I. Department of Biophysics:

Research topics:

1. Molecular mechanisms underlying biological activity of polyene antibiotics

2. Regulation of excitation energy transfer in the photosynthetic apparatus of plants

3. Physiological functions and molecular mechanisms of the xanthophyll pigments in the retina of the human eye.

Research is realized with application of molecular spectroscopy techniques (electronic absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, Circular Dichroism, FTIR, Raman scattering spectroscopy) and with application of imaging techniques (FLIM, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and Raman imaging microscopy).

 II. Department of Materials Science:

Research topics:

1. Investigation of the positron and its bound state, positronium interaction with matter:

• positronium formation in defects/natural free volumes/pores in various classes of the materials like organic crystals, polymers, glasses, silica;                                                                                                     

• determination of the pores size from 0.1 to 100 nm in temperature range from 80 to 550K and under pressure up to 500 Mpa;

• vapour/gas adsorption/desorption in the pores;

• composed materials, guest/host systems, nanoparticles deposited in the matrices etc.)

2. Investigation of the human cancer by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy to develop new imaging method in Positron Emission Tomography based on positronium properties.

3. Application of the Mossbauer spectroscopy to investigate:

• materials magnetic properties e.g spinel-type nanoparticles  in silica matrices

• possibility of nanoparticles application in hyperthermia

4. Application of Ion Beam Implantation for:

5. Simulations of ionisation and ion beam extraction

Techniques: Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), Electron microscopy SEM with X-ray microanalysis, Ion Beam Implantation, Mossbauer Spectroscopy

 III. Department of Surface and Nanostructure Physics:

Research topics:

1. Physics of surfaces, interfaces and ultrathin films

2. Novel two-dimensional materials

3. One-dimensional structures on vicinal Si surfaces

4. Self-organizing atomic and molecular surface structures

     Techniques: LEED, RHEED, VT STM, LT STM, ARPES, SARPES, SPLEEM, Tight binding methods, DFT.

IV. Department of Theoretical Physics

Research topics:

1. Topological superconductivity and Majorana quasiparticles; bound states of magnetic impurities; subgap Kondo effect in nanostructures

2. Linear and nonlinear response of intersubband polaritons in planar semiconductor and plasmonic microcavities

3. Calculation of thermal and magneto-transport of the 2 and 3 dimensional Dirac and Weyl systems by means of relativistic hydrodynamics and gauge-gravity duality; theory of unconventional superconductors; quantum transport in hybrid nanostructures

4. Black hole physics with the special emphasis put on the quantum processes in the vicinity of the event horizon; black hole interiors; quasinormal modes of black holes (and other compact objects); construction of the semi-analytic techniques for highly accurate calculations of the quasinormal frequencies