Physics

Michal Jaščur -Michal Hnatič

In the textbook, the processes belonging to an area of  nonequilibrium physics, which make the basis for the study and analysis of compex phenomena  of statistical mechanics, are described. The Boltzmann equation for distribution function is derived and on this basis the hydrodynamic equations are constructed.  Stochastic processes are described separately and Fokker-Planck equation for density probability  is derived. Textbook is intended for the students of second year of master study at Faculty of Science of P. J. Šafarik University.   

Autors

Peter Kollár a kol. 

Skriptá Základné fyzikálne praktikum II. sú určené pre študentov Prírodovedeckej fakulty UPJŠ v Košiciach študujúcich na študijných programoch fyzika a medziodborových programoch v kombinácii s fyzikou. Obsahom skrípt sú úlohy z elektriny, magnetizmu a optiky. Podľa študijných programov sú zaradené do 3.semestra bakalárskeho štúdia, v ktorom by už študenti mali mať absolvovaný predmet všeobecná fyzika II. (elektrina a magnetizmus). Súčasťou každej úlohy sú základné poznatky venované javom, ktoré sú obsahom samotnej úlohy.

Autori

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Janka Vrláková - Adela Kravčáková - Stanislav Vokál

The presented "Collection of Problems in Atomic and Nuclear Physics" is intended as a basic study material for lectures in General Physics IV in the second year of the bachelor's single-subject physics program and interdisciplinary studies combined with physics at the Faculty of Science of P. J. Šafárik University in Košice.

Its aim is to support independent student work and to deepen the acquired knowledge from the given physics course by solving selected problems. It is divided into three main parts: Atomic Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Experimental Methods of Nuclear Physics.

Each thematic chapter contains an overview of basic concepts, relations, and formulas necessary for better understanding of sample problems and for solving the attached set of unsolved problems.

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Erik Čižmár

The textbook "Special Practicum II" is dedicated to describing experimental methods used for studying the magnetic properties of solid materials, especially low-dimensional and molecular magnets. It subsequently contains instructions for the practical exercise "Special Practicum II," during which master's and doctoral students use state-of-the-art commercial equipment-an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer and a SQUID magnetometer.

The introductory chapter briefly describes the origin of magnetism in solids, the role of the crystal field, and magnetic interactions in explaining their magnetic properties. This is followed by an explanation of the principles of EPR, the operation of the EPR spectrometer, and the optimization of its parameters for the specific practical exercise.

The next part of the textbook is devoted to an overview of the behavior of magnetic quantities with changes in magnetic field or temperature in various types of magnets. The textbook concludes with a description of the operating principle of the SQUID magnetometer and an example of its use in a practical exercise measuring the magnetic moment.

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Vladimír Zeleňák(ed.)

The proceedings contain abstracts of contributions from participants of the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, which took place on April 22, 2015.

The Student Scientific Conference (SSC) enjoys long-term popularity among the faculty's students and teachers, and we are pleased that this was no different this year, with 128 contributions submitted to the SSC.

The contributions were organized into 19 sections, additionally complemented by an open programming competition and the final of the IHRA contest. For many students, presenting at the SSC is one of the first opportunities to gain experience in presenting their results before a professional audience. Considering the number of submitted contributions, along with the members of the expert juries from the faculty's teaching staff and the audience who came to support their classmates' presentations, the SSC is an event where a large part of the student and academic community of the faculty meets at one place and time. Many abstracts presented in this proceedings were developed as part of students' work on partial tasks that are components of research projects at the departments of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University.

The abstracts represent, in a way, an overview of research topics at the individual workplaces of the faculty. The SSC proceedings thus serve as a useful tool that students and faculty teachers can use to present the faculty externally to partners, employers, and potential collaborators. Partners from practice have shown interest in cooperating in organizing the SSC for a long time. Since 2005, the association of IT companies has awarded a Prize for the Most Original Work and a Prize for the Work with the Best Prospects for Practical Application.

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Milan Žukovič

The textbook Computational Physics I covers the topics taught in the course of the same name at the bachelor's level of the Physics study program, as well as in the course Application of Numerical Methods at the bachelor's level of the Applied Informatics study program.

