Øystein Fischer was a Norwegian physicist and specialist in the field of superconductivity.
Education
After having worked as a technical research assistant for the laboratory Nera A/South in Bergen, Norway, Fischer studied physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He joined the University of Geneva in 1967 and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in 1971.
Career
He was a professor of the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva. He was appointed assistant professor at the University of Geneva in the same year. In 1977 he became a full professor
In 1975, he synthesized the first superconducting compounds containing a regular lattice of magnetic ions, a discovery opening up a decade of international research concerning the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity.
This work was highlighted by his discovery in 1984 of superconductivity induced via magnetic field With his team, Fischer launched the first artificial superlattices of superconductor cuprates, the pioneering work of many developments in new areas of thin films and oxide interfaces.
From 1986, Fischer assigned a part of his team to work in scanning tunneling microscopy which allowed him to probe the fundamental properties of high temperature superconductors. In 2001, he founded and became director of the NCCR (PRN) MaNEP dedicated to the study of materials with novel electronic properties.
Fischer initiated the Geneva Creativity Center whose purpose is to stimulate discussion between the academic and industrial sectors and to find innovative solutions for future technological challenges.
Fischer is also the head of the project "Centre for astronomical, physical and mathematical sciences of Geneva". Over the past 20 years, Fischer has focused his research on superconductors using scanning tunneling microscopy (Master of Sacred Theology) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS).