SELF-EVALUATION DOCUMENT OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY FACULTY OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY UTRECHT UNIVERSITY This is the self-evaluation document of the Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy prepared for its upcoming research assessment organized by the Governing Board of Utrecht University. It is prepared on the basis of the Evaluation Protocol [1] which is derived from the Standard Evaluation Protocol 2003-2009 for public research organizations in the Netherlands [2]. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess against international standard the quality, productivity, relevance and viability of the activities of the Research Institute and its thirteen research programs during the seven-year period that ended on 31 December 2002. Part A describes the Research Institute as a whole and Part B the separate research programs. Part B is prepared in close collaboration with the program leaders of the respective programs. Besides extensive descriptions of the mission and the organization of the Institute and its programs, detailed annual data are presented regarding the research staff, the productivity and the funding. This report has been approved by the Governing Board of Utrecht University. It will be submitted as an input document for the evaluation of the Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy to the Evaluation Committee. The Evaluation Committee consists of Prof. dr. Edouard Brézin, (ENS, Paris; Chair); Prof. dr. Marcel Arnould, (Université Libre de Bruxelles); Prof. dr. Paul M. Chaikin, (Princeton University); Prof. dr. Jos Eggermont, (University of Calgary); Prof. dr. Michael Ghil, (UCLA, ENS Paris); Prof. dr. Jürgen Mlynek, (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin). The site visit is set for 10-12 September 2003. Prof. dr. B. de Wit Director Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy Utrecht University [1] Evaluation protocol 2003 for the review of the Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy of Utrecht University, March 2003. [2] Standard Evaluation Protocol 2003-2009 for public research organizations in the Netherlands, December 2002. Table of contents Section A:......................................... Documentation regarding the Institute 1. Evaluation of the research organization ...........................................................5 1.1. Strategy................................................................................................................5 1.2. Leadership.........................................................................................................14 1.3. Management .....................................................................................................15 1.4. Researchers and other personnel.....................................................................19 1.5. Resources, funding and facilities.....................................................................29 1.6. Processes in research, internal and external collaboration............................33 1.7. Academic reputation.........................................................................................33 1.8. Internal evaluation and analysis, perspectives and expectations for the research....................................................................................................................33 1.9. External validation ...........................................................................................34 Section B:....................................... Documentation per research program 1. Atom Optics and Ultrafast Dynamics ............................................................37 2. Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysics .........................................................53 3. Surfaces, Interfaces and Devices ...................................................................75 4. History and Foundations of Science............................................................113 5. Physics of Man: Human Perception............................................................139 6. Perceptual Motor Integration......................................................................161 7. Physics Education.........................................................................................175 8. Subatomic Physics........................................................................................197 9. Astrophysics ..................................................................................................227 10. Marine and Atmospheric Research..............................................................287 11. Quantum Gravity, Strings and Elementary Particles..................................357 12. Condensed Matter Theory, Statistical and Computational Physics ...........339 13. Solar Astronomy...........................................................................................431 APPENDIX A Faculty Board, Research Programs and Chairs .........................451 APPENDIX B Description of the Research Schools ...........................................455 APPENDIX C List of Acronyms ...........................................................................459 APPENDIX D References.....................................................................................463 University : Utrecht University Institute : Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy Research director : Prof. dr. B. de Wit Section A: Documentation regarding the level of the Institute 1. Evaluation of the research organization Name of the Institute: Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy. Date of establishment: The Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy was officially founded in 2001. Most of the Institute’s research activities were initiated prior to 1996 and were part of the research of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. Research area and mission: Research in pure and applied physics and astronomy, driven both by questions of a fundamental scientific nature and by questions motivated by societal needs. The research covers a broad spectrum and consists of atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, materials science, subatomic physics, theoretical and computational physics, biophysics, astrophysics and solar astronomy, human perception and perceptual motor integration, marine and atmospheric research, physics education, and history and foundations of science. The research aims at being competitive on a national and international scale and is expected to be well linked to corresponding bachelors, masters and PhD programs. 1.1. Strategy Research area in the present organizational context: The programs of the Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy[3] cover a broad spectrum of present-day research in physics and astronomy and include a variety of interdisciplinary activities, motivated by questions of pure and applied science and societal relevance. During the evaluation period 1996-2002 the Faculty has seen a continuation of the already ongoing movement towards a more focused and coherent research profile with greater visibility in the educational programs. In this process, the position of selected excellent programs and of interdisciplinary research was to be strengthened. The presence of a sufficiently broad research profile was deemed important for attracting and stimulating high-quality graduate and undergraduate students. In this drive towards a focused and yet broad research profile, scientific excellence, synergy between the research directions, international orientation, and the ability to attract outside funding, were identified as important elements. These elements are still relevant today. Concurrent with these changes in the research focus, the Faculty had to set up a flexible human resources policy and to maintain/extend an appropriate basic infrastructure and corresponding financial support. With regard to the research funding, the Research Institute provides the base funding for the research programs, which includes the salary cost of the tenured research staff and the local infrastructure, while a major part of the equipment and the salary cost of the non-tenured research staff is obtained from external funding agencies. [3] The name Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy (or Research Institute) will be used throughout the document to designate the research part of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. 5 University : Utrecht University Institute : Research Institute of Physics and Astronomy Research director : Prof. dr. B. de Wit The present organization of the Research Institute is based on the by-laws that were adopted by the Faculty, and subsequently approved by the University Board, in 2001. These by-laws define research programs as the basic units of research and research management within the Research Institute. As of 31 December 2002, the Research Institute has thirteen research programs, which also play an indirect role in the mission of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy in undergraduate and graduate education. The programs are connected to national and international research organizations. On a formal level, there are affiliations to seven national research schools. A description of these schools, which play an important role in the associated PhD programs, is provided in appendix B. All research schools have received a formal accreditation from the Accreditation Committee for Research Schools in the Netherlands (ECOS), established in 1992 by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) at the request of the government. Currently the Research Institute is the commissioner of two of these