The text builds upon the basic course in numerical methods, focusing on explaining the fundamental principles of computer-based solutions to some typical physics problems. It includes both the area of deterministic methods for solving problems modeled by ordinary and partial differential equations, as well as the area of stochastic Monte Carlo simulations. The course Computational Physics I lays the foundation for further study of more advanced computational methods taught at the master's level in the subject Computational Physics II. Nowadays, the use of computers as a tool for solving real physics problems, and for students as a tool for preparing their final bachelor's or master's theses, is almost indispensable.

This has led to the creation of numerous user-oriented software packages in various environments for solving a wide range of problems. However, without a thorough understanding of how individual computational techniques work, these programs become black boxes with many pitfalls and risks in their use. Therefore, this text emphasizes understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of individual methods and the assumptions for their successful application.

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Katarína Štrofeková

Cell Biophysics II is the one semester comprehensive course textbook for PhD students. It encompasses basic principles and mechanisms underlying cell physiology and biophysics with aims:

• General knowledge of the principles of cellular function, including membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear roles in normal and abnormal conditions.
• In-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying the cell functions at the molecular and subcellular level.
• Awareness of cell pathologies that lead to specific disease symptoms and phenotypes.
• The ability to apply learned principles to solve new problems (analysis & synthesis).

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Vladimír Zeleňák (ed.)

Proceedings of Abstracts of the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

A characteristic feature of education at high-quality universities — among which the Faculty of Science at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ) in Košice proudly belongs — is the close connection between education and scientific research. Students gain knowledge in their field of study not only through theoretical coursework in individual disciplines, but also through active involvement in solving specific scientific tasks as part of research teams. This can occur during the development of final theses or through participation in the Student Research Assistant Program (ŠPVS), which was revitalized at the faculty in 2015.

The Student Scientific Conference (ŠVK) is one of the faculty’s traditional events, organized during the Faculty’s Science Days as part of Sciencefest. By its very nature, it fits seamlessly into the aforementioned framework of combining education with research, and it has long enjoyed great popularity and student interest. In 2016, the conference featured presentations by 125 students of the Faculty of Science at UPJŠ in Košice, across 16 thematic sections. This collection of abstracts provides an overview of the focus and goals of the student projects. We believe it will serve as inspiration for other potential participants of future conferences and will also be of interest to the broader public, offering additional insight into the faculty's activities.

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Gregor Bánó

Photonics is an application-oriented discipline at the interface of optics, opto-electronics and quantum optics. It includes classical optics extended by the description of physical phenomena and optical devices that rely on quantum (photon) nature of light.
The main objective of the Photonics course is to provide a comprehensive overview of essential optical and photonic phenomena routinely applied in experimental scientific research while working with various light sources (e.g. in the field of biophotonics). The first chapters are devoted to the description of light at different levels. The logical order of subsections in this part corresponds to the structure of the textbook: B. E. A. Saleh, M. C. Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics. The following chapters contain a description of laser operation and an overview of selected optical instruments and their applications.
The body text is complemented by practical notes on the use of theoretical knowledge during daily work in the laboratory. The course of Photonics requires a basic knowledge of mathematics, electromagnetism and optics, and thus it is recommended to students who previously passed through the courses of the Bachelor's program in Physics.

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Marek Bombara

The collection of exercises summarises and supplements the exercises realised at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik in Košice within the lecture course Elementary Particle Physics. The collection is intended for the master students of the Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics subject, but it could be beneficial also for other physics subjects or even for interdisciplinary study. 

The division of chapters roughly copies the order of lectures. At the beginning, students will briefly familiarize themselves with the basics of special relativity and its practical use in particle physics.

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Rudolf Gális

The presented work provides basic knowledge of astronomy and astrophysics in a completely new multimedia format. The scope of the knowledge presented is mainly focused on stellar astrophysics and supplemented by cosmology beyond the title of the work.

A new approach in this work is the large proportion of visual materials, graphs, and video clips, contrasted with the brevity of the accompanying text. Such a form of presenting knowledge in this field is unprecedented in Slovakia, and therefore this work can be considered a completely innovative piece. It should be emphasized that the engaging form of the presented knowledge does not come at the expense of its content. The work contains all the necessary information that a physics student, especially one with a pedagogical focus, should master. The work can also be an invaluable aid to teachers in secondary and even primary schools, as well as professional astronomers in popularizing astronomical knowledge.

