On December 19 2022, prof. Žitko from our department received a Zois distinction. The Zois distinction is a state award for important achievements in scientific research and development. The distinction has been awarded for his theoretical research of nanoscale quantum devices.

His research interests include many areas of solid state physics and nanophysics, such as the physics of quantum impurities, the physics of surfaces and magnetic nanostructures, transport phenomena and superconducting devices. He was the first to introduce the numerical renormalisation group method in Slovenia and developed a unique implementation of this method, which solved many previously unsolvable problems of quantum impurities and quantum dot devices, and was the first to predict the unusual behaviour of these systems at low temperatures. The originality of his work also lies in the integration of theory with experimental predictions and observations. Although his work is fundamental research, his discoveries have also had an important impact on the development of quantum technologies.

Foto: Marjan Verč