SWM09 Diablerets Meeting : MaNEP in a nutshell

The 8th edition of the “Swiss workshop on Materials with Novel Electronic Properties” took place on August 26, 27 and 28 in Les Diablerets. 194 participants attended and the meeting was a real success. Flash-back on a major MaNEP conference.

Initiated in 1996, this conference series preceded the existence of MaNEP itself, and was indeed its founding body. That just shows its importance.
“The objective at that time, reminds Øystein Fischer – the project initiator –, was to create a forum permitting all researchers to meet and share their scientific experiments in the field of solid state physics. We must say that, since 1986, superconductivity has had ‘the wind in its sails’, receiving a lot of support thanks to the discovery of the high Tc superconductors. However, around 1994, funding decreased. We had to find means to re-dynamize the field and avoid that this important energy would fade. Hence, came the idea to pool researchers in Switzerland”, adds Øystein Fisher.

At that time, its founders wished to launch a new program for research, without having a precise idea of the format. In the process came the idea to set up a national centre of competence in research and so to use Les Diablerets conference and its members to launch MaNEP. This was formalized in 2001. Les Diablerets has become the big biennial appointment that we know.

The conference objectives have sensibly evolved over time. Indeed, it still permits professors, researchers and students who take an active part in the materials with novel electronic properties field to meet. Furthermore, it strengthens the MaNEP network around a common identity. Moreover, this workshop aims at throwing new lights on topical activities in solid state physics through the invited speakers.
“We focus, as a priority, on research carried out in MaNEP, but we widen the topics to include new fields of research, mentions Christoph Renner. That was recently the case some years ago with iron-based pnictide superconductors and the interfaces”.

Christoph Renner, the chair of the 2009 organizing committee, came away with positive feelings about this event, so that he has accepted to renew the experience in two years. “We had an excellent participation, with all the main actors representing the projects of the third phase contributing”, notices Christoph Renner.
‘Representative’, means a lot to Øystein Fischer, chair of the workshop. “Researchers submit an abstract and the program committee selects those who will give a talk and those who will present a poster. The main selection criterion is of course the scientific quality and relevance, but we also take care that groups are equitably represented".

“We must underline the quality of speakers, notes Christoph Renner, and particularly the invited talks on subjects not always directly linked to MaNEP activities, but that are of interest for its members. Examples include Eduard Cartier’s presentation on high-k dielectrics in CMOS technologies, the one of Andrea Cavalleri about innovative time resolved photon spectroscopy, or the talk of Marco Grioni on RIXS. They may open new fields of investigation for MaNEP. As for poster presentations, they are much appreciated; they allow having interactions and are a means for longer in-depht discussions”.

Traditionally held in September, this conference was organized for the first time in August. We are looking forward to the next edition on July 29, 30 and 31, 2011, with a new series of exciting contributions and lively discussions. If you would like to make suggestions about the conference organisation, do not hesitate to send them at : info@manep.ch.

Many thanks to the members of the organizing committee for their efficiency and all their efforts : Marie Bagnoud, Ginger Laughlin, Matthias Kuhn, Greg Manfrini and Ivan Maggio-Aprile.