Dr Cornelia Hofmann

Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical ...

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit." This Collection celebrates the contributions by the awardees. ⚛️ 🧪

Oh,i finally found my typo there, should have been *multi-lense-systems, of course 😅

Yes to everything that has already been mentioned. Additionally, I use some geogebra constructions as well (especially for linear optics, nice interactive demos for images from lenses, and multi-sense-systems)

[student name]squared, and many more funny submissions as their chosen units. 🤣
I love observing them, see how they already solve certain problems creatively, and afterwards I have an excellent motivation to introduce the SI system, as well as talk about accuracy of measurements 🤗

Today was a lot of fun! 😁
#iTeachPhysics
Had the first physics lecture with a new class of first semesters, and my usual activity it to have them measure out the area of the lecture room with their own "measurement instrument". This year, we've had dog-leash-squared, pin board-width-squared,

Das Handspektroskop Für Experimente mit Lichtquellen aller Art: Das Handspektroskop macht die Spektralfarben sichtbar. Ausschneidebogen mit Zubehör

Here is where we got this set from: astromedia.de/Das-Handspek...
(There is also an english version somewhere 🤔)

Line spectrum of a white lamp, consisting of a dark blue, light blue, green, orange (maybe?), and a red line, between approximately 430 and 600 nm. The lines appear on top of a dark wavelength scale, after bouncing off a diffraction grating.

The spectroscope in question, hand-built from a cardboard set.

OMG, the lense fell off my cardboard hand spectroscope, so I took it home to glue again. And while playing around to check everything, I found the best line spectrum example I have ever seen with this little thing 😄
🎢 ⚛️ #optics

How the eye keeps time: New study reveals synchronisation mechanism in the human retina A new study published in Nature Neuroscience reveals how our brains achieve the remarkable feat of synchronising visual signals that travel at different speeds –even within the small nervous system of...

Some nerve cells are very long, others are not. There are also differences in the length of nerve cells in the eye. Nevertheless, visual stimuli arrive in the brain simultaneously, regardless of this length. A research team from Basel has now discovered why.
bsse.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

👩🏼‍🔬⚛️🎢

With all of that, i'm very thankful to my colleagues, because both these were team-teaching-efforts 💪.
And i'm glad our study programs support us properly workings teams, going beyond the faculty exchange and peer support.

Pin stating "❤️ Science, it's like magic but real ❤️", pinned on a lanyard

It's been a while since i've posted, sorry 😑
Spring semester kinda ran away from me... besides all the usual stuff, i also had one module that we did for the first time after a curriculum reform, and another one that i joined where i have not taught that particular content before 😅
#iTeachPhysics

for just nice drawings without simulation capability, i tend to go for
www.circuit-diagram.org

yep, i use this one, too, especially for visualizing circuits that ny students will have to build in their practicals.

i have since found this resource:
www.tubecollection.de/ura/roentgen...

so my guess by comparison is, the above setup is roughly 100 years old

Overview of the x-ray tube, which can be aimed and positioned on a 3-joint arm.

Closer look at the (slightly tinted and matt) glass vacuum chamber with the anode inside (looks like it might be copper)

Label identifying it as a 'Dental Röhre Ritter Dent 20', as well as listing the current (20 mA) and voltage (65 kV) values for use.

view of the controls, and current/voltage indicators

Went to the dentist today, but ended up studying an old x-ray tube 😁
🎢 #Physics

😲 okay! even more reason to double check 😂

there is also a #SciTeachUK feed, but i read the #iTeachPhysics, mostly, so can't vouch for how active that one is

huh... that's a neat solution!

besides the point, i was sure the slit spacing (and other dimensions) would be labelled on the double slit? 🤔
gonna check ours next time i'm doing that unit

yup, we have similar racks to hang them, sorted by colour and length. the racks are mounted on the inside of our labs storage cupboard doors, so they take up no extra space, are tucked away, except when you actuall need them they're right there in your face 😊

#PhysicsFactlet
Remake of an old animation about quantum tunnelling in the time domain.
🧪⚛️💡

A few details:
* The incident and reflected wavefunctions interfere, creating fringes when it hits the barrier.
* Even when far away from the barrier, the wavefunction is slowly broadening.

i've either been drawing stuff by hand, created my own geogebra file, or copied-and-modified geogebra materials to suit my liking (and keep things interactive) 🤔
but none of that is truly the ideal solution for everything, unfortunately

oh gosh, i just received an email from my first ever cohort here, making me all emotional, because they're preparing to graduate in summer 🥹

Celebrating women in optics, photonics, and quantum To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th, check out some of the cool optics, photonics, and quantum work being done by women.

Happy International Women's Day! We're celebrating a day early by sharing some of the amazing work of the women within our community we've covered so far in 2025.
www.laserfocusworld.com/science-rese...
#women #optics #photonics #quantum #scisky
@jmurphoton.bsky.social

Crystal lattice at a distance Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a method that makes it easier to study interactions between electrons in a material. Using a moiré material consisting of twisted atomic layers they created an...

Researchers have developed a method that makes it easier to study interactions between electrons in a material. Using a moiré material consisting of twisted atomic layers they created an artificial crystal lattice in a neighbouring material.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

YouTube video by Simon Clark How much progress have we made on climate change?

It can feel like we have made no progress in the fight against climate change.

That's not the case.

youtu.be/h1jOqyjcO4g?...

🎉 Registrations for YAO 2025 are OPEN!

📅 Join us July 6–11, 2025 in Innsbruck, Austria for talks, poster sessions, industry talks & networking!

🔗 Register by the 31st of March: yao.iqoqi.at

Don’t miss out! 🌍⚛

#YAO2025 #QuantumPhysics #AMO @iqoqi.bsky.social @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social

From loop jumps to quantum leaps Bettina Heim won the Swiss figure-skating championships before developing an interest in quantum computing. She studied physics at ETH and now develops software for the computers of the future.

She won the Swiss figure-skating championships before developing an interest in quantum computing. ETH Zurich alumna Bettina Heim is optimistic that quantum computers will eventually live up to their potential.

Read the portrait here: ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

What are the key requirements of an education system that ensures that everybody has the same opportunities? ETH doctoral student Rolf Imseng comes from a working class family. Together with ETH Vice-President Julia Dannath and ETH Professor Ursula Renold, he talks about the hurdles that his background bring...

Today is the International Day of #Education. To mark the occasion, we’re resharing this article: ETH doctoral student Rolf Imseng, ETH Vice President Julia Dannath, and Professor Ursula Renold discuss how education drives #Social #Mobility in Switzerland. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Serie «Das erste Viertel», Folge 1: Wie die Welt zu Solarenergie kommt Ein Blick auf Megatrends, die die ersten 25 Jahre des 21. Jahrhunderts geprägt haben.

Wie die Solarenergie ein exponentielles Wachstum hingelegt hat – dies ist der Start einer Daten­serie von @herrfischer.bsky.social über die grossen Entwicklungen der vergangenen 25 Jahre.

chestnut spaetzle with braised chicory á l'orange

first 🎢 exam of this season down, so now i'm enjoying our on-campus restaurant 😋 , before correction hell looms...