The Steering Committee welcomes you warmly to this, the second conference, in a series that is organised on a worldwide basis. By bringing together historians of science, physicists, science museum staff, lecturers and teachers, as well as others interested in any aspect of the history of physics, it aims to raise the profile of the subject to its rightful place in physics education and research.
It is our firm belief that a study of the history of the subject can inspire and motivate today’s and future generations of physicists by informing them about the lives and work of great and influential scientists from previous generations and can also facilitate a better understanding of topics that present conceptual problems today just as they did to their discoverers like Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11).
Main topic:“Invention, application and exploitation in the history of physics”
The conference topic reflects the importance of history of physics, with the underlying thought that an extensive selection of themes on all aspects of physics history can provide a backdrop to wider discussions and exchange of related ideas. Submissions are invited and indeed a wide variety of concise reports will be presented orally and in the poster session.
In June 2011, Peter M. Schuster, Chair EPS History Group, Denis Weaire, former Chair IOP History Group, and James Bennett of the Science Museum, Oxford, met in Lausanne and raised the possibility of launching a new series of conferences on the history of physics. The idea was inspired by the success in 2010 of the first European Symposium on the History of Physics organised by Peter M. Schuster and held in Pöllau, Austria.
The inaugural conference, held at Trinity College Cambridge on September 4–5, 2014, featured eight invited speakers, fifteen contributed talks and thirty poster presentations.
Dr Peter M. Schuster, Chair of the Steering Committee
It is our firm belief that a study of the history of the subject can inspire and motivate today’s andfuture generations of physicists by informing them about the lives and work of great and influentialscientists from previous generations and can also facilitate a better understanding of topics thatpresent conceptual problems today just as they did to their discoverers.
MAIN TOPIC: “Invention, application and exploitation in the history of physics” The conference topic reflects the importance of history of physics, with the underlying thought thatan extensive selection of themes on all aspects of physics history can provide a backdrop to widerdiscussions and exchange of related ideas. Submissions are invited and indeed a wide variety ofconcise reports will be presented orally and in the poster session.
Thursday 28 April 2016, 23:59 (midnight Central European Time)
Abstract submission deadline
Tuesday 07 June 2016
Notifications sent to Authors
Friday 1 July 2016
Housing Deadline
Saturday 16 July 2016
Pre-registration Deadline
Date to define for Closing of the Online registration
Monday 5 September to Wednesday 7 September 2016
2nd International Conference on the History of Physics
The official language of the conference is English.
The 2nd International Conference on the History of Physics will take place in the Pöllau Castle, Austria. The nearest airport is Graz, located at 45 km south west from Pöllau. Other airports nearby include Maribor (91 km) or Vienna (105 km).
There will be a bus transfer service for the 2nd HoP Conference for arrivals at and departures from both Airports in Vienna and Graz:
Charges for Vienna - Pöllau – Vienna round trip:
Euro 30,00 normal price per person; Euro 15,00 reduced price per student.
Charges for Graz - Pöllau – Graz:
Euro 20,00 normal price per person; Euro 10,00 reduced price per student.
The Conference Shuttle-Bus from and back to the accommodations that are located outside Pöllau will be free of charge for the conference participants.
Conference Registration Hours:
coming later
Conference Hours:
coming later
Coffee Breaks:
coming later
Lunch Breaks:
coming later
coming later
Conference Dinner:
Austria is part of the Schengen treaty. Moreover visas are not required for all EU citizens and visa waiver agreements are in place with many other countries (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, etc.). Current list of the visa requirements can be found on the webpage of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign visitors entering Austria from outside EU must be in possession of a valid ID or passport. Visitors from countries requiring visas should apply to the Austrian consular offices or diplomatic missions in their home countries.
Contributors requiring a letter of invitation to include with their visa application should fill out the invitation letter template and return it to the European Physical Society (conferences@eps.org) for the final signature. The inviation will be returned via email or upon request only via surface mail. The shipment of invitation letters via express air mail will be done at extra cost for the applicant.
The filled out invitation letter must be taken, along with the conference on line registration confirmation and all travel documents to the Austrian Mission (Embassy or Consulate) to apply for a visa. Be aware that for some countries, even a month is needed to get the visa.
