Portrait of the Swiss Physical Society

Overview

The Swiss Physical Society (SPS) fosters the exchange of knowledge among physicists through the organization of conferences, participation in scientific events, publication of the SPS Mitteilungen, the magazine for its members, and distribution of a monthly electronic SPS Newsletter. The primary goal of the SPS is to provide access to the latest scientific developments in physics and facilitate expert exchanges for all those interested in the field. It also offers its expertise in physics to political and economic decision-makers in Switzerland. Special attention is given to promoting the next generation of physicists, including high school students, university students, young researchers, and physics teachers at all levels, and the promotion of the applications and research in physics.

As a non-profit professional organization, the SPS encourages all individuals interested in physics, both in Switzerland and abroad, to become members.

Areas of Activity of SPS Members

SPS members work across a variety of domains, from fundamental research to the design of industrial products, including teaching at the secondary and university levels. This diversity is essential for Switzerland, an advanced industrial nation, to maintain its competitiveness. Activities range from fundamental research conducted at universities and centers like the PSI or CERN, to applied physics developed at ETH, EMPA, CSEM, and universities of applied sciences, as well as product and process development in start-ups, SMEs, and large companies. The increasing complexity of modern technologies also requires the growing involvement of physicists in adjacent fields, such as biology, chemistry, pharmacy, medicine, and industrial production processes.

Specialized Sections of the SPS

Most Swiss physicists find their professional activities represented in one of the specialized SPS sections, covering the following fields: condensed matter physics; applied physics; nuclear, particle, and astrophysics; theoretical physics; physics in industry; atomic physics and quantum optics; education and promotion of physics; history and philosophy of physics; energy, sustainability and environment; as well as biophysics and soft matter.

In addition, two commissions deal with topics spanning various fields: The Young Physicists Forum encourages the exchange between students from all Swiss universities as well as with established researchers, the second commission focuses on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.

SPS Media

The official media outlets of the SPS include since 1997 the SPG Mitteilungen, published three times per year, and the SPS Newsletter, distributed electronically every month since 2017. The newsletter provides updates on current events in physics, while the magazine reports on internal SPS matters and publishes scientific articles, notably the series Progress in Physics, presenting current research findings in Switzerland. Members also enjoy contributions in several other series, such as Milestones in Physics, History and Philosophy of Physics, Physics and Society, Physics Anecdotes and Personal Recollections, Physicists in Industry, as well as further rubrics.

SPS Focus is another publication series, which appears irregularly and covers specific topics of highly technical or societal relevance.

Support for Young Talents

Supporting young researchers is a priority for the SPS. Each year, it awards excellence prizes (CHF 5000.- each) sponsored by companies in various categories, such as general physics, condensed matter physics, metrology, computational physics, energy technology, sensing, detection and monitoring as well as quantum science and technology.

The SPS also supports initiatives like Swiss Youth Research and the Physics Olympiads. Collaboration with the Swiss Association of Mathematics and Physics Teachers (VSMP) enables joint initiatives to promote physics education.

Collaboration with Other Scientific Societies

The SPS actively collaborates with local and international societies. It is a member of the European Physical Society (EPS), through which its members benefit from the "Europhysics News" journal. The SPS organizes joint events, i.e., every two years the annual meetings with the Austrian Physical Society (ÖPG), or symposia with the Physikalische Gesellschaft Zürich (PGZ), and has created together with the French Physical Society (SFP) the Charpak-Ritz Award.

Interaction with Academies and Political Institutions

The SPS is a member of the academies SCNAT and SATW. It receives financial support from SCNAT for various projects related to the promotion of the rising generation of physicists, as well as for scienific events. For SATW it is important to early identify key technologies which arise from research results in fundamental physics.

International Networks

The SPS plays an active role within the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), where renowned Swiss physicists regularly hold influential positions.