This suggests that the work covers a relatively wide range of needs at various institutions dealing with astronomy, from universities, through faculties of education and grammar schools, to observatories, planetariums, and astronomy clubs.

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Rastislav Varga

The movement of domain walls in ferromagnetic materials is utilized in various magnetic devices for storing, processing, or transmitting signals and information. This mainly includes transformer cores, various sensors, memory devices (e.g., HDDs in PCs), as well as modern spintronic devices such as Racetrack memories, domain wall motion-based electronics, and so on.

This book is intended to serve as a textbook for advanced courses in the field of magnetic materials. It is primarily aimed at students interested in studying magnetic materials, as well as professionals from various fields who wish to understand the basics of domain structure and its changes. It is divided into nine chapters. The first chapter deals with a brief history of the study of domain structure in magnetic materials. The second chapter provides an introduction to the causes and manifestations of magnetic anisotropies. The third and fourth chapters are devoted to the causes of domain structure formation and domain walls. The fifth chapter discusses the structure of domain walls, their potential, and the critical field required for domain wall movement. The sixth chapter is dedicated to magnetization processes, one of which - domain wall movement - is discussed in detail in chapter 7. The eighth chapter contains a theoretical solution for domain wall movement. The final ninth chapter presents a modern method of domain wall movement induced by electric current.

The presented work assumes that the reader has at least basic knowledge in the field of magnetism. Otherwise, the author refers the reader to basic literature (e.g., [2.1 - 2.6]).

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Vladimír Zeleňák (ed.)

The proceedings contain contributions from participants of the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science at UPJŠ in Košice, which took place on April 24, 2014.

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Vladimír Zeleňák (ed.)

The publication contains abstracts of contributions presented at the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at UPJŠ in Košice, held on April 25, 2013. The event was marked by the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at UPJŠ and was part of a series of events called ScienceFest.

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Michal Jaščur

This is a supporting text for the undergraduate students interested in quan- tum theory of magnetism. The text represents an introduction to various theoretical approaches used in this eld. It is an open material, in the sense that it will be supported by appropriate problems to be solved by student at seminars and also as a homework.

The text consists of four chapters that form closed themes of the in- troductory quantum theory of magnetism. In the rst part we explain the quantum origin of the magnetism illustrating the appearance of the ex- change interaction for the case of hydrogen molecule. The second chapter is devoted to the application of the Bogolyubov inequality to the Heisenberg model and it represents the part which is usually missing in the textbooks of magnetism. The third chapter deals with the standard spin wave-theory including the Bloch and Holstein-Primakoff a approach. Finally, we discuss the application of the Jordan-Wigner transformation to one-dimensional spin-1/2 XY model.

The primary ambition of this supportive text is to explain diverse math- ematical methods and their applications in the quantum theory of mag- netism. The text is written in the form which should be sufficient to de- velop the skills of the students up to the very high level. In fact, it is expected that students following this course will able to make their own original applications of the methods presented in this book.

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Michal Jaščur - Michal Hnatič

This textbook covers the fundamentals of phenomenological thermodynamics to the extent typically taught in standard theoretical physics courses at the undergraduate level in the Physics degree program. A slightly reduced scope is also taught in all interdisciplinary study programs combined with physics. In recent years, the time allocation for individual courses has been slightly reduced, which is reflected in our selection and coverage of topics.

Our primary aim was to provide a sufficiently solid explanation of the key concepts and laws of thermodynamics necessary for mastering further theoretical physics courses at the master's level (e.g., Statistical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Theory of Solids, Quantum Theory of Magnetism, etc.). The book also presents the essential minimum knowledge required for the study of further applications of thermodynamics in biophysics, biology, chemistry, and engineering disciplines.

Understanding individual sections, as well as the text as a whole, requires a grasp of the basic concepts of thermodynamics at the level of a General Physics course and knowledge equivalent to a standard university mathematics course. Each topic is treated with the utmost emphasis on conceptual clarity and mathematical rigor.