The Euro is the official currency in Austria.
Major credit cards (VISA, Mastercard/Eurocard, American Express, Diners) are generally accepted in airports, train stations, hotels, shops, restaurants, and transportation including taxis.
Electricity in Austria is the standard European system 230 V/50 Hz. Round and flat European style plugs are used. Appliances designed to operate on 110/120 Volts need a voltage converter and a plug adapter.
Central European Time zone; Greenwich (GMT) +1 hour;
Daylight Saving Time: GMT +2 hours from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October.
It is compulsory in whole Austria to drive with the lights on.
http://fr.webcams.travel/webcam/1389361089
“Invention, application and exploitation in the history of physics”
The conference topic reflects the importance of history of physics, with the underlying thought that an extensive scoop of themes on all aspects of physics history can provide a backdrop to wider discussions and exchange of related ideas. Submissions are invited and indeed a wide variety of concise reports will be presented orally and in the poster session.
The 2nd International Conference on the History of Physics, Echophysics will feature 9 invited speakers, as follows:
Robert Bud, Science Museum, London, United Kingdom
Edward A. Davis, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Helge Kragh, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
From Helmholtz to Bethe: Aspects of the solar energy problem 1854–1939
Falk Müller, University of Frankfurt, Germany
The Dilemmas of an Industrial Physicist. Carl Ramsauer and Physics Research at the AEG Research Institute
Gabor Pallo, University of Technology & Economics, Budapest, Hungary
Application as policy and politics
Olaf Reimer, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Richard Staley, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Why celebrate accident? Ernst Mach’s 1895 account of invention and discovery
Matteo Valleriani, MPI Berlin, Germany
Medieval Cosmology and the evolution of the early modern scientific knowledge system
Michael Wiescher, University of Notre Dame, USA
Eric Finch, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Nuclear Weapons and Morality
Friedrich Wagner, Max-Planck-Institute of Plasma Physics, Garching/München, Germany
The German “Energiewende”: Euphoria versus Technology
A detailed programme will be posted as soon as the titles of the invited papers have been affirmed and the selection from the submitted papers has been concluded.
Conference meantime: The programme will start on Monday 5th at 10:00 a.m, on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th at 9:30 a.m.
The conference ends on Wednesday at 12:30 noon and merges into the next/parallel meeting on Science and Literature, please refer to: http://coscilit.eap.gr/index.php/registration
On Wednesday is scheduled a theatrical evening. Please download the facts for guest performances
The invited speakers will give 40 minute presentations and those submitting papers will have 20 minutes (This includes time for questions.)
The online submission system is now open. A number of contributed papers covering original, unpublished work on the conference topic will be accepted for presentation.
The deadline for submission of the paper is Thursday 28 April 2016, 23:59 (midnight Central European Time). Absolute no papers will be accepted after this deadline. Authors will be notified whether their papers have been accepted by Tuesday 7 June 2016.
Authors must obtain appropriate approval to have their paper reviewed by and presented to an international audience. Papers can only be accepted if at least one author has registered for participation at the conference.
Prior submitting the contribution, carefully read all the instructions written below.
For a direct access to the online submission system please click here.
Two types of contribution can be chosen:
-> Oral or Poster
-> Poster only
Choosing the first option (Oral or Poster) will mean that your submission is automatically submitted as an oral contribution to the refereeing process. However, the programme committee can decide to affect it as a poster.
Choosing the second option (Poster only) will mean that your submission is only eligible for a poster presentation.
The options “Invited” or “Keynote” are only authorized for the pre-invited presenters. Do not choose these options unless you were explicitly formerly pre-invited to present an invited/keynote talk at the Conference.
Authors are requested to:
Electronically submit their presentation (350 word-abstract to be included - download the template in .docx format here).
Return the copyright form during the online submission: Download the form to fill out here (.docx format).
Directives for the electronic submission:
The submission procedure takes four steps. Your contribution is properly submitted after performing all the steps only. You will get a proper success message online and by email.
