Physics in Estonia―Institute of Physics at Tartu

摘要

I still remember very well the visit of the president of the physical society of Estonia to the EPS Council in Uppsala, in 1990. He was seeking admission of his newly created society to the EPS. Estonia was actually the first of the many new countries which resulted from the dislocation of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia, to make such a move. During my two years of presidency (1991-93), I could speed up things through many contacts and discussions and, already in 1992, at the Council meeting in Athens, the Estonian physical society, together with those of Lithuania and of Albania were welcomed as new member societies. Those of Armenia, Bellarus, Croatia and Slovenia, were soon to follow. I had since the pleasure to visit Estonia in 1995 and in 2001. We can but admire the vigour with which physicists in these new countries decided to organise themselves and to participate in our European endeavour. Nevertheless the fragmentation of large political entities have left some important and thriving physics institutes within small countries which can hardly support by themselves such research centres. Yet they deserve to survive and prosper. This can only occur through their developing strong international ties and collaborations. Their potential and present problems should be better known within Europe and Europhysics News is an efficient vector for that purpose. We are glad to start such a survey with an article on the Physics Institute of Tartu, Estonia, which has been recognised as a centre of excellence by the European Union.