phd physics eth

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Institute for Quantum Electronics

Phd programme.

Doctoral studies are carried out in individual research groups, combining original research with specialised doctorate courses and teaching activities.

As a rule, doctoral candidates should contact and apply within one of the  research groups  of the institute. More information about doctoral studies at ETH can be found on the  Department of Physics page  and on the  Doctoral Administration pages  of the ETH Academic Services.

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Laboratory for Solid State Physics

Doctoral studies.

Students having completed their Master and interested in starting a PhD should contact their future PhD supervisor directly and discuss all details (topic, financing, infrastructure and teaching duties) with him or her personally. The decision whether a student will be admitted to a PhD rests within the responsible supervisor.

A PhD student has to get 12 ECTS points credited, by following specialized lectures or by presenting oral and poster contributions on his or her work at conferences and workshops. As the main focus during the PhD project is on research, the amount of taken additional lectures is kept to a minimum and attending conferences is encouraged. The PhD students at the Physics Department are required to regularly assume teaching duties and to assist the lecturers in their lecture courses. This is an important step toward becoming an independent scientist. The research topics in Solid State Physics are broad.

How to Apply

If you fullfil the formal requirements for a Doctoral Study, your next step is to make a decision about the group and the topic you are interested in

Once you know where you would like to apply, you should contact the professor directly to find out about open PhD projects. You find the e-mail addresses of the professors here.

You will need to find a professor willing to accept you as a doctoral candidate. You will need the approval of this supervisor before submitting your formal application.

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Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Main content, welcome to the institute for particle physics and astrophysics.

At our institute, we seek answers to fundamental questions in particle physics and astrophysics. We pursue this through work on world class national and international facilities, such as accelerators and telescopes. The Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics aims to continue its prominent role over a broad spectrum of research programs. Our experiments employ forefront technologies resulting from intensive R&D programs that often also lead to innovations (detectors and analysis software) and spin-offs (e.g. in medical physics or security).

Members of the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics participate in teaching at all levels at ETH and offer laboratory courses at ETH, PSI, CERN and observational sites. We provide a rich program of master and graduate level courses, including a joint master program in high-energy physics together with the Ecole Polytechnique (Paris-Saclay). Altogether, this guarantees a diverse, internationally attractive and high-quality teaching program in particle and astroparticle physics as well as astrophysics.

The members of the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics are strongly committed to outreach activities for the public promotion of particle physics, astrophysics and fundamental research in general.

D-PHYS and IPA News

Planets contain more water than thought.

Events D-PHYS

See more events

We produced a trailer movie for the yearly practica week (Astrowoche) in the Swiss mountains. Its main purpose is to attract new bachelor students but it gives a nice impression of the educational activities of our institute.

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Ultrafast Dynamics Group

Prof. dr. steven johnson.

Full Professor at the Department of Physics Head of Institute for Quantum Electronics

Institut für Quantenelektronik

HPT D 15

Auguste-Piccard-Hof 1

Switzerland

• Work phone +41 44 633 76 31
• Fax print +41 44 633 10 54
• Work phone +41 56 310 47 84 Alternate (Alt.)
• phone +41 44 633 20 89 Secretariat (Sec.)
• web_asset udg.ethz.ch
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• contacts V-Card (vcf, 1kb)

Additional information

Research area.

Steven Johnson's research primarily focuses on the atomic-scale motion of materials that have been suddenly and strongly kicked out of equilibrium. He has a particular interest in understanding how to change the properties of materials using such perturbations to change microscopic symmetries.

Steven Johnson is since 2020 full professor of physics at the Institute for Quantum Electronics in the Physics Department.  He currently holds a joint appointment with the Paul Scherrer Institute, where he heads the experimental laser group at the SwissFEL x-ray free-electron laser.

He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, in 1975. He obtained a BSc in mathematics and physics from  Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, USA, in 1997. In 2002 he earned his PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. From 2003-2011 Steven Johnson worked as a staff scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Swiss Light Source). From 2011 until 2017 he was a tenure-track assistant professor at ETH Zurich, and asociate professor from 2017 to 2020. 

