Laboratories, institutes and other facilities
The Department's research activities are carried out in close synergy with institutions of public research organizations, laboratories and other research centers co-participated by the Department.
Research Institutions
CNR-INO is based in Arcetri (Florence) and deals with pure and applied research in the field of optics in its broadest sense. The Department of Physics and Astronomy hosts research laboratories run by CNR-INO staff, active in the fields of spectroscopy, quantum optics and ultracold atoms.
The Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri is a public center devoted to scientific research. The Observatory is part of the National Institute of Astrophysics. At present about one hundred people work there, including astronomers, technical-administrative staff and students from all over the world. The research activities are developed in collaboration with the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence and they range from studying Sun and the solar system to investigate clusters of stars of galaxy; from the regions of formation of new stars and planetary systems to the final phases of stellar evolution that produce objects such as pulsars and black holes; from the closest galaxies to those at the limits of the observable universe.
The INFN is one of the most prestigious and important Italian Institutes for research, both theoretical and experimental, in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear and astroparticle physics, as well as in research and technological development relevant to the activity in these sectors. The research activities of the INFN are all carried out in an environment of international competition and in close collaboration with the Italian university world, on the basis of consolidated and decades-old relationships.
The OPC is a public, open and accessible multifunctional scientific structure, dedicated to research, teaching and dissemination. Created by the Municipalities of Tavarnelle, Val di Pesa and Barberino Val d'Elsa, it is managed by the University of Florence.
Centers and Laboratories
The CSDC is an interdepartmental center of the University of Florence that represents a reference point and aggregation for interdisciplinary research and development activities. In addition to the Department of Physics and Astronomy, which plays the role of coordinating center, other seven departments of the University of Florence belong to the CSDC. The research activities cover a wide spectrum that includes land management and planning, econometric investigations, pharmacology and gene therapy, computational neuroscience, production of new materials, automation and control issues, implementation of expert systems.
The GGI, founded in 2005 in partnership with INFN and University of Florence, is the first European institute that organizes long-term workshops and PhD schools in the field of physics of fundamental interactions. More than 800 scientists from all over the world are hosted at GGI every year. The spirit of the GGI activity is to stimulate discussions and foster collaborations, thanks to the environment and facilities made available to its guests. Although it is a Center dedicated to theoretical physics, great space is devoted to the exchange of knowledge between different scientific communities.
LABEC aims to the development and application of nuclear analytical techniques for the study and diagnostics of materials of interest both in the environmental field and in that related to cultural heritage. In particular, thanks to the techniques of Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), LABEC deals with the study of the composition of materials, such as atmospheric particulate matter collected on filters, or artists' pigments; thanks to Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), LABEC cope with the measurement of the concentration of rare isotopes, such as radiocarbon, for dating and source apportionment studies. The main infrastructure of the laboratory is represented by a tandem electrostatic accelerator with 3 MV terminal voltage. INFN and UNIFI staff work at LABEC.
The European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS), located at the “Polo Scientifico” in Sesto Fiorentino, is involved in multidisciplinary research at the cutting-edge in the use of laser light in physics, chemistry and biology. Many scientists of the Department of Physics and Astronomy carry out their research activities at the LENS laboratories.
Last update
24.09.2021