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Michal Jaščur

This monograph is devoted to the discussion of effective field theory based on the differential operator method, originally introduced by Honmura and Kaneyoshi in 1979, which remains actively used for theoretical studies of localized spin models of magnetism—particularly variants of the Ising model. To date, this methodology has been applied by numerous authors to investigate a wide range of systems, including crystalline systems, diluted magnetic systems, systems with random exchange interactions, amorphous magnetic materials, systems under random magnetic and crystalline fields, thin magnetic layers, magnetic systems with free surfaces, binary and ternary magnetic alloys, among others.

During my scientific career, I have collaborated with several leading experts in this field—including Prof. Kaneyoshi, with whom I completed two long-term research stays—to advance the development of the differential operator method (and consequently effective field theory). Within this research area, I have published over 40 scientific papers in prominent international physics journals. These works include both methodological advancements and significant applications that predict intriguing physical phenomena, such as multicompensation phenomena in ferrimagnets.

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Jozef Strečka

The present textbook deals with exactly solved models and their diverse applications in several branches of physics such as mathematical physics, statistical physics, condensed matter physics and so on. Exactly soluble models are currently considered as an inspiring research field in its own right, which regrettably requires a considerable knowledge of sophisticated mathematics. Accordingly, my primary ambition was to provide an intro- ductory course for undergraduate students that would cover the simplest exactly solved models, whose rigorous solutions are available even after modest calculation. The present textbook should be therefore regarded as an auxiliary graduate-level textbook, which should serve as the student’s guide on this beautiful but surely intricate subject.

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Martin Orendáč

The textbook is designed to prepare students who will engage in the experimental study of the properties of condensed matter. It demonstrates that a contemporary experimental physicist must not only possess sufficiently detailed knowledge of the physical processes occurring within the object under study but also understand the methods for creating the experimental conditions in which the experiment is conducted. Active knowledge of the functioning of the entire experimental setup can be of fundamental importance in the implementation or potential modification of the measurement methodology used.

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Janka Vrláková - Stanislav Vokál

Atomic and nuclear physics are relatively young scientific disciplines forming the final part of the general physics course at the Faculty of Physics of the Jagiellonian University. Their aim is to explain the nature of the basic physical properties of atoms, atomic nucleus and elementary particles.

This is also the content of the lectures and exercises ‘General Physics IV’ in the 2nd year of the Bachelor's degree in Physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences (PF) of the P.J. Šafárik University (UPJŠ) in Košice. They are followed by optional lectures ‘Nuclear Radiation in the Environment’, ‘Introduction to the Physics of the Microworld’ in the 3rd year of the Bachelor's degree of single-discipline study of physics, or teacher study of physics in combination with another subject, and ‘Subnuclear Physics’ in the 1st year of the Master's degree of teacher study of physics in combination with another subject.

In the aforementioned lectures, the latest experimental findings on the structure and behaviour of the microworld are presented by means of physical theories and their subsequent experimental verification in experiments.

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Katarína Cechlárová - Eva Pitoňáková (eds.)

Proceedings of Abstracts from Contributions by Participants of the Student Scientific Conference at the Faculty of Science, UPJŠ in Košice, Held on April 26, 2017

This is the fifth edition of the proceedings from the Student Scientific Conference (ŠVK) at the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. We are pleased that ŠVK has become an integral part of faculty life and a showcase for the quality of education provided. In 2017, ŠVK took place as part of the traditional Science Days on April 26, 2017. 105 students from the Faculty of Science presented their work. Contributions were organized into 15 sections, supplemented by an open programming competition involving 17 students and the final round of the IHRA competition, which included 27 teams from across Slovakia.

The abstracts in this proceedings demonstrate that students at the Faculty of Science, UPJŠ, acquire knowledge and skills in their field not only through theoretical study of disciplines but also through active engagement in solving partial scientific problems aligned with research goals at the faculty’s institutes. These abstracts also provide an overview of the faculty’s scientific activity, which we believe will be of interest to the broader public.

doc. RNDr. Gabriel Semanišin, PhD.

Dean of the Faculty

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Katarína Cechlárová (ed.)

In 2018, the Student Scientific Conference was held on April 18, 2018, in 16 sections covering biology and ecology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics, computer science, and their subject didactics. There were 110 registered contributions from bachelor's and master's students. Additionally, eight high school students participated outside of the competition; these students already visit our alma mater at a young age, work in our laboratories, and prepare for further studies under the guidance of our enthusiastic teachers. The day also included a programming competition and the IHRA competition in three categories, where students from PF UPJŠ competed alongside pupils from elementary and secondary schools.

