Research
Somewhere, in a galaxy far-far away, there is a neutron star surrounded by a pulsar nebula. Thanks to physicists from ITMO, we can now describe the behavior of twisted electrons and photons in such celestial objects down to a T. Having examined the case of a head-on collision of these two types of particles, the researchers discovered that it all comes down to their spins – for instance, photons are more easily absorbed by electrons that do not change the direction of their spins. More discoveries are still to come as the team proceeds to analyze other collision cases.
Read more: ITMO Scientists Step Closer to Explaining How Pulsar Nebulas Form
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How does one become a theoretical physicist if they want to study such distant and complex phenomena? Learn from ITMO Fellow Ivan Terekhov, who’s been passionate about math all his life – with this passion taking him around the world, to universities in the UK, Germany, and Australia. Now at ITMO, he’s won a ten-million ruble grant to improve the capacity of optic-fiber cables by possibly developing a new information theory for nonlinear channels.
Read more: Always Calculate: Physicist Ivan Terekhov on Fundamental Studies and Scientific Anecdotes
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We have identified the fingerprints and can now be certain the culprit was here. Turns out, chemistry can be just like forensics, as ITMO researchers have proven by developing high-precision sensors capable of detecting chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that, in excessive amounts, may affect the quality of products such as plant-based protein. Using silicon substrates with a film of gold nanoparticles, the team led by researcher Evgeny Smirnov was able to reach 99% detection accuracy.
Education
Admissions 2024. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO.NEWS
Apart from research, Evgeny Smirnov of ITMO’s Infochemistry Scientific Center is engaged in education – a feat now recognized by an award from the National Society Znanie. Among other winners, Prof. Smirnov received a 250,000-ruble grant to further improve his course: a series of lectures on topics ranging from optical and electronic microscopy to the chemistry of colors. Congratulations to the professor!
Read more: ITMO’s Evgeny Smirnov Ranked Among Russia’s Best Lecturers by National Society Znanie
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For a chance to attend one of his lectures in person – along with classes from other frontier researchers in physics, chemistry, computer science, AI, biotechnologies, and more – start prepping for your Master’s admissions early! Our latest all-inclusive guide covers all the details, from changes introduced this year to priority admissions opportunities and all the necessary documents. Seize your chance to join ITMO Family!
Read more: How to Apply to ITMO’s Master’s Programs in 2025
Popular science
Lately, DeepSeek, ChatGPT’s Chinese competitor, has been all the rage, wreaking havoc in the stock market. To get all the hype behind it and dot all the i’s, we turned to experts from our Institute of Applied Computer Science. How is DeepSeek different? Is it true that it overpowers ChatGPT? And how is it revolutionary? Learn from the exposé below.
Read more: AI Levels Up: What Makes DeepSeek So Powerful
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AI, trendy as it is, isn’t the only intriguing acronym on our minds these days – another one is AR. What is it and how did the technology come about? Find out all the answers from Arseny Alexeev and Evgeny Alexeev, ITMO Fellows at the Research and Educational Center for Photonics and Optical IT.
Read more: Augmented Reality: Present and Future