Course Catalogue

Autumn semester 2024.

For a full list of Prof. Johnson's publications, please visit his external page ResearcherID page.

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Institute for Theoretical Physics

Quantum field theory and strings.

The group is interested in quantum field theory, quantum gravity, string theory and conformal field theory. In particular, research is focussed on symmetries of these theories and special features such as integrability.

• chevron_right Beisert, Niklas, Prof. Dr.
• chevron_right Broedel, Johannes, Dr.
• chevron_right Gaberdiel, Matthias, Prof. Dr.
• chevron_right Coronado, Frank, Dr.
• chevron_right Driezen, Sibylle, Dr.
• chevron_right Houppe, Anthony, Dr.
• chevron_right Mazenc, Edward, Dr.

Doctoral Students

• chevron_right Baune, Konstantin
• chevron_right Im, Egor
• chevron_right Naderi, Kiarash
• chevron_right Nairz, Beat
• chevron_right Sriprachyakul, Vit

The group is part of the  external page NCCR SwissMAP , and it is funded in parts by individual  external page SNSF  grants.

Detailed information

• chevron_right Publications
• chevron_right Seminars and events

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Magnetism and Interface Physics

Main content, assembling materials atom by atom.

Master and Bachelor Theses

For information about Master and Bachelor theses please follow this link .

For information about PhD positions please follow this link .

Research Topics

We investigate magnetic phenomena in materials with tailored structural and electronic properties, focusing on interface systems spanning the range from single atoms and molecules to multilayer films and microelectronic devices. Here, the microscopic interplay of structure, size, and electronic effects determines the emergence of magnetic and transport properties that have no counterpart in bulk magnets. Specific areas of interest include:

Spintronics

Magnetic nanostructures

Molecular magnets

Novel magnetic probes

Our experiments aim at finding efficient ways to control the magnetization in nanoscale systems, either by tuning material parameters such as the composition, thickness, and lateral size, or by external means such as electric currents and fields. Technology applications include the development of integrated spintronic devices, storage media, and nanoscale magnets.

In addition to these topics, we investigate the way in which thin films grow, e.g., by molecular beam epitaxy, as well as the surface-directed self-assembly of nanostructures and metal-organic networks. Our experimental tools include magneto-transport and magneto-optic probes, scanning probe microscopy, polarized x-ray absorption spectroscopy and microscopy.

An alternative way to manipulate quantum states

Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown that quantum states of single electron spins can be controlled by currents of electrons whose spins are evenly aligned. In the future, this method could be used in electronic circuit elements. ETH News

A compass pointing West

Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Villigen and the ETH Zurich have discovered a special phenomenon in magnets. This phenomenon takes place at the nanoscale and enables magnets to be assembled in unusual configurations, which could also be useful for computer technology and data storage. ETH News

At the frontiers of magnetism

The smallest possible magnets are the size of a single atom. We have reached the limits of optimisation of the tiny particles: we have created single atom magnets that are as strong and stable as is physically possible for the class of atoms used. ETH News

A new type of magnetoresistance

More than 150 years ago, William Thomson, later Lord Kelvin, discovered the magnetoresistive effect. Today, this finding enables sensors to measure the rotational speed of a car wheel, and is also used in compass navigation and robot control systems. ETH material scientists have now found a new kind of magnetoresistance that promises further insight into basic research and could one day be used for practical applications. ETH News

