupling in Two-Dimensional RuF4."

In his presentation, Milivojevic explored the intriguing properties of altermagnets, a unique class of materials with zero net magnetization but spin-split electronic bands. His research, employing density functional theory and symmetry analysis, demonstrated that RuF4 in a monolayer form acts as a two-dimensional d-wave altermagnet.

Key insights included the significant impact of spin-orbit coupling, which induces a 100 meV spin splitting at the Г point and converts RuF4 into a weak ferromagnet. The study highlighted the nontrivial spin-momentum locking and its effect on the material’s magnetic properties, shedding light on new possibilities in spintronics and material science.

This lecture was supported by the project QM4ST (Quantum materials for applications in sustainable technology), reg. no. CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004572, cofunded by the ERDF from the Programme Johannes Amos Commenius, call Excellent Research.

At the beginning of June, the NTC Research Institute at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen hosted the 10th International Conference on HAXPES. The conference, which focuses on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gathered 120 participants from 14 countries. Please visit the University of West Bohemia's website for more information about the conference.

An international team of scientists is challenging the traditional concept of dividing magnetism into two branches - the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic, known for several millennia and discovered approximately a century ago, as published in an article in the journal Nature. Researchers have now experimentally demonstrated a third branch, alter-magnetism. More information here.

On November 24th, a lecture on quantum computers was held at the National Technical Library (NTC) by the emeritus rector of the University of West Bohemia, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Miroslav Holeček. Miroslav Holeček elucidated the main principles of quantum computing and outlined the current state of development in this field. He also mentioned the fundamental challenges that quantum computing must confront.

The inaugural meeting for the Quantum Materials for Sustainable Technologies (QM4ST) project, which succeeded in the prestigious challenge of the Operational Program Johannes Amos Comenius, commenced on October 23rd, 2023. On this occasion, a press conference was convened with the participation of government representative Ondřej Profant, officials from the Ministry of Education in Prague, Czech Republic, and partner institutions.

The project is overseen by the research institute NTC at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, under the leadership of Prof. Jan Minar. The co-investigator is the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UWB. Additionally, the project consortium includes the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, Masaryk University's Faculty of Science, and the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) at BUT, serving as other project co-investigators.

"The 8-billion-crown call for proposals, named 'Top Research - OP JAK,' aims to support research projects with the potential to achieve European excellence in their field. Out of 74 proposals, 15 were successful, and ZCU is one of them. Over the next five years, in collaboration with project partners, ZCU will focus on material research to support sustainable development. ZCU consistently demonstrates a significant role in certain areas that extend beyond the Czech Republic's borders, utilizing cohesion funds for this purpose. I am convinced that UWB is evidence of how ESIF can contribute to the development of not only research but also research organizations as a whole. Congratulations!" commented Vaclav Velcovsky on the project's success.

For further information, please visit: https://info.zcu.cz/clanek.jsp?id=5789

The lecture delved into the research of circular dichroism and its impact on angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and resonance photoemission.

ARPES stands as one of the most pivotal tools for investigating the electronic structure of materials. Recent remarkable advancements in instrumentation have led to the availability of vast amounts of high-resolution data, necessitating enhanced theoretical approaches. This lecture highlighted recent progress in the theory of resonant and non-resonant ARPES.

In the initial segment, Peter Krüger focused on non-resonant ARPES concerning organic molecules and graphite. He explored the polarization dependence, particularly the circular dichroism in angular distribution, elucidating its origin in connection with the nature of the initial state of the wave function and the influence of the dispersion of the final state. This analysis yielded valuable insights into the interaction of photons with materials, significantly contributing to a deeper understanding of these phenomena.

The latter part of the lecture introduced a novel theory of resonant ARPES. This theory integrates the description of the source wave function with a multilayer calculation for the final state of photoemission. Application to resonance ARPES on nickel surfaces yielded a good agreement with available experimental data. Simultaneously, discussions revolved around the origin of circular dichroism and its correlation with XMCD (X-ray magnetic circular dichroism), the Daimon effect, and the transfer of angular momentum from a photon to a photoelectron.

This lecture provided valuable insights into circular dichroism and its implications for ARPES and resonance photoemission. Peter Krüger presented his latest theoretical findings and their application to specific materials, thereby advancing our understanding of electronic structures and the interaction of photons with materials.

In early August, the results of the International Evaluation Commission for the Excellent Research Call under the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius were announced. Among the 15 projects recommended for funding was the project "Quantum Materials for Sustainable Technologies." Without delay, the project consortium convened for an online meeting at the end of August to address the most pressing tasks requiring resolution.