The abstracts of the Student Scientific Conference contributions convincingly demonstrate that PF UPJŠ students study their field not only theoretically but also actively engage in solving partial scientific problems that are part of the research goals at PF UPJŠ institutes. This collection provides an overview of scientific activity at the faculty, which we believe will be interesting for the broader public as well.

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Jozef Strečka - Hana Čenčariková - Andrej Gendiar (eds.)

The proceeding involves programme and abstracts of Workshop on Quantum Magnetism: Theoretical Challenges and Future Perspectives, which was held on June 7th – June 8th, 2019, in Košice, Slovakia.

The workshop is organized by Faculty of Science of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and Institute of Experimental Physics of Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice under the financial support of Slovak Research and Development Agency.

The main conference topics are devoted to state-of-the-art problems of Quantum Theory of Magnetism inncluding molecular magnetism, highly frustrated magnetism, magnetic phase transitions, quantum spin liquids, strongly correlated systems, exotic quantum states, flat-band systems and quantum entanglement.

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Katarína Cechlárová (ed.)

This year, the Student Scientific Conference was held on April 24, 2019, across 17 sections in disciplines such as biology and ecology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics, informatics, and their didactics. Bachelor’s and master’s students presented a total of 124 contributions. The most successful participants advanced to national or traditional Czech-Slovak student scientific showcases in fields like physics, chemistry, mathematics, informatics, and mathematics didactics.

In addition to faculty students, 10 high school students participated outside the competition. They were invited based on their achievements in subject-specific Olympiads or because they were already engaged with the faculty under the guidance of dedicated teachers in laboratory work as part of their preparation for future studies. The day also featured a programming competition with 23 participants, an IHRA contest involving 16 teams of high school students and 15 teams from elementary schools, and a new Puzzle section where 72 high school students from the region competed.

The abstracts from the Student Scientific Conference demonstrate that our faculty's students not only absorb theoretical knowledge delivered in lectures but also actively engage in solving partial scientific problems that align with research objectives at the institutes of PF UPJŠ. This collection serves as both a record of scientific activity at the faculty and a dignified presentation for the broader public.

Prof. RNDr. Katarína Cechlárová, DrSc.

Vice-Dean for Education

Doc. RNDr. Gabriel Semanišin, PhD.

Dean of the Faculty

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Adriana Zeleňáková - Zuzana Ješková - Adela Kravčáková  et al. (eds.)

The proceedings contain abstracts of contributions from participants of the 10th Czech-Slovak Student Scientific Conference in Physics, which took place on May 2–3, 2019, at the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

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Adela Kravčáková - Stanislav Vokál - Janka Vrláková 

The presented “General Physics IV, Part 1: Atomic Physics” is intended as a basic study material for lectures from General Physics IV in the second year of bachelor-level study of physics and interdisciplinary study in combination with physics at the Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice. The content covers the first part of the given course of physics, devoted to atomic physics.

The aim of the course is to obtain basic information about the structure of the atom and the electron shell of the atom.

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Karel Saksl

The aim of these study texts is to provide students in the second and third levels of higher education with specific guidance on processing 2D diffraction data, performing phase analysis from X-ray diffraction data, and refining microstructural parameters of identified phases using the Rietveld refinement method.

This guide is designed in the form of real-world tasks from materials research and leads the reader step by step through the processes of processing, evaluating, and interpreting the measured data. For this purpose, freely accessible programs such as Fit2D, QualX, POV-Ray, and GSAS II will be used, as well as a freely downloadable commercial program (Diamond) that allows for task execution in demonstration mode. Phase analysis will be conducted exclusively using the freely distributable crystallographic database Crystallography Open Database (COD).

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Peter Fedoročko (ed.)

Proceedings of the 7th Annual Doctoral Spring School 2020

From November 10 to November 11, 2020, the 7th annual Spring School for Doctoral Students at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice will take place in Košice in a modified mode in the on-line space. The scientific program of the spring school will comprise 2 plenary lectures by leading scientific experts of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. Doctoral students will present their research papers in two sections: 24 doctoral students of Faculty of Public Administration, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Arts, and 22 doctoral students of Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science.

