21 August 2026
International experts gathered to explore the future of spectroscopy
Around 75 researchers from 16 countries gathered at Luleå University of Technology for the 27th International Conference on Spectral Line Shapes. The conference has a 50-year tradition and brings together researchers in a field with applications ranging from climate research and energy technology to medical instruments and astrophysics.
Spectroscopy is based on studying how light interacts with matter. By analysing light, researchers can identify which atoms and molecules are present in a sample. Spectral line shapes provide even more information, revealing how atoms and molecules move and interact with each other.
This year’s conference attracted participants from countries including the United States, Brazil, Algeria, Hong Kong and Japan, as well as several European countries.
“Hosting leading international researchers here in Luleå is very valuable to us. It gives us an opportunity to showcase our research and facilities while enabling our researchers to establish new connections. This strengthens both our research and the international visibility of Luleå University of Technology”, says Magnus Gustafsson, Professor of Applied Physics at Luleå University of Technology and chairman of the conference.
The conference featured 17 invited speakers, 6 of whom were women. Pictured are speaker Robert Gamache from the University of Massachusetts and Magnus Gustafsson.
From Exoplanets to Medical Technology
The conference covered a broad range of topics. Presentations addressed supernovae and exoplanets, combustion, plasma and fusion, medical instruments, antimatter and the northern lights. Another important part of the programme focused on the development of experimental and theoretical methods.
The research also has practical applications in areas such as atmospheric and climate research, as well as combustion diagnostics in the energy sector.
“It is a research field with a remarkably broad range of applications. The same fundamental methods can help us understand everything from processes in the atmosphere and energy systems to phenomena far out in space”, says Magnus Gustafsson.
New International Connections
The conference also gave researchers from several research subjects at Luleå University of Technology and RISE in Piteå the opportunity to meet international colleagues. Participants visited several of the university’s research facilities, including the Ski & Snow Lab and laboratories for optics and microtomography.
For Magnus Gustafsson, international exchange is particularly important in a research field with a long tradition that continues to evolve.
“Many of the participants attended the conference for the first time, which is very encouraging. After 50 years, the field continues to develop with new researchers, methods and applications. International meetings like this are important if we are to tackle both technological challenges and some of the fundamental questions in science together”
Contact
Magnus Gustafsson
- Professor, Head of Division
- 0920-491983
- magnus.gustafsson@ltu.se
- Magnus Gustafsson
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