The online submission system properly handles numerous special characters. Details are available at the information page on special characters. Optionally you can also create mathematical symbols and formulas via LaTeX (to do so you need to tick the field “Enable LaTeX expressions”). Unfortunately some characters will get a special meaning once LaTeX is activated and the characters need to be replaced by proper code. In case of problems with the on line submission system technical support is available at conferences@eps.org.
The submitter needs to:
Fill out the complete authors’ information: First name / Surname (Familly name) /Affiliation (or organisation) / City of affiliation (or organisation) / Country of affiliation (or organisation).
The submitter needs to include himself/herself in the list of the authors in case she/he is also a co-author.
The submitter is entirely responsible for entering the full and correct list of all the authors.
The presenter needs to be marked with a bullet.
The authors need to be listed as per wished order.
(Do not use CAPITAL WORDS except for acronyms).
Fill out the title of the presentation Do not use CAPITAL WORDS except for common acronyms.
Include the abstract (maximum 350 word-summary).
References should appear at the end of the article in the order in which they are referenced in the body of the paper.
Within the main text, references should be designated by a number in brackets [1], and they should precede a comma or period [2]. Two references cited at once should be included together [2,3], separated by a comma, while three or more consecutive references should be indicated by the bounding numbers and a dash [1–3].
For journal articles, authors are listed first, followed by the article’s full title in quotes, the journal’s title abbreviation, the volume number in bold, page number, and the year in parentheses.
[1] J. Itatani, D. Zeidler, J. Levesque, D. M. Villeneuve, and P. B. Corkum, “Controlling High Harmonic Generation with Molecular Wave Packets,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 123902 (2005).
For citation of a book as a whole: authors, followed by title in italics, and publisher, city, and year in parenthesis.
[2] G. P. Agrawal, Nonlinear Fiber Optics, 3rd. ed., (Academic Press, Boston, 2001).
For citation of a book chapter, authors are listed first, followed by book title in italics, editors, and publisher, city, and year in parenthesis. Chapter number may be added if applicable.
[3] R. Kienberger and F. Krausz in, Few-cycle laser pulse generation and its applications, F.X. Kärtner ed. (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2004).
For citation of proceedings, follow the individual proceedings format:
[4] Author(s), “Title of paper,” in Title of Proceeding, Ed(s) Name(s), Proc. format ……
Miscellaneous
Do not add any page number. Do not use hyphens at the end of a line.
Choose the contribution type: Oral or poster / Poster only
Provide a valid email address.
A submission confirmation will be emailed to this address later on. Additionally it is important that the organizers are able to contact you.
Please take care of the following hints:
• Do not use CAPITAL WORDS for example in author names or the title (except for common acronyms).
Examples:
Do not write TRANSPORT AND OPTICS IN HIGH MAGNETIC FIELDS but Transport and optics in high magnetic fields. Do not write PETER SMITH but Peter Smith
Do not write EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY, Mulhouse, FRANCE but European Physical Society, Mulhouse, France
However write C.N.R.S.
• Be sure to not exchange the first name and the surname. Otherwise you will be listed by your first name in the author index.
• Prefer to use full first names. Middle initials can be added after the first name. Do not state academic titles.
• Submit all the authors’ information and add as many authors as required.
The system will not allow the conference organiser to make any change and the person registering the submission is entirely responsible for entering the full and correct list of all the authors.
• Do not misuse the LaTeX functionality to alter the font. However it’s acceptable to use single italic words or the usual bold notation for volume numbers in citations. Do not create empty vertical space. Do not use “\” to create line breaks.
Alternative 1: Restore an already filled form
It is possible to fill out a contribution form and to create a format test but instead of submitting the contribution right away you can download your data in form of a LaTeX file. Using this file you can then later on restore the filled form.
Alternative 2: Modify an already submitted abstract.
In the exceptional case an already submitted contribution needs to be modified, please fill in the key for modification you received during the contribution submission.
In the final step you will receive a submission confirmation on screen and by email. Be sure to get this confirmation to ensure the proper registration of your contribution in the conference database. The confirmation email which will be sent will contain the format test as pdf for your records and a key for corrections. Corrections are authorized until the above given deadline is reached. After that deadline the review process will begin and no change can any longer be brought.
