Physics Research at Norwegian Universities, Colleges and Research Institutes A Review Volume I Copyright © The Research Council of Norway 2000 The Research Council of Norway P.O.Box 2700 St. Hanshaugen N-0131 OSLO Telephone +47 22 03 70 00 Fax: +47 22 03 70 01 Green number fax: 800 83 001 Internett: [email protected] X.400: S=bibliotek;PRMD=forskningsradet;ADMD=telemax;C=no; Home page: http://www.forskningsradet.no/ Print: GCS as First edition: 750 copies Oslo, May 2000 ISBN 82-12-01454-1 (Print) ISBN 978-82-12-02456-4 (Pdf) 2 Preface This is the report of an international committee formed by the Research Council of Norway to review and assess the research in physcis at Norwegian Universities, Colleges and Research Institutes. This report has been prepared specifically for the Research Council of Norway, which reserves the right to use the contents as it sees fit. The committee was given reports from the departments and research groups about six weeks prior to their 30 January – 4 February, 2000, meeting in Oslo where the committee met for interviews with representatives from the groups to be reviewed. A subsequent meeting of the committee members only to sum up their conclusions was held on 30 – 31 March, also in Oslo. The committee was able to discuss research-related issues with a significant number of responsible staff and thus obtained sufficient information on which to base a well-balanced and fair assessment. The committee is confident that its analysis and recommendations are generally well founded. We hope that this report will not be regarded as a final ”judgement”, but rather will be looked upon as a constructive basis for future improvement, change, and development of physics in Norway. 3 4 To the Research Council of Norway The members of the evaluation committee on physics at Norwegian Universities, Colleges and Research Institutes hereby submit the following report. Our task has been to make an adequate, comprehensive, and fair review of the research activities in physics in Norway during the last five years, and to make remarks about possible future developments. This task has been demanding in view of the short time available, and the fact that most committee members were unfamiliar with the Norwegian academic scene before beginning this assignment. The committee hopes that the review will nevertheless be a worthwhile source that can be used by the Research Council of Norway, as well as by the faculties, institutions, departments, sections, and research groups concerned. The views expressed in this report are the consensus views of the committee. The members of the committee are in collective agreement with the assessments, recommendations and conclusions presented. Örjan Skeppstedt Chairman Wolfgang Baumjohann Rienk van Grondelle Günter Kaindl Christopher Pethick Gigi Rolandi Robert Rosner 5 6 Content PREFACE.............................................................................................................................................................. 3 1 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................ 9 2 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 MANDATE................................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2 PANEL MEMBERS .................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 KEY INFORMATION AND MAJOR ISSUES OF THE REVIEW PROCESS............................................................ 13 2.4 OUTLINE OF THE REVIEW REPORT............................................................................................................ 13 3 NATIONAL PORTRAIT.......................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 14 3.2 THE MAIN RESEARCH AREAS.................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics........................................................................................ 14 3.2.2 Applied physics.............................................................................................................................. 15 3.2.3 Astrophysics .................................................................................................................................. 16 3.2.4 Biological physics ......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.5 Condensed-matter physics/materials science................................................................................ 17 3.2.6 Space physics ................................................................................................................................ 18 3.2.7 Subatomic physics ......................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.8 Theory ........................................................................................................................................... 20 3.3 REMARKS ON THE FUNDING OF NORWEGIAN PHYSICS ............................................................................. 21 3.4 THE HUMAN CAPITAL .............................................................................................................................. 23 3.4.1 Personnel structure ....................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.2 Faculty age distributions............................................................................................................... 24 3.4.3 The missing career path ................................................................................................................ 25 3.5 STRATEGY CONSIDERATIONS................................................................................................................... 25 4 EVALUATION OF DEPARTMENTS AND INSTITUTES.................................................................. 28 4.1 UNIVERSITY OF OSLO .............................................................................................................................. 28 4.1.1 Department of Physics .................................................................................................................. 28 4.1.2 Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics ........................................................................................... 38 4.2 UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN.......................................................................................................................... 41 4.2.1 Department of Physics .................................................................................................................. 41 4.3 NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY...................................................................... 48 4.3.1 Department of Physics .................................................................................................................. 48 4.4 UNIVERSITY OF TROMSØ ......................................................................................................................... 56 4.4.1 Department of Physics .................................................................................................................. 56 4.5 AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY .............................................................................................. 61 4.5.1 Department of Agricultural Engineering, Physics section,........................................................... 61 4.6 UNIVERSITY COURSES ON SVALBARD ..................................................................................................... 63 4.6.1 Department of Geophysics, Middle and Upper Atmosphere groups............................................. 63 4.7 STAVANGER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ........................................................................................................ 64 4.7.1 Institute for Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Physics group,.................................................. 64 4.8 INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................................... 66 4.8.1 Physics Department ...................................................................................................................... 66 4.9 NORWEGIAN DEFENCE RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT ............................................................................... 68 4.9.1 Space Physics group...................................................................................................................... 68 5 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 69 5.1 A NEW CAREER STRUCTURE..................................................................................................................... 69 5.2 STIMULATION OF MOBILITY, COUNTERACTING INBREEDING.................................................................... 69 5.3 MECHANISMS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF LONG TERM STRATEGIES ..............................................................