The scientific programme of the spring school will also include a panel discussion with the management of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

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Andrea Morovská Turoňová - Renáta Oriňaková - František Kaľavský 

The university textbooks "Practical Exercises in Physical Chemistry" are intended as teaching literature for students of the 2nd year of the Chemistry study program and the 3rd year of the interdisciplinary study program at the Faculty of Science of the Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

The three chapters summarize the basic knowledge of thermodynamics, electrochemistry and kinetics, the next chapter deals with the measurement of some other physico-chemical quantities. The tasks developed on the basis of cooperation with the Criminalistics and Expertise Institute of the Police in Košice, which also participates in the innovation of practical teaching, are also very attractive and interesting for students. Thematic units are updated and supplemented by new knowledge, principles as well as detailed working procedures using new instrumentation.

The aim of laboratory exercises in physical chemistry is to illustrate and confirm the physicochemical laws and correlations that apply to the quantitative description of chemical phenomena. Students will learn to use instruments and equipment that occur in physico-chemical laboratories, they will learn the principles of accurate and correct quantitative measurement of physical quantities, important from a chemical point of view. They can also develop professional and scientific communication skills, and we want to support their creative approach to making measurement protocols.

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Jana Shepa (ed.)

The book of abstracts from the second year of the international conference Spring electrochemical meeting is composed of contributions from the participants of this student conference.

The conference consisted of one invited lecture and ten competing student lectures. The message of this meeting is to create a dialogue between students of electrochemistry and the mutual exchange of knowledge. All contributions are professionally processed and inspiring.

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Vladimír Komanický

The aim of this textbook is to acquaint students in physics, chemistry and material science on both undergraduate and graduate level, with the techniques used to prepare micro-electromechanical devices, nanoobjects and nanostructures using the so called top down methodologies. The is no requirement for this course to pass any prior courses. The introduction part of the text defines the forces that affect nanoobjects and the interactions between them. Reader can understand in detail why properties of nanomaterials and nanostructures are so different when comprared to their macroscopic counterparts. Text gives also an overview of thin film preparation technologies as precursors for the preparation of nanostructures. The main emphasis in Volume I is on conventional lithographic technologies for the preparation and shaping of nanostructures, methods for characterization of thin films, nanoparticles and nanomaterials. Unconventional lithographic methods will also be discussed in the prepared upcoming Volume II. Student will also get acquainted with the applications of nanostructures in research focused on nanophysics, nanocatalysis and nanoelectronics. The textbook is used as a study material for the course ÚFV / MPN / 14 - Methods of preparation and characterization of nanostructures. Part of the course is also a laboratory exercise in which the student gets acquainted with the techiques used for the preparation and characterization of thin films and top-down technologies used for the preparation of nanostructures.

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Karel Saksl

Solving crystal structures is the royal discipline of X-ray crystallography. Its primary task, with the exception of defects, is to describe the atomic structure of the motif that, by its repetition, fills the volume of the entire crystal or crystalline phase. This task is nowadays more or less routine for single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which can locate hundreds to thousands of non-hydrogen atoms in large unit cells. However, in real practice, we often have material available only in powder form instead of single crystals. Solving the atomic structure from its X-ray diffraction data is non-trivial, mainly because the three-dimensional diffraction space of a single crystal is reduced to one dimension by measuring a large number of randomly oriented microcrystals (crystallites). Therefore, the solution itself requires, in addition to proper measurement methodology, the selection of suitable tools, procedures, and strategies that, through optimization, will lead to the solution and refinement of the given crystalline phase. The current limit of this method is approximately 100 non-hydrogen atoms in the asymmetric part of the unit cell, which, however, is sufficient for most inorganic materials.

The goal of these educational texts is to provide students in the second and third levels of university studies with specific guidance on solving crystal structures from powder X-ray diffraction data. These scripts build upon my first monograph and require practical knowledge of its content. Similar to my previous monograph, I offer solved examples without a deep theoretical introduction, demonstrating procedures and strategies leading to the correct solution of crystalline phases using the freely available GSAS-II program. The examples are arranged from simpler to more complex, and the reader will find many useful pieces of information in the literature references as well as in the comments below the line. Part of these scripts are data intended for your individual practice of the described procedures. 

Karel Sakls

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