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On October 26, 2022, the “Jožef Stefan” Institute and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, awarded the fourth Blinc Award for research and professional work in the field of physics. Asst. Prof. Matjaž Humar, associate of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics F5, was awarded the Blinc Award for physicists at the beginning of their career. The prestigious award is a recognition of his work in the introduction of pioneering methods of sensorics and biomarkers based on microlasers and laser microresonators in soft and biocompatible materials.

His acquired knowledge and untiring perseverance cleared the way for the establishment of the first laboratory in Slovenia for bio-integrated photonics at the Department of Condensed Matter Physics F5 at the “Jožef Stefan” Institute 7 years ago.

The “whispering gallery mode” method of micro-resonator sensor, which he developed with co-authors, enables localization at the level of individual cells with sensors of various parameters such as temperature, pH and refractive index. The method represents a versatile and perspective tool for deep tissue imaging.

Asst. Prof. Matjaž Humar is the first author of eight articles in high-ranking international journals such as Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, Physical Review Letters and Advanced Materials.

Prof. dr. Slobodan Žumer was awarded the de Gennes Award at the International Liquid Crystal Conference 2022, which took place from July 24 to July 29 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. This is the highest recognition awarded by the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS). Professor Žumer is an exceptional theoretician, pedagogue, co-worker, mentor and former ILCS president whose contributions were extremely important for the impressive development of the field of liquid crystal research. The ILCS Board of Directors based their decision on his exceptional scientific achievements, his key role in establishing new research fields from confined liquid crystals to topological liquid matter, his successful mentoring of several doctoral students, his extensive international collaboration and his contributions to the ILCS activities both as a regional representative, a member of the Board of Directors and as former president of the ILCS. Congratulations!

Andrej Zorko from the Department of Condensed Matter Physic is the recipient of the 2022 Science Impact Award for his work on quantum spin liquids. This award is given annually by the Science and Technology Facilities Council from the United Kingdom to celebrate the scientific impact of the research conducted at the ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory large-scale user facility in the last five years. This is a world-leading research centre than supports more than 2000 researchers applying neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy to various fields of natural sciences. Andrej Zorko led an international research group and was awarded for their discovery of the first realization of a quantum spin liquid on a triangular spin lattice with dominant Ising antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, which has recently been published in Nature Materials. These results revealed that the family of rare-earth heptatantalates represents a novel framework for quantum spin liquids.

Researchers Aljaž Kavčič, dr. Maja Garvas, Matevž Marinčič and doc. dr. Matjaž Humar from the F5 department and dr. Boris Majaron from the F7 department of the Jožef Stefan Institute have, in collaboration with researchers from Graz University, published a paper in Nature Communications entitled Deep tissue localization and sensing using optical microcavity probes. In the paper they presented a new method for imaging through scattering tissues, based on localization of whispering gallery mode microresonators with spectrally narrow emission that enables a decomposition of diffuse signal into contributions from individual microresonators. The developed method combines the ability of precise localization on cellular level with possibility of sensing various parameters such as temperature, pH and refractive index, which makes it a versatile and promising tool in the field of deep-tissue imaging. First author of the paper Aljaž Kavčič presented the results of this work in his master’s thesis, for which he was awarded »Prešernova nagrada« of University of Ljubljana.

Associates of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics Tina Arh, Matej Pregelj, pHD, and prof. Andrej Zorko pHD, discovered the first realization of a quantum spin liquid on a Ising triangular-lattice antiferromagnet. They performed a large scale experimental study in collaboration with the researchers from the Slovenian Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics as well as researchers from India, Great Britain, France and the USA. The results were published in Nature Materials in the article The Ising triangular-lattice antiferromagnet neodymium heptatantalate as a quantum spin liquid candidate. In addition to being a significant scientific discovery, this discovery also has an important potential for the latest quantum technologies, as spin liquids are seen as one of the most perspective platforms in quantum computing.