The submitter is authorized to bring any change (350-word abstract, list of authors) until Thursday 28 April 2016, 23:59 (midnight Central European Time). After that deadline the review process will begin and no change can any longer be brought.
These recommendations are intended to avoid technical problems in the transferral of your paper to the conference digest. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in papers being returned to authors. Please note that the EPS will not manipulate or edit papers.
The selected summaries will be published in the digest. No additional manuscript will be required. Since contributed papers are selected on the basis of the summary, it should convey the original results in a succinct manner rather than describe the research topic.
Any of the following conditions may result in rejection of a paper:
The date and time for presentation will be determined after the programme committee has reviewed the papers.
Authors will be notified whether their papers have been accepted by 7 June 2016. Notifications will be sent to the email address as given during the electronic submission.
Copyright: Download the template here (.docx format)
All accepted presentations (350 word-abstracts) will be published online and printed into the programme booklet.
The European Physical Society shall obtain copyright ownership to do so from the authorized agent(s) for and on behalf of all the authors.
Please be informed that a later publication of the full contributions on the eps-website, what would ask for another “extended”-copyright release form, will be discussed during the conference.
Registration is open to all members of the scientific and technical community. Each participant is requested to register online. The online registration system is now open. Please take care to register and pay by July 16, 2016 in order to benefit from the lowest fee. First read all terms and conditions below and then to register click here.
Registration fees:
Participants | Registration and Payment |
---|---|
before July 16 | Registration and Payment |
after July 16
Students (*) | 70€
110€
EPS/NS Members (**) | 150€ | 200€
Non Members | 180€ | 240€
Conference Dinner | 30€ | 30€
In addition, a shuttle bus service is offered from/to Vienna/Graz airport at the following costs per person:
Round trip |
---|
Vienna airport - Pöllau
Pöllau - Vienna airport
Round trip
Graz airport - Pöllau
Pöllau - Graz airport
Students (*) | 15€
10€
Others
30€ | 20€
Note: The Conference Shuttle-Bus from and back to the accommodations that are located outside Pöllau will be free of charge for the conference participants.
All registration fees are net prices exempt from Value Added Tax.
The European Physical Society is a French registered association for non profit and is not liable to VAT. For this reason the Society does not possess a VAT number.
(*)Applications for the student rates must include a photocopy of an official student identity card to be sent to conferences@eps.org, which must also be presented on-site when collecting registration materials.
(**) EPS Individual Members, Members of National Physical Societies who are members of EPS benefit from reduced fees.
Not yet EPS Member? Then join us on-line and benefit from the lower registration fees.
Applications for the EPS Individual Membership can only be valid for members having paid their 2016 membership fee.
Applications for the National Society Membership fee can only be valid if the applicant can show a proof showing that she/he has paid for her/his 2016 fees at the National Society.
Please send the proof to conferences@eps.org. View list of the National Societies.
The registration fees for the meeting include admission to all technical sessions of the conference. It includes coffee breaks. Lunches and conference dinner are excluded. The technical digest (350 word-abstracts) will be printed and put online…
Conference Dinner: An extra exceptional cost of 30€ wil be charged during the online registration if the delegate wishes to attend the conference dinner.
Welcome Reception: tbc later
Social events: tbc later
Registration and Payment procedures
Only electronic registrations are accepted. In case the payment is not done by the pre-registration deadline, the late bird registration fees apply.
First you need to create an account. Then you can directly access to the registration system using the password displayed on your screen or received via email.
Prior recording your order, please add all the details necessary for your invoice:
In the billing address box, make any addition that would be necessary in this field.
In the VAT box, add your number if necessary.
In the Reference box, add any reference you would need.
The system allows you to view a summary of your booking and make any change as long as you do not press on the record button.
Once the summary of your order is checked, record your order and choose either payment mean no. 1 or no. 2 (see below). By that stage, you can automatically generate and print your invoice (html or pdf formats).
Payment means: 3 possibilities
A copy of the instruction to the bank should be sent to conferences@eps.org. Payment must be received within 48 hours of registration date.
or 2b. Cheque in euros drawn on a French bank only
payable to: European Physical Society
Address: European Physical Society
6 rue des Frères Lumière
F-68200 Mulhouse / France
Please quote the name of the participant and the reference HOP.
