CA23136

Magnetism and chirality: twisting spins, light, and lattices for faster-than-ever spintronics

Principal investigator

Opening Workshop, 31 March - 4 April 2025, Gozd Martuljek (Slovenia)

First General Action Meeting and Workshop

In recent years, research on symmetry-driven phenomena in magnetism has surged, particularly focusing on the effects introduced by chirality. Chiral magnetic states, known for their flexibility and topological protection, hold great promise as building blocks for future information processing and storage technologies. However, the field of chiral magnetism is still in its infancy, with many fundamental challenges and obstacles to overcome before practical applications can be realized. To tackle the challenges and progress toward the goals, the proposed workshop aims to inform, coordinate, and steer the efforts and existing expertise of European communities engaged in ultrafast magnetism, spintronics, magnonics, photonics, and advanced spectroscopy.

Preliminary Program

Venue

The workshop will be held at Hotel Spik, lying in idyllic surroundings of the alpine village of Gozd Martuljek, located in Upper Sava Valley (Zgornjesavska dolina) close to the winter sport resort Kranjska Gora and tri-border point of Slovenia, Austria, and Italy. Gozd Martuljek offers unparallel views over the Martuljek mountain chain (Julian Alps) spearheaded by the majestic peak of Špik mountain.

Participants will be accommodated in the same hotel (full board) where 3* and 4* rooms are available. Accommodation reservation should be arranged directly with the hotel front desk (hotel.spik@hit.si) by means the form provided by the organizers upon registration.

Alpski resort Špik

Hotel Špik 3* & Hotel Špik 4*

Jezerci 21

SI-4282 Gozd Martuljek – Slovenia

T: +386 4 587 71 00

e: hotel.spik@hit.si

www.hotelspik.com

Travel Information

By bus:

There is an hourly bus service (during day only) connecting the Upper Sava Valley, including Gozd Martuljek, to the nearby town of Jesenice (train station), and further to Kranj (airport connection) and Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia (https://www.ap-ljubljana.si/en/timetable). The bus ride to/from Jesenice takes approximately 22 minutes,  to/from Kranj 1h 12min, while the journey to/from Ljubljana is just under 2 hours. Gozd Martuljek has two bus stations. To reach Hotel Špik, passengers should disembark at the station marked “Gozd Martuljek – Zg. Rute“.

By train:

The closest train station is located at the nearby town of Jesenice.  Jesenice are well connected to Villach (Austria) by train. To reach the venue from Jesenice there is a regular bus service Jesenice – Gozd Martuljek (see above).

Tarvisio (Italy) train station is also close (23 km), but there is no public transport. A local taxi is available. Prior reservation is required for transport during night (10 PM – 8 PM).

By plane:

The closest airport is Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (https://www.lju-airport.si/en/). To reach the venue by means of the public transport (bus only) one has to travel via Kranj (airport-Kranj timetable) (Kranj-venue timetable).

A faster and more convenient option, though more expensive, is a  direct shuttle service to the venue, which takes approximately an hour. The cost of the shuttle varies based on the number of passengers sharing the ride and the date/time of the reservation. Coordinating a group reservation is recommended for cost efficiency. Please note, since the distance to the venue is less than 100 km, shuttle expenses are not eligible for reimbursement by COST.

Alternatively one can travel via Trieste (155 km), Venice (233 km), or Zagreb (230 km) airports. Public transport from these airports to Slovenia is virtually non-existent or extremely time consuming so the shuttle service is advised. Unless a group reservation is done a shuttle transfer to Ljubljana or Kranj bus station is generally significantly cheaper than a direct-to-the-venue transfer so a combination of a shuttle and bus is advised for better cost efficiency.

Out-of-program activities

Please see the hotel web page for the local wellness offers. The venue is a good starting point for sightseeing, hiking and cycling along the Upper Sava Valley. The hotel has a very limited number of bicycles available, but can organize bike rental from an external provider.

Registration

To register, please proceed by filling out the following form