ANNUAL REPORT 2003 HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Low Temperature Laboratory Brain Research Unit and Low Temperature Physics Research http://boojum.hut.fi/ - 2 - PREFACE..........................................................................................................................................5 SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD ................................................................................................6 PERSONALIA...................................................................................................................................6 SENIOR RESEARCHERS.............................................................................................................6 ADMINISTRATION AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.............................................................7 GRADUATE STUDENTS (SUPERVISORS)...............................................................................7 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ...............................................................................................8 VISITORS FOR EU PROJECTS...................................................................................................8 NEURO - BIRCH III (BRAIN RESEARCH) ..............................................................................................8 ULTI III (LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS).............................................................................................9 OTHER VISITORS........................................................................................................................10 GROUP VISITS .........................................................................................................................................11 INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS....................................................................................12 COSLAB (COSMOLOGY IN THE LABORATORY)..................................................................12 LANGUAGE..................................................................................................................................12 NEURO-BIRCH III........................................................................................................................13 ULTI III - ULTRA LOW TEMPERATURE INSTALLATION....................................................13 COMPASS SPIN POLARISED TARGET (CERN AND HIP) .....................................................14 LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS RESEARCH ..........................................................................14 NANOELECTRONICS AT LOW TEMPERATURES .................................................................14 NANO GROUP..........................................................................................................................................14 PICO GROUP ...........................................................................................................................................17 ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE RESEARCH ..............................................................................19 YKI GROUP ..............................................................................................................................................19 ROTA GROUP...........................................................................................................................................20 INTERFACE GROUP................................................................................................................................23 THEORY........................................................................................................................................24 BRAIN RESEARCH UNIT..............................................................................................................28 MEG STUDIES..............................................................................................................................29 AUDITORY, TACTILE, AND AUDIOTACTILE PROCESSING ...............................................................29 OSCILLATORY BRAIN ACTIVITY............................................................................................................30 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN......................................................................31 THE HUMAN MIRROR-NEURON SYSTEM ............................................................................................31 LANGUAGE PERCEPTION AND PRODUCTION...................................................................................33 VISUAL FIELD RESTITUTION IN HEMIANOPIA, NEUROMAGNETIC EVIDENCE ...........................34 NEURAL DYNAMICS OF TRANSPARENCY PERCEPTION...................................................................34 CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OF MEG – CLINIMEG ...............................................................................34 METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................35 COHERENCE IN BRAIN FUNCTION......................................................................................................35 DEVELOPMENT OF THE STIMULUS ENVIRONMENTS IN MEG AND FMRI ....................................36 FUNCTIONAL MRI (FMRI).........................................................................................................36 TACTILE PROCESSING...........................................................................................................................36 - 3 - MULTIFOCAL VISUAL FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING .....................................37 CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMAN VISUAL AREAS AT THE PARIETO-OCCIPITAL REGION .........37 TEACHING ACTIVITIES...............................................................................................................38 COURSES ......................................................................................................................................38 SUMMER SCHOOL......................................................................................................................38 EUROPEAN ADVANCED CRYOGENICS SCHOOL 2003 (KYL - 0.102)................................................38 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS (SUPERVISOR) ...............................................................................38 ACADEMIC DEGREES................................................................................................................39 DIPLOMA THESES...................................................................................................................................39 PH.D. DISSERTATIONS ...........................................................................................................................39 RESEARCH SEMINARS ON LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS ...............................................................40 RESEARCH SEMINARS ON NANO PHYSICS .........................................................................................41 RESEARCH SEMINARS OF THE BRAIN RESEARCH UNIT ..................................................................42 TECHNICAL SERVICES................................................................................................................44 MACHINE SHOP ..........................................................................................................................44 CRYOGENIC LIQUIDS................................................................................................................45 HELIUM....................................................................................................................................................45 NITROGEN................................................................................................................................................45 ACTIVITIES OF THE PERSONNEL ............................................................................................45 AWARDS.......................................................................................................................................45 PERSONNEL WORKING ABROAD ...........................................................................................46 CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION AND LABORATORY VISITS ............................................46 EXPERTISE AND REFEREE ASSIGNMENTS ..........................................................................57 APPENDIX I: EVALUATION SUMMARY REPORT.................................................................66 TRANSNATIONAL ACCESS IMPLEMENTED AS SPECIFIC SUPPORT ACTION (SSA)..66 - 4 - - 5 - PREFACE Kylmälaboratorio, the Finnish name of the LTL is widely known among the big public. The name was selected nearly 40 years ago by Olli V. Lounasmaa, the founder and long-time director of the laboratory. In year 2003, after the death of Academician Lounasmaa, Paavo Uronen, the Rector of the Helsinki University of Technology, suggested that the LTL could be renamed after its founder. The suggestion was discussed among the personnel of the laboratory and a popular vote was organized. The members of the LTL decided, instead of the renaming, to establish a Prize/Lecture series, carrying the name of Olli V. Lounasmaa. Only one third of the funding of the LTL is coming from its host organization, the HUT. This is a painfully low percentage for a laboratory which is specialized in basic experimen- tal research. Consequently, the other funding sources, granting long-term research con- tracts, are becoming important for the continuation of the unique research program of the laboratory. In FP6, the European Union’s 6th Framework Program,