Payment must be received within 48 hours of registration date.
Online registrations received without information as to how payment is to be made, will not be accepted.
Cancellation policy:
An administration charge of euro 50 will be made for processing refunds. A request for cancellation must be made in writing. In the case of cancellation, requests received on or before 16 July 2016 will be refunded (less the administration charge). No refunds will be available if notice of cancellation is received after 16 July 2016.
The same rule applies for erroneous payments.
Photography:
Attendance at, or participation in, HOP constitutes consent to the use and distribution by EPS of the attendee’s image for informational, publicity, promotional and/or reporting purposes in print or electronic communications media.Video recording by participants and other attendees during the conference is not allowed.Photographs of copyrighted PowerPoint or other slides are for personal use only and are not to be reproduced or distributed.
Pöllau is a peaceful market town in Eastern Styria, easily reachable from both Graz and Vienna (at 60 km and 120 km of expressway distance, respectively), situated in the 12.500 hectares ‘Nature Park Valley of Pöllau’ with its protected cultural landscape.
In the fifteenth century, a Monastery was founded in Pöllau, which became, after its secularization in 1785, the today Pöllau Castle with its town cathedral standing close by, named the “Styrian St. Peter’s Basilica” for its huge dome that brings the Papal Basilica to mind.
The nearby hill-topping Pöllauberg is throned by a Gothic chapel of pilgrimage that dates back to the thirteenth century and at half-height of the two localities is situated the Hotel Retter, which has been winning the annual award of ‘Best’ out of the top seminar hotels in Austria for the last thirteen years. This is a four-star place to stay for our HoP conference participants, adding to a number of plain and all wonderfully situated hotels in the nature park of Poellau! The region produces the famous Styria Beef, premium wines and a best choice of fruit schnapps, especially from the so called Hirschbirne. What else?
By Plane:
The nearest airports from Pöllau are Graz (at 60 km away) or Vienna (at 120 km away).
Graz Airport and Vienna International Airport are well connected with most major cities in Europe.
Special offer: Discounted travel with Lufthansa Group Airlines

Lufthansa Group Airlines is delighted to be the “Official Carrier” for the History of Physics Conference 2016 that will be held in Pöllau. Lufthansa Group Airlines offer all participants and accompanying persons attending the Congress special prices and conditions. The flights need to be booked online via the link below.
Lufthansa Group Partner Airlines offer a comprehensive global route network linking major cities around the world.
To make a reservation, please click on www.lufthansa.com/event-booking_en and enter the access code FRZZQRH in the “Access to Your Special Lufthansa Offer” area. This will open an online booking platform that will automatically calculate the discount offered or provide you with an even better offer if another promotional fare is available.
NOTE: Pop-ups must be enabled otherwise the booking platform window will not open.
These promotional fares are also available through your IATA / ARC travel agent. Travel agents can obtain ticketing instructions by sending an email to lufthansa.mobility@dlh.de and providing the access code as a reference.
By Train:
Vienna can also be easily reached by train from almost all European cities.
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) offer a well developed railway network and modern trains that carry you to Vienna in safety and comfort. For further information see http://www.oebb.at/en/index.jsp
Travel to and from Vienna/Graz International Airport
Shuttle-Bus to the 2nd International Conference on the HoP
There will be a bus transfer service for the 2nd HoP Conference for arrivals and departures from both airports in Vienna and Graz:
Charges for Vienna - Pöllau – Vienna:
Euro 30,00 normal single return ticket; Euro 15,00 reduced single return ticket for students.
Charges for Graz - Pöllau – Graz:
Euro 20,00 normal single return ticket; Euro 10,00 reduced single return ticket for students.
The Conference Shuttle-Bus from and back to the accommodations that are located outside Pöllau will be free of charge for the conference participants.
Route planners and ticket information: http://www.anachb.at/bin/query.exe/en?L=vs_anachb&
http://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal2/
The conference will take place at the Pöllau Castle.
The full address of the conference building is:
Schloss Pöllau
Schloss 1, 8225 Pöllau near Hartberg in Steiermark, Austria
Historical beauty of Pöllau Castle: Two spectacular halls with vaulted ceiling, which are originally decorated with stucco and with frescoes created by Antonio Maderni in 1698, fitted with up-to-date stage electrics, will be used for our conference purpose.
