Department of Applied Physics

Research

Our research focuses on Materials physics, Quantum technology, Soft & living matter, and Advanced energy solutions. Topics extend from fundamental research to important applications. Department of Applied Physics educates future generations of research and development professionals, data specialists, technology experts, inventors, and scientists for industry and society.

The department hosts the Academy of Finland Centres of Excellence Quantum Technology Finland (QTF, 2018-2025) and Life Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER, 2022-2029). Further quantum technologies are facilitated by the national quantum institute – InstituteQ, coordinated by the department since 2021.

The department is a major user of the national research infrastructure OtaNano that provides fabrication, characterisation and measurement equipment and facilities for students, scientists and high-tech businesses. The Nanomicroscopy Center and the Low Temperature Laboratory of OtaNano are critical assets for our researchers. We extensively utilise and contribute to the development of the national and international cloud and supercomputing resources and databases.

Aalto-yliopisto, liput / kuvaaja: Aino Huovio

Research excellence

The Department of Applied Physics is recognised for its research excellence through numerous national and international external funding awards.

Department of Applied Physics
Image: Aino Huovio

Publications of the Department of Applied Physics

Researchers at the Department of Applied Physics produce almost 400 international refereed journal articles annually, of which over 10% are in high impact journals

Department of Applied Physics
InstituteQ. Photo: Jorden Senior.

InstituteQ – The Finnish Quantum Institute

InstituteQ coordinates quantum technology research, education and innovation across Finland

Research & Art
Olli V. Lounasmaa in Argonne in 1962.

Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize

The Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize is awarded once every four years to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to advances in low temperature physics and related fields.

Department of Applied Physics

Research Infrastructures

Kvanttibitit. Kuva: Jan Goetz.

OtaNano

OtaNano is Finland's national research infrastructure for micro-, nano-, and quantum technologies

Piece of code on the computer screen, colourful text

Science-IT

Science-IT provides infrastructure for high-level computational research at Aalto University and is coordinated by the School of Science.

Services
microscope

Experimental Equipment of the Department of Applied Physics

Read more about the experimental equipment used by research groups at the Department of Applied Physics.

Department of Applied Physics
infrabooking.aalto.fi

infrabooking.aalto.fi (external link)

Aalto Research & Teaching Infrastructure booking system

Researcher at Aalto University fixating a tool for graphene research purposes
Studies

Studies

Approximately 25 Masters of Science and 30 Doctors of Science graduate annually from the Department of Applied Physics.

Read more

Department of Applied Physics Diversity Team

The Diversity Team of the Department of Applied Physics aims to build an inclusive, diverse and welcoming work environment

Diversity at Aalto Physics- Read More!
Logo of the PHYS Diversity Team in Aalto colours

News

Gallery of photos showing children around researchers
Campus, University Published:

”What, where, why…?”- a morning spent at the Department of Applied Physics from a child’s perspective

“Bring your child to work day” 2023 took place on 24. November at the Department of Applied Physics- read what children thought of the event
Opiskelijat testaamassa satelliitia ESA:n testeissä.
Studies Published:

'It's amazing that something crafted with my own hands will one day soar into space' – Aalto University students are building the third student-made satellite

The Aalto-3 student team participated in the European Space Agency's (ESA) ESA Test Opportunities testing programme
Photo of a smiling young woman with scientific graphic showing pink balls representing quantum mechanic effects
Research & Art Published:

A summer internship with a twist: the story of prize-winning student Netta Karjalainen

Read the story of prize-winning Bachelor student’s summer internship at Aalto
A 6-point, star-like structure represents the unconventional superconductivity of a van der Waals monolayer.
Research & Art Published:

Researchers discover unconventional superconductivity in a monolayer van der Waals material

The group discovered nodal superconductivity with hidden order fluctuations

Events

Weekly data management zoom support hour
For Aalto community Support for teams, Training to support research

Aalto Data Agents weekly zoom support hour

A weekly zoom room to come and ask us anything about research data and open science: data management, data storage, data analysis, data sharing, reproducibility, responsible conduct of research, data privacy, ethics.
AQP seminars_standard
Lectures and seminars