Recent Publications

• Mitigation of Gilbert damping in the CoFe/CuO x  orbital torque system,  Nano Lett.  24 , 10251 (2024).  Download article (PDF, 1.8 MB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 495 KB)
• Spin torque–driven electron paramagnetic resonance of a single spin in a pentacene molecule , Science,  384 ,1368–1373 (2024).  external page article
• Orbital Torque in Rare-Earth Transition-Metal Ferrimagnets , Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 236702 (2024).  Download article (PDF, 707 KB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Observation of different Li intercalation states and local doping in epitaxial mono- and bilayer graphene on SiC(0001), Nanoscale, 16 , 3160-3165 (2024).  Download article (PDF, 3.7 MB) , Download supplementary information (PDF, 5.3 MB)
• Spin-orbit torques and magnetization switching in Gd/Fe multilayers generated by current injection in NiCu alloys,   Appl. Phys. Lett.  123 , 262403 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Orbital Hanle magnetoresistance in a 3d transition metal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 156703 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 769 KB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 488 KB) ,  Download synopsis in physics (PDF, 67 KB)
• Electrically programmable magnetic coupling in an Ising network exploiting solid-state ionic gating,  Nat. Comm.  14 , 6367 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 2.8 MB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 4.5 MB)
• Spin-orbit torques and spin Hall magnetoresistance generated by twin-free and amorphous Bi 0.9 Sb 0.1  topological insulator films,  Adv. Mater. 2304905 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 2.7 MB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 2 MB)
• Deterministic and stochastic aspects of current-induced magnetization reversal in perpendicular nanomagnets , Phys. Rev. B 107, 214447 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 1.4 MB)
• Field-Free Spin–Orbit Torque Driven Switching of Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction through Bending Current , Nano Letters  23 , 5482 (2023).  Download article (PDF, 3.6 MB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 2.5 MB)
• Strong lateral exchange coupling and current-induced switching in single-layer ferrimagnetic films with patterned compensation temperature , Phys. Rev. B 107 , L100412 (2023). Download article (PDF, 1.3 MB)
• Tailoring the Switching Efficiency of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions by the Fieldlike Spin-Orbit Torque , Phys. Rev. Applied 18 , 044070 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 3.8 MB) ,  Download supplementary information (PDF, 166 KB)
• Control of field- and current-driven magnetic domain wall motion by exchange bias in Cr 2 O 3 /Co/Pt trilayers , Phys. Rev. B 106 , 134411 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 1.5 MB)
• The 2022 magneto-optics roadmap , Appl. Phys. 55 , 463003 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 7.4 MB)
• Ferrimagnetic Dynamics Induced by Spin-Orbit Torques , Adv. Mater. Interfaces. 2201622 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 3 MB)
• Unidirectional orbital magnetoresistance in light metal/ferromagnet bilayers , Phys. Rev. Res. 4 , L032041 (2022). Download article (PDF, 578 KB)
• Rashba- like physics in condensed matter, Download (PDF, 6.5 MB) Nature Reviews Physics (2022). Download article (PDF, 6.5 MB)
• Time-dependent multistate switching of topological antiferromagnetic order in Mn 3 Sn, Phys. Rev. Appl. 18 , 024064 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 2.4 MB) , Download supplementary information (PDF, 1.7 MB)
• Spin-orbit torque switching of magnetic tunnel junctions for memory applications, J. Mag. Magn. Mater. 562 , 169692 (2022). Download article (PDF, 5.3 MB)
• Giant orbital Hall effect and orbital-to-spin conversion in 3d, 5d, and 4f metallic heterostructures , Phys. Rev. Res. 4 , 033037 (2022).  Download article (PDF, 829 KB)
• Current-driven dynamics and ratchet effect of skyrmion bubbles in a ferrimagnetic insulator , Nat. Nanotech. 17 , 834 (2022). Download article (PDF, 5.2 MB) , Download supplementary information (PDF, 2.5 MB)
• Asynchronous current-induced switching of rare-earth and transition-metal sublattices in ferrimagnetic alloys , Nat. Mater. 21 , 640 (2022). Download article (PDF, 2 MB) Download supplementary information (PDF, 5.4 MB)
• Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Alkali Metal Atoms and Dimers on Ultrathin MgO, Nano Lett. 22 , 4176 (2022) Download article (PDF, 2.3 MB)
• Engineering the Spin-Orbit-Torque Efficiency and Magnetic Properties of Tb/Co Ferrimagnetic Multilayers by Stacking Order , Phys. Rev. Appl. 17 , 044056 (2022). Download article (PDF, 2.1 MB)

Magneto-optical detection of the spin Hall effect in metals

The flow of an electric current magnetizes the surface of Pt and W wires which can be optically detected. Read more.