At Pöllau Castle, there are over 500 square meters of well equipped exposition space plus extra office space housing Echophysics—the European Centre for the History of Physics, with its permanent exhibition on Radiation and Mankind and an European-wide collection of historically valuable scientific instrumentation, including the original Nobel prize certificate of Victor F. Hess and the complete historical collection of the Vienna Institute for Radium Research. Thus the conference participants can easily take the opportunity for a repeated visit at free entrance fee to the rich Echophysics exhibition and to the Victor-Francis-Hess heritage centre.
Echophysics has reserved a number of rooms for the 2nd HoP Conference in three hotels in and outside Poellau which you can book adding the reference “2nd HoP Conference“ with your booking data.
You might prefer to get your booking done via Echophysics, please contact Mrs Serena Oldeboom: serena@echophysics.org
Hotel Retter | 50 rooms; Hotel Waldhof-Muhr | 20 rooms; Pension Cäcilia | 10 rooms.
List of accomodations in Poellau:
****Retter Seminar Hotel Restaurant (Hotel Retter)
Oberneuberg 88, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-3335-2690; Fax +43-3335-2690-99
Single room, breakfast included, from 99,00 € per person, per night;
Double room, breakfast included, from 85,00 € per person, per night.
****Berggasthof König
Poellauberg 5, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-3335-2311; Fax:+43- 3335-2311-5
Mail: office@berggasthof-koenig.at
Double room, breakfast included, from 50,00 € per person, per night.
***Hotel-Restaurant Waldhof Muhr
Zeil 46, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-3335-3600; Fax: +43-3335-3600-7
Mail: urlaub@waldhof-muhr.at
Double room, breakfast included, from 44,00 € per person, per night.
***Pension Cäcilia
Ortenhofenstrasse 69, 8225 PöllauTel.: +43-3335-2748
Mail: wilfinger@htb.at
Double room, breakfast included, from 56,00 € per person, per night.
**Hotel Restaurant Gruene Au
Winzendorf 45, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-3332-63277
Mail: info@gruene-au.at
Double room, breakfast included, from 42,00 € per person, per night.
Jugend & Familiengaestehaus Poellau
Marktstrasse 603, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-5-7083-240; Fax: +43-5-7083-241
Mail: poellau@jufa.eu
Double room, breakfast included, from 40,00 € per person, per night.
***Hotel-Restaurant Gruber
Obersaifen 74, 8225 Pöllau
Tel.: +43-3335-2464; Fax: +43-3335-2464-77
Mail: hotel-gruber@aon.at
Double room, breakfast included, from 34,00 € per person, per night.
Delegates from countries requiring visas should apply to the Austrian consular offices or diplomatic missions in their home countries. Contributors requiring a letter of invitation to include with their visa application should fill out the invitation letter template and return it to the European Physical Society for the final signature. The inviation will be returned via email or upon request only via surface mail. Express delivery will be at cost.
Space for publishers will be available. More information on rates and technical equipment will come soon.
At Pöllau Castle, there are over 500 square meters of well equipped exposition space plus extra office space housing Echophysics—the European Centre for the History of Physics, with its permanent exhibition on Radiation and Mankind and an European-wide collection of historically valuable scientific instrumentation, including the original Nobel Prize certificate of Victor F. Hess and the complete historical collection of the Vienna Institute for Radium Research.
Thus the conference participants can easily take the opportunity for a repeated visit at free entrance fee to the rich Echophysics exhibition and to the Victor-Francis-Hess heritage centre.
The conference is organised by the European Physical Society and its History of Physics Division
Contact:
European Physical Society
6 rue des Frères Lumière
68200 Mulhouse
France
Tel.: 0033(0)389 32 9448
Fax: 0033(0)389 32 9449
Email: conferences@eps.org
Immediately after the 2nd International Conference on the History of Physics, Echophysics, Pöllau, Austria, the next International Conference of the Commission on Science and Literature (CoSciLit) will take place from 7th to 9th September 2016 at Pöllau, Austria