Institute of Physical Engineering

The scientific and technological activities of the Institute take place in three departments:

Main activities of the Institute can be included in two domanis: (i) Education and (ii) Science and Technology.

Teaching Profile

The Institute provides fundamental university physics courses obligatory for students of all specializations, and in this way it contributes to the formation of the theoretical foundation of future engineers. Beside that it also provides specialized courses based on the scientific activity of the staff members.

The Institute of Physical Engineering is responsible for the fundamental university physics course designated for all branches of the bachelor and master study programmes at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

The Institute also organizes and provides bachelor and master studies in the specialization

Scientific Profile

The scientific effort of the Institute of Physical Engineering aims both at theoretical and experimental physics. Of course, the results of the work should always be and are applicable, mostly in the interdisciplinary areas. This kind of activity of the physicists meets the demands of the engineering praxis in frame of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The staff members' knowledge of the theory and the equipment of the laboratories are main preconditions for a competent cooperation. They also form the background for physically oriented students and for the students of other specializations who want to consult physical problems arising from their work on grants, diploma works, and theses. The possibilities and extent of the Institute professional activity are indicated by the following selection of areas in frames of which the problems are solved.

Optical tomography. Holographic and confocal microscopy. Classical and holographic interferometry. Optical diffraction and optical image processing. Contactless measurement of the surface quality. Laser ablation and laser spectrosopy.

Etching and modification of solid surfaces and thin films by broad ion beams. Design and application of UHV apparatus for direct deposition of ultrathin films by focused ion beam. In-situ analysis of surfaces and deposited films. Building-up of research techniques or design of apparatuses: Time-of-flight-low-energy-ion-spectroscopy (TOF LEIS), secondary-ion-mass-spectroscopy (SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning tunneling/atomic force microscopy (STM/AFM) in UHV conditions, surface structure determination by low-energy-electron-diffraction (LEED). Preparation and investigation of nanostructures by STM/AFM.

Mechanical properties and structure of materials. Ab initio approaches to determination of elastic and magnetic properties of crystals. Multiaxila fatigue of metallic materials. Quantitative fractography by means of stereogrammetrical methods. Cracks/microcracks behaviour in selected composites with brittle matrix. Analysis of fracture along segregated grain boundaries in bicrystals and polycrystals. Information system for research and development of materials and technologies in Czech Republic.

Measurement and reduction of noise in living environment. Study of the acoustical properties of recycled materials made from the polymer waste. Analytical model for calculations of airborn isolation.

Professional Collaboration

The Institute has extensive cooperation with universities and institutions abroad, which proves the up-to-dateness and significance of the solved problems. This cooperation is documented by a series of common papers arisen from it. An important consequence of this long-standing cooperation is the continual existence of the external projects (programmes ERASMUS, KONTACT, etc.) which enable the students to spend one or more terms of their MSc. studies abroad or to accomplish a part of the PhD. studies at foreign universities. These stays strengthen the self-reliance of students in their approaches to the solution of the assigned problems and in acquiring working experience with modern scientific instruments. All these improves the competetiveness and successfulness of the alumni of specifications