Fast magnetic writing of data

Magnetic data storage has long been considered too slow for use in the working memories of computers. Researchers at ETH have now investigated a technique by which magnetic data writing can be done considerably faster and using less energy. ETH News

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Department of Physics

Institutes and groups.

The four institutes with their more than 40 research groups and one independent professorship are the backbone of the comprehensive research and teaching program of the Department of Physics.

• chevron_right Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics (IPA)
• chevron_right Institute for Quantum Electronics (IQE)
• chevron_right Laboratory for Solid State Physics (LFKP)
• chevron_right Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP)

> Institute website

Head of IPA: Rainer Wallny Deputy: Sascha Quanz

Research groups

Adrian Biland Very-high-energy Gamma-ray Astronomy

Paolo Crivelli Exotic Matter

Annapaola de Cosa Particle Physics

Caroline Dorn Exoplanet Interiors

Günther Dissertori High Energy Physics

Christophorus Grab Particle Physics with Beauty Quarks

Louise Harra Solar Astrophysics Director external page Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC)

Klaus Kirch Precision Physics at Low Energy

Antony Lomax external page Center for Proton Therapy, PSI

Sascha Quanz Exoplanets and Habitability

Didier Queloz Queloz Group Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life (COPL)

Alexandre Refregier Cosmology

André Rubbia Exotic Matter and Neutrino Physics

Davide Sgalaberna Particle Physics 

Anna Sótér Low Energy Particle Physics - Fundamental Interactions Group

Veerle Sterken Astrophysical Dust

Hans-Arno Synal Ion-beam Physics

Judit Szulágyi Computational Astrophysics

Rainer Wallny High Energy Physics

Head of IQE: Steven Johnson Deputy: Atac Imamoglu

Elsa Abreu Quantum Material Dynamics

Puneet Anantha Murthy Nanoscale Quantum Optics

Tilman Esslinger Quantum Optics

Jérôme Faist Quantum Optoelectronics

Lukas Gallmann Ultrafast Laser Physics

Rachel Grange Optical Nanomaterials

Jonathan Home Trapped Ion Quantum Information

Atac Imamoglu Quantum Photonics

Steven Johnson Ultrafast Dynamics

Ursula Keller Ultrafast Laser Physics

Christian Rüegg external page Quantum Magnetism Director external page Paul Scherrer Institute

Giacomo Scalari Quantum Optoelectronics Wenchao Xu Experimental Quantum Engineering

Head of LFKP: Werner Wegscheider Deputy: Andreas Vaterlaus

Gabriel Aeppli Quantum Technologies

Yiwen Chu Hybrid Quantum Systems

Christian Degen Spin Physics

Leonardo Degiorgi Optical Spectroscopy

Klaus Ensslin Nanophysics

Thomas Ihn Nanophysics

Daniela Rupp Nanostructures and Ultrafast X-ray Science

Andreas Vaterlaus Solid-state Dynamics and Education

Andreas Wallraff Quantum Devices

Werner Wegscheider Advanced Semiconductor Quantum Materials

Andrey Zheludev Neutron Scattering and Magnetism

Head of ITP:  Leonardo Senatore   Deputy: Renato Renner

Charalampos Anastasiou Particle Physics Phenomenology

Niklas Beisert Quantum Field Theory and Strings

Juan Carrasquilla Alvarez Computational Physics

Nicolò Defenu Quantum Physics

Eugene Demler Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics

Matthias Gaberdiel Quantum Field Theory and Strings

Aude Gehrmann-De Ridder Theoretical Particle Physics

Vadim Geshkenbein Quantum Condensed and Coherent Systems

Gian Michele Graf Mathematical Physics

Sebastian Huber Condensed Matter Theory and Metamaterials

Marina Krstic Marinkovic High Performance Computational Physics

Renato Renner Quantum Information Theory

Thomas Schulthess Computational Material Science

Leonardo Senatore Theoretical Cosmology

Manfred Sigrist Strongly Correlated Electrons