Publications
Trapped in the middle: billiards with memory
Adding one simple rule to an idealized game of billiards leads to a wealth of intriguing mathematical questions, as well as applications in the physics
April 11, 2024
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Publications
Like sands through the hourglass – but not quite
Researchers design new granular materials that flow but can still be compressed When we take a stroll on the beach, we walk on the sand
April 1, 2024
Publications
An endless domino effect
If it walks like a particle, and talks like a particle… it may still not be a particle. A topological soliton is a special type
March 27, 2024
Publications
New method flips the script on topological physics
The branch of mathematics known as topology has become a cornerstone of modern physics thanks to the remarkable – and above all reliable – properties
January 24, 2024
Grants
Steering Fracture with Metamaterials
A consortium led by Corentin Coulais (UvA Institute of Physics) has received an NWO key enabling technology grant for a study on the way in
January 9, 2024
Publications
Control over friction, from small to large scales
Friction is hard to predict and control, especially since surfaces that come in contact are rarely perfectly flat. New experiments demonstrate that the amount of
November 30, 2023
Grants
Four projects kick-start the Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Molecules and Materials research programme
Meet the researchers at the ChemAI event on 16 November To kick-start the new Research Priority Area (RPA) of the Faculty of Science in “Artificial
October 31, 2023
Prizes
Corentin Coulais wins APS Early Career Award
UvA physicist Corentin Coulais has won the annual Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research awarded by the American Physical Society. The award was given
October 24, 2023
Prizes
Yuri Sinzato wins best speaker award at the Burgers Symposium
Second-year PhD candidate Yuri Sinzato at the UvA Institute of Physics won the best speaker award for his presentation on the dynamics of cyanobacterial colonies
July 5, 2023
Publications
Metamaterials with built-in frustration have mechanical memory
Researchers from the UvA-Institute of Physics and ENS de Lyon have discovered how to design materials that necessarily have a point or line where the
June 16, 2023
Publications
Buckle up! A new class of materials is here
Would you rather run into a brick wall or into a mattress? For most people, the choice is not difficult. A brick wall is stiff
June 2, 2023
Positions
PhD Position: Control Over the Hydration/dehydration of Salt Crystals Using a Microfluidic Platform
Are you a highly motivated physicist, physical-chemist, or chemists with a strong interest in interdisciplinary research? We are seeking an excellent and ambitious PhD candidate
March 8, 2023
Publications
Softness of hydrated salt crystals under deliquescence
Deliquescence is an important phenomenon that occurs when a salt absorbs water vapor and slowly dissolves. Investigating the behavior of the salt sodium sulfate decahydrate
February 28, 2023
Publications
Teflon is so slippery because it slides on itself
The surface of Teflon – the non-stick coating in your pan – is incredibly slippery. Thanks to research carried out at the Van der Waals-Zeeman
February 28, 2023
Publications
Why icicles are rippled
Winter is coming to an end; the last nights of below zero temperatures are here. In the morning, one still spots the occasional icicle on
February 7, 2023
Publications
Glassy and reactive: plants are more dynamic than you think
Is the inside of a plant cell more like a liquid or a solid? While this may sound like an odd question, research carried out
January 17, 2023