Observation of Josephson Harmonics in Tunnel Junctions

Aalto Quantum Physics Seminars (Hybrid)
Prof. Ioan Pop (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie)
ACRIS open lock logo
For Aalto community Information sessions, Staff trainings, IT & digital tools, Training to support research

SCI ACRIS online drop-in session, 1.12.2023

Join online drop-in session hosted by the Open Science and ACRIS team.
Doctoral hat floating above a speaker's podium with a microphone
Public defences

Public defence in Engineering Physics, M.Sc. Giacomo Catto

Ultrasensitive bolometers as detectors of single quanta (title of the doctoral thesis)

Regular departmental seminars

Pizza_slice

Brown Bag Seminars

Physics brown bag seminars highlight exciting new results arising from the physics community at Aalto.

Department of Applied Physics
AQP seminars_standard

Aalto Quantum Physics seminars

Aalto Quantum Physics seminars are hosted at the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University, and feature both local and international speakers on a variety of topics in quantum physics.

Department of Applied Physics
Aalto University Undergraduate Center Lecture Hall / Tuomas Uusheimo

Aalto Physics Colloquium

The Aalto Physics Colloquium is a high-level colloquium series covering all branches of physics at Aalto University. We invite prestigious physicists from around the world to tell us about their research.

Department of Applied Physics
Image of Atomic scale quantum materials colloquium

Atomic scale quantum materials colloquium: new online colloquium series (external link)

The colloquium will present novel developments in the field of atomic manipulation with scanning probe techniques and atomically designed quantum matter. This Colloquium series will start on May 4th, and run once a week, preliminary until the end of June.

Information for prospective employees

Open positions

Looking for a job at Aalto University? See our open positions.

Aalto University - people

For international staff

Are you thinking of moving to Finland to work at Aalto University - or are you already an international member of the Aalto community? The information below might provide interesting insight in the practicalities of living in Finland and working at Aalto.

Campus life
Showroom
Contact information: Department of Applied Physics

Where to find us

Nanotalo building

Puumiehenkuja 2

Nanotalo. Puumiehenkuja 2. Kuva / Image: Aalto-yliopisto / Mikko Raskinen / Aalto University

Micronova

Tietotie 3

Micronova cleanroom kuva: Aino Huovio

Find out more about our Research Groups

Active Matter

We investigate soft and living materials from the perspective of physics.

Electrohydrodynamics in Active Matter Group, Aalto University, Finland

Atomic Scale Physics

We focus on the experimental study of nanostructures, where the precise nature and location of every atom matters.

group photo

Complex Systems and Materials (CSM)

Applies statistical physics to a wide variety of cross-disciplinary topics.

Computational Electronic Structure Theory (CEST)

CEST is developing electronic structure and machine learning methods and applying them to computational materials science problems.

CEST researchers standing in a group

Correlated Quantum Materials (CQM)

Correlated Quantum Materials Group (CQM)

HF TTG

Fusion and Plasma Physics

The Fusion and Plasma Physics group at Aalto University investigates plasma phenomena in magnetically confined fusion plasma physics both experimentally and by computer simulations. The overall goal is to create a new, clean and virtually unlimited energy source.

Flux surface diagnostics: field line visualization in Wendelstein 7-X stellarator. Photo: Matthias Otte / IPP

Living Matter

The Living Matter research group is located at the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University. We develop our own experimental and analytical tools to probe the dynamics and flow in soft, living, and fluid materials.

Group picture

Microkelvin investigations (µKI)

In the µKI group, we study systems thermally active still in microkelvin range of temperatures.

muKi cryostat

Molecular Materials (Molmat)

Molecular Materials (Molmat) is a multidisciplinary research group consisting of physicists, chemists and biologists aiming at functional materials based on supramolecular and supracolloidal self-assembly and its hierarchies.

Molmat_sample

Multiscale Statistical and Quantum Physics (MSP)

The MSP group is recognised worldwide in the development of multi-scale and coarse-graining methodologies and their application to condensed matter systems.

