Centro de Física da Universidade de Coimbra (CFisUC)

The group Hadronic Physics and Fundamental Interactions is focused in different topics related to nuclear and particle physics, gravitation and cosmology:

1) different formalisms applied to the study Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) including ab-initio approachs as Lattice QCD, Green functions or other quantum field theoretical methods and phenomenoligical descriptions based on chiral effective models;
2) Neutron stars as a laboratory of nuclear and particle physics;
3) Solar system dynamics and exoplanets;
4) Interplay between particle and gravitational physics as the origin of dark matter, inflation, the baryon asymmetry, dark energy, neutrino masses and the strong CP problem.

This group studies the electrical, optical and magnetic properties of matter in several forms, from atomic clusters to crystalline solids by combining theoretical, computational and experimental methods to tackle current problems in condensed matter physics.

Experimental facilities available include XRD, Mossbauer spectroscopy, SEM, thermal and electric transport properties, magnetometry, etc. We use large-scale facilities (ILL, ISIS, ESRF, PSI) for neutron scattering, synchrotron radiation and muSR experiments. Topics under investigation include multiferroic compounds, topological, superconducting and NLO materials, molecular and chiral magnets, high-k oxides and semiconductors, and development of DFT and TDFT methods and computer codes.

The group gathers researchers with common interest in the use of XRD and other techniques such as neutron and Raman scattering, muSR and Mossbauer spectroscopies to investigate a wide range of materials, such as semiconductors, OLEDs and engineering materials.

XRD is a key technique for a significant part of the research developed in the group; being widely used across a number of disciplines, it promotes interdisciplinary collaborations on a regular basis with experimental and theoretical research groups on physics, chemistry, materials science and pharmacy groups of UC and other universities. Partnerships with industry are active, namely with pharmaceutical and electromechanical companies.

This group works in soft condensed matter physics with a direct application to biological systems, aiming at a far-reaching impact in science and society.

The research developed has a strong focus on cellular morphology and movement, tissue irrigation, and tumor and vessel growth. Within the topic of vessel growth, we explore the consequences of physical mechanisms in the development of complex processes in both health and disease such as organogenesis, wound healing, inflammation, endometriosis or diabetes. We collaborate with several multidisciplinary international teams and bring together the know-how of researchers with proven expertise in theoretical, computational and experimental tasks.

This Working Group manages CFisUC outreach and physics education efforts.

We promote physics and excellence in science education in primary and secondary schools, not only by engaging scientists in visits to schools but also bringing students to the Physics Department and our research facilities. We are responsible for the "Quark!" school of excellence in Physics for high-school students and for the coordination of the National Physics Olympiad and preparation of the teams representing Portugal in the International and Ibero-American Physics Olympiads. We also collaborate on other outreach activities of the Department of Physics, UC Museum of Science and Centro Ciência Viva Rómulo de Carvalho.

This Working Group is characterized by its interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary dimension, intending to promote the cooperation of researchers from various faculties of UC and other universities, allowing the development of scientific studies on rich primary fonts of the History of Science in Portugal, using the rich analytical equipment and expertise available at CFisUC. It collaborates in several projects at UC, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site, aiming at studying the History of Science in Coimbra and contributing to the rehabilitation of its buildings and their equipment.

This Working Group fosters collaborating with industry and aims at further improving the already existing connections.

The technological platforms (TAIL-UC and LCA- UC) under the leadership of CFisUC members, provide high-quality specialised services to the research community, both at the industrial and academic level. Collaborations and projects are active with Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Electromechanical industries, finding solutions for scientific or technological problems, proposing new ideas (co-crystals for medicines, organometallic luminescent compounds for OLEDs, technology for hydrogen storage) resulting from our research.