Department of Physics annual report 2000 - Fysiikan laitos - Helsinki.fi

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48 completed. The impact of the Accelerator laboratory on the general development of physics in Finland is evidenced by the positions taken by those who performed their thesis work at the laboratory. About 20 of them have become professors in Finland and abroad. Many act as teachers in different institutions, as research fellows and engineering experts at universities and colleges of advanced technology, and some are in good positions in industry. Gamma-ray spectroscopy was used to study the structure of nuclei at the VdG accelerator. The laboratory became known for the measurements of very short life times of excited states in light nuclei. The nuclear physics and materials research was combined to describe very accurately the slowing down of fast recoiling nuclei in the lifetime measurements. Asko Anttila (personal extra ordinary professor 1990-2001) and Juhani Keinonen extended the research program to ion beam based materials and applied physics in 1980’s. Prior to this time, there was, in the Department of Physics, an active group studying the decay of heavy elements. Pioneers in this field were Matti Nurmia and Antti Siivola (professor of physics 1970- 99). The former moved to the United States and continued his research there. The research in the decay of heavy elements has been continued by Kari Eskola (associate professor 1976-) in collaboration with the Accelerator Laboratory in Jyväskylä. Along with the new accelerator laboratory in Kumpula the research program of the laboratory shifted from nuclear physics to materials and applied physics. In close connection with the materials research ion beam techniques have been developed and used in the characterization of materials. The current research by Keinonen is focused on the experimental and computational research of modern materials, namely on materials in semiconductors used in electronics, optics, and metallurgy, on thin films, surface coatings and new carbon based materials. Anttila’s research focused on diamond like coatings for medical implants. dSOLID STATE PHYSICS AT SILTAVUORI uring the first half of the twentieth century, Finnish experimental physicists dedicated themselves primarily to the phenomena, which exploited the techniques dealing with calorimeters and x-rays. Nils Fontell (professor of physics 1942-68) worked in the area of thermodynamics and performed accurate studies on mole-heat utilising calorimeters. He also wrote a textbook on thermodynamics, which was used for many years to come. Many students followed in the wake of Fontell, and still in the 70’s experimental work was performed along the same line. Nils Fontell was the last head of the Department of Physics who had the privilege of living in the great, separate building close to the main building at Siltavuori. The building was built for the professor of physics at the same time as the departmental building. When he retired this private home was turned into laboratories. The house is called the Fontell building. One of the pioneers in the field of x-ray physics was Jarl A. Wasastjerna, under whose guidance 14 doctoral dissertations were defended. Wasastjerna was a professor of applied physics from 1925 to 1946 and gained international reputation because of his studies on ionic radii. Paavo Tahvonen (pro- Nils Fontell, Professor of Physics (1942-68). University of Helsinki Museum’s Collections. Photo: Yrjö Lintunen 1950-51.
49 Jarl A. Wasastjerna, Professor of Applied Physics (1925- 46). The portrait was painted by Atte Laitila in 1947. University of Helsinki Museum’s Collections. fessor of applied physics 1949-71) succeeded J.A. Wasastjerna. Under the leadership of at first Wasastjerna, then Tahvonen and Kurki-Suonio (professor in educational physics 1973-98), x-ray physics developed into a vigorous field of research, concentrated mainly on x-ray diffraction. Based on this experience different new approaches were initiated in the 1970’s and 80’s in the X-ray Laboratory. Pekka Suortti (associate professor 1975-), after spending a few years in USA, became interested in synchrotron radiation research, Timo Paakkari (associate professor 1978-) started to use diffraction-based methods in the studies of soft condensed matter and Seppo Manninen (lecturer 1977-) established a group working on the inelastic x-ray scattering. At the moment the X-ray Laboratory is the main Finnish user of x-ray synchrotron sources, especially ESRF in France. In addition to the medical applications, mentioned earlier, electronic, magnetic and structural properties of solids, biomaterials and various industrially interesting materials have been studied using x-ray scattering and absorption techniques in cooperation with domestic and international partners. PARTICLE p PHYSICS AT SILTAVUORI article physics in the University of Helsinki became established when a professorship of nuclear physics was founded in 1958. Kalervo Vihtori Laurikainen, associate professor of physics in Turku, was nominated to this Chair. He considered organizing research and education in theoretical physics as his most urgent task. The Division of Mathematics and Natural Science in the Faculty of Philosophy decided in 1960 that the professor of nuclear physics would examine and award degrees in theoretical physics. At that time this meant the highest undergraduate level in physics on the theoretical line and the degree of licentiate of philosophy in theoretical physics. At the same time it was decided to present to the Consistorium major a requirement for a Department of Nuclear Physics to be founded. Paavo Tahvonen, Professor of Applied Physics (1949-71). University of Helsinki Museum’s Collections. Photo: Yrjö Lintunen 1950-51.
Page 1 and 2: CONTENTS CONTENTS PREFACE 2 RESEARC
Page 3 and 4: 3 the already fluent cooperation be
Page 5 and 6: R E S E A R C H R E S E A R C H A c
Page 7 and 8: Both scientifically and financially
Page 9 and 10: pocket-lamp bulb or a white light L
Page 11 and 12: opment of different kinds of applic
Page 13 and 14: than 10 scientists have visited our
Page 15 and 16: GeV and beyond. The group has exam-
Page 17 and 18: magnetospheres. The terrestrial mag
Page 19 and 20: BIOGENIC AEROSOL FORMA- ry layer. T
Page 21 and 22: ULTRARELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION COLLISI
Page 23 and 24: institutes in Asia, 3 in Israel, 3
Page 25 and 26: EDUCATION EDUCATION Basic Education
Page 27 and 28: eign studies for a semester or two
Page 29 and 30: N O T A B I L I T Y A N D O U T R E
Page 31 and 32: Education: Prof. S. Manninen; Facul
Page 33 and 34: Computing facilities In the Acceler
Page 35: University Central Hospital 1, Inst
Page 38 and 39: Portrait of Carl Fredrik Mennander
Page 40 and 41: Floor-plan of the ground floor of t
Page 42 and 43: August Fredrik Sundell (1843- 1924)
Page 44 and 45: The new departmental building soon
Page 46 and 47: 46 THE FIRST ACCELERATOR IN FINLAND
Page 50 and 51: Fontell building, the residence of
Page 52 and 53: 52 was not ready to consider other
Page 54 and 55: 54 and Christofer Cronström (assoc
Page 56 and 57: APPENDICES APPENDICES Personnel 200
Page 58 and 59: 58 Sheikh-Jabbari, M., PhD, 0.3 mo
Page 60 and 61: 60 proton in the chiral quark model
Page 62 and 63: 62 K. Arstila, An experimental meth
Page 64 and 65: I. Napari and A. Laaksonen, Surfact
Page 66 and 67: ence N:o 49 (2000), Finnish Associa
Page 68: Vuori, Kim, In vivo 1 H NMR spectro

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