Multiscale Statistical and Quantum Physics (MSP)

Nanomagnetism and Spintronics (NanoSpin)

Our research focuses on experimental studies of magnetic, magneto-optical, and spin-transport phenomena in new functional materials and hybrid nanoscale structures.

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Nanomaterials (NMG)

The NanoMaterials Group, headed by Prof. Esko I. Kauppinen, is among the top aerosol technology laboratories in the world and offers a unique environment for strong interdisciplinary research and a proven track record of productive cooperation.

Nanomaterials Group

New Energy Technologies (Renewable)

The interest of the New Energy Technologies Group is on advanced energy systems, in particular nanomaterials for energy devices, sustainable energy systems, and multidisciplinary energy science.

Energy Technology Detail

Nuclear Materials and Engineering (NuME)

The Nuclear Materials and Engineering group employs computational methods to study radiation induced processes and damage formation in materials.

visualization of energetic atoms from a simulation of a collision cascade

Optics and Photonics

The research of the Optics and Photonics group covers a range of topics of modern optics and photonics, encompassing various aspects of light-matter interaction, optical coherence and polarization, development of methods to manipulate light with nano- and micro-structures, design and construction of novel light sources, optical metamaterials and optical imaging.

opticsphotonics

Pico - Quantum Phenomena and Devices

We investigate mesoscopic physics and its sensor applications. The main focus is on charge transport and thermal properties of metallic, superconducting and hybrid nanostructures.

Samples

Quantum Circuits and Correlations (NANO)

Nano group of the Low Temperature Laboratory investigates fundamental quantum phenomena in nanostructures using low temperature and electronic transport measurements.

Nano cryostat

Quantum Computing and Devices (QCD)

We have a major effort on experimental low-temperature physics, but we also carry out computational and theoretical work down to fundamental quantum mechanics.

Quantum Dynamics (QD)

The research interests of the QD group are quantum coherent dynamics and quantum many-body phenomena in designed nanosystems.

Plasmon BEC

Quantum Nanomechanics

The NEMS group focuses on studies of micro- and nanomechanical resonators near the quantum ground state of moving objects.

An illustration of the 15-micrometre-wide drumheads prepared on silicon chips used in the experiment. The drumheads vibrate at a high ultrasound frequency, and the peculiar quantum state predicted by Einstein was created from the vibrations. Image: Aalto University / Petja Hyttinen & Olli Hanhirova, ARKH Architects.

Quantum NanoOptomechanics and Forces (QNOF)

The QNOF group is using nanomechanical oscillators and optomechanical techniques to realize force measurements.

Mosaic of drum resonators

Quantum Transport (QT)

The research group works on theoretical problems in quantum transport.

QT_figure

Soft Matter and Wetting

Functional soft materials and wettability of surfaces are the key research interests of Soft Matter and Wetting research group at Aalto University Department of Applied Physics.

Spherical water droplets on a superhydrophobic surface partially submerged in water. The surface is gray copper colour, while the submerged part is silvery due to thin airfilm captured by the surface.

Superconducting Qubits and Circuit QED (KVANTTI)

Our group is part of the effort in nanoelectronics in the Low Temperature Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics. The group is doing research in such fields as quantum information and quantum-level effects in superconducting devices, quantum coherent matter, and interaction of electromagnetic fields with nano-structured materials.

Artistic impression of the sample, the pulse sequence, and the density matrix. Image by Antti Paraoanu.

Surfaces and Interfaces at the Nanoscale (SIN)

In the SIN group we apply and develop various atomistic and quantum mechanical simulation methods to study surface and interface physics at the nanoscale, with particular emphasis on working closely with experimentalists and technologists.

SIN group

Surface Science

The Surface Science group studies structures, bonding, and reactivity at solid surfaces on the atomic and molecular scale using advanced surface sensitive tools in Ultra High Vacuum environment.

Surface science

Topological Quantum Fluids (ROTA)

Our research is focused on topological superfluid ³He at ultra-low temperatures

A half-quantum vortex combines circular spin flow and circular mass flow, leading to the 
formation of vortex pairs that can be observed experimentally. Image: Ella Maru Studio.
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