News
-
What is the shape of cells? 29 October 2018
Cells in our body are constantly performing small tasks, such as repairing wounds. They exert force by changing shape. But how do cells translate thei...
-
Self-folding metamaterial 26 September 2018
The more complex the object, the harder it is to fold up. Space satellites often need many small motors to fold up an instrument, and people have diff...
-
Sense Jan van der Molen appointed as Professor Physics of Condensed Matter 11 June 2018
As of 1 June, Leiden University has appointed Sense Jan van der Molen as Professor Physics of Condensed matter. He investigates the unique electronic ...
-
Tom Lubensky appointed 2018 Lorentz Professor 01 March 2018
Coming spring, Professor Tom Lubensky from the University of Pennsylvania will be the 64th Lorentz Professor at the department of Theoretical Physics....
-
Daniela Kraft wins Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year Award 20 December 2017
The editors of Biophysical Journal have selected a publication from Daniela Kraft’s group as the Paper of the Year 2017. The award recognizes an outst...
-
Elastic Leidenfrost Effect on cover of Nature Physics 02 November 2017
First author Scott Waitukaitis and principal investigator Martin van Hecke have made the cover of Nature Physics with their publication on a newly dis...
-
'Bigger is different' - the unusual physics of mechanical metamaterials 25 September 2017
Mechanical metamaterials have been found to display surprising features, on top of their unusual properties such as shape morphing and programmability...
-
Two ERC grant for Leiden Physics 11 August 2017
This year, two Leiden physicists have earned a prestigious ERC Starting Grant. With a budget of 1.5 million euros, this is one of the largest individu...
-
Elastic Leidenfrost Effect enables soft engines 24 July 2017
Water droplets float in a hot pan because of the so-called Leidenfrost effect. Now physicists have discovered a variation: the Elastic Leidenfrost eff...
-
Smart design carries sound one way 17 July 2017
A new computer simulation shows the promising possibilities of the booming field of topology. Smartly designed mechanical structures carry sound exclu...
-
Tiny joints for reconfigurable microstructures 28 April 2017
Leiden physicists exploit self-assembly of small particles to someday create functional structures such as micro-robots from the bottom up. They have ...
-
One-way traffic for motion in new material 13 February 2017
Scientists have developed a material that breaks one of the fundamental principles governing many physical systems. Ordinary materials transmit extern...
-
Materials made of self-spinning particles 05 December 2016
Materials are either gas, liquid or solid, based on how their molecules respond to temperature and pressure. But what if the building blocks are self-...
-
KHMW Graduation Prize for Anne Meeussen 28 November 2016
The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) has awarded Leiden Physics PhD student Anne Meeussen the Shell Graduation Prize in Physics...
-
Material built from gears 21 November 2016
A specifically designed collection of gears is soft on one end and rigid on the other. These are robust properties of the system that hold even in the...