About the University of Tartu (UT)

UT is Estonia’s leading centre of research and training. It preserves the culture of the Estonian people and spearheads the country’s reputation in research and provision of higher education. UT belongs to the top 3% of world’s best universities.
As Estonia’s national university, UT stresses the importance of international co-operation and partnerships with reputable research universities all over the world. The robust research potential of the university is evidenced by the fact that it is the only Baltic university that has been invited to join the Coimbra Group, a prestigious club of renowned research universities.
UT includes nine faculties and four colleges. To support and develop the professional competence of its students and academic staff, the university has entered into bilateral co-operation agreements with 64 partner institutions in 23 countries.
The University of Tartu was founded in 1632 by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. It was initially called Academia Dorpatensis. The necessary preparations for creating a university in Tartu (then Dorpat) were made by Johan Skytte, governor general of Livonia.
Academia Dorpatensis, modelled after the University of Uppsala in Sweden, was intended to pursue research and advance learning in a wide variety of disciplines. The University of Tartu (UT) has continued to adhere to this approach throughout thecenturies, and remains today the only classical universityin Estonia. Research at UT focuses on subjects as diverse as medicine and philosophy, genetics and computer science.

Institute of physics

Tartu, the intellectual centre of Estonia, is situated in the Southern part of the country. There are two universities (University of Tartu and the Estonian Agricultural University ) and a couple of research institutes. The Institute of Physics is situated in a campus at the Southern outskirts of the town, known also as FI borough ( FI is the acronym of the Institute of Physics in Estonian). This campus area, including surrounding areas (totally about 9 hectares) is named the Technological Village in outlook plans of Tartu and the University. The Institute has three major buildings: the main building with physical plants and with the cryogenic station, the building for crystal growth and thin film creation, and the mechanical workshop. In this campus are situated also the Tartu Science Park with its SMEs, and the laser manufacturing company Estla Ltd..

Research in plasma physics

Gas Discharge Laboratory (headed by Associate Professor Matti Laan) deals with the problems of low temperature plasma and its interaction with the solid. The main directions are:

• Electron emission into gas medium and photo ionising radiation (influence of thin dielectric coatings to electron emission from metal electrodes; recording of corona-created photo ionising radiation at atmospheric pressure)
• Spectral methods for determination of electric field strength (using non-self-sustained discharge the ratio of characteristic spectral lines as a function of reduced electric field strength is recorded)
• Spectroscopy of medium pressure high frequency discharges in rare and molecular gas mixtures (influence of low concentration molecular gases on excitation and ionisation processes; production of atomic oxygen for surface treatment)
• Cleaning of flue gas by gas discharge plasma
• Laser ablation (spectral and electrical characteristics of laser ablation in background gas; elaboration of in situ method based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for study of erosion/deposition processes occurring at first walls of fusion reactors)