Applied Physics A was founded in 1973 and is one of the leading international, peer-reviewed journals featuring original experimental and theoretical results in applied physics and material science. Applied Physics A appears monthly in issues of varying size and publishes regular articles, rapid short communications, and invited papers.  
 

Applied Physics A emphasizes topics contributing to a better understanding of applied physics aspects of materials science. The journal is concerned with scientific research on fundamental properties of functional materials, advanced characterization techniques used in material science, as well as with material processing and application-related research in devices. Applied Physics A is aiming for novel materials with new properties which have been prepared by innovative, non-conventional techniques.
 

Material classes covered in Applied Physics A range from nanomaterials to semiconductors, from magnetic materials to biomaterials and from advanced metals and alloys to organic and carbon materials. For a complete list of material topics, please refer to our keywords list (which can be found under Submission Guidelines or here).
 

Processes and processing include all type of directed energy interactions with materials, with a focus on laser interactions with materials to structure, analyze or to deposit materials (also with other techniques, such as ions, electrons or plasmas) with all involved processes. 
 

Modelling and computation in applied material science, i.e. from the atomic scale to nano- and microstructure modelling, is also a topic of interest to Applied Physics A when it addresses material science aspects elucidating the relationship between the structure and the properties or the functions of materials.
 

Important other subject areas include nanostructured materials with special and novel properties and nanolithography methods, interface properties of materials, metamaterials and plasmonics, amorphous solids, oxides for electronic, sensor and photonic applications, carbon nanotubes/graphene-based devices, magnetic/ferroic/multiferroic and superconducting materials, conjugated polymers and organic semiconductors with a special emphasis on applications in electronics, optoelectronics and solar cells, semiconductors (e.g. compound semiconductors and topological materials), biomaterials and other materials for energy applications.
 

Research work focusing purely on material synthesis and related standard characterization, or reporting on catalysis, corrosion, radiation shielding, photodegradation, and/or electrochemistry are more suitable for other topical journals. Papers that are devoted to electrical engineering aspects of device and engineering work in the processing are considered to be more suitable for specialized journals where they find a more dedicated audience.

original articles and fast newsletter articles

Editor-in-Chief:
T. Lippert
Paul Scherrer Institute, Thin Films and Interfaces Group, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
(email: thomas.lippert@psi.ch)
Senior Editors:

N. Koch
Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstrasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
(email: norbert.koch@physik.hu-berlin.de)

M. Liu
Director, Laboratory of Nano-fabrication and Novel Device Integration Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.3, Bei-Tu-Cheng West Road, Beijing, 100029, China
(liuming@ime.ac.cn)

V. Zorba
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Laser Technologies Group, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS 70R0108B, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
(email: vzormpa@lbl.gov)

Board of Editors:
U. Aschauer
Universität Bern, Departement für Chemie und Biochemie, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
(email: ulrich.aschauer@dcb.unibe.ch)
Special field:
Modeling of materials
S. Canulescu
Technical University of Denmark, Department of Photonics Engineering, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
(email: stec@fotonik.dtu.dk)
Special fields:
Pulsed laser deposition, spectroscopy and thin-film photovoltaics
S.S. Chung
National Chiao Tung University, Department of Electronics Engineering, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
(email: schung@nctu.edu.tw)
Special fields:
Functional Oxides, Metamaterials: Fundamentals and Characterization, Compound Semiconductors (III/V Compounds of Ga-In-As-P, II-VI Compounds, Si and Group IV Alloys, High k Dielectrics, ZnO, Devices
Z.-C. Dong
University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, 230026 Hefei, P. R. China
(email: zcdong@ustc.edu.cn)
Special fields:
Single-molecule optoelectronics by STM, Single-molecule plasmonics,
Single-molecule Raman scattering, Single-molecule chemical identification of bio-molecules on surfaces
J.M. Fitzgerald
University of Virginia, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Wilsdorf Hall, Room 109D, P.O. Box 400745, Charlottesville, VA, 22904-4745, USA
(email: jmf8h@virginia.edu)
Special Fields:
Laser ablation and deposition, analysis (physical: mechanical properties and microcopy, pulsed laser deposition, LIFT, MAPLE, fundamentals of laser processing, metals and alloys corrosion, additive manufacturing
C. Fotakis 
Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH – Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas, P.O. Box 1527, Vassilika Vouton, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
(email: fotakis@iesl.forth.gr) 
Special fields:
Ultrafast laser interactions with molecular substrates, surface modification applications, lasers in art restoration

L. Gao
Seagate Technology, 47010 Kato Road, Fremont, CA 94538, USA
(email: li.gao@seagate.com)
Special fields:
Magnetism, Spintronics
S. Gorb
Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Zoological Institute: Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24118 Kiel, Germany
(email: sgorb@zoologie.uni-kiel.de)
Special fields:
Evolutionary biomaterials, biomechanics, functionalized surfaces, adhesion
M. Hirscher
Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
(email: hirscher@is.mpg.de) 
Special fields:
Hydrogen storage, hydrogen diffusion, gas adsorption, porous materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), magnetostriction, magnetic thin films, ion beam lithography
A. Kanaev
Laboratoire des Sciences des Matériaux et des Procédés – LSPM, UPR 3407 CNRS, Université Paris 13, 99 av. J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France 
(email: andrei.kanaev@lspm.cnrs.fr) 
Special fields: 
Laser printing and laser technologies, photopolymerization, fs/ps-laser interaction with semiconductors, nanophotonics, nanoengineering, nanomaterials
A. Kietzig 
Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University Street
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 0C5
(email:anne.kietzig@mcgill.ca)
Special fields:
Superhydrophobia/biomimetics
Y.-C. King
Electrical engineering, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) 101 Kuang-Fu Road, Sec.II
Hsinchu, Taiwan
(email: ycking@ee.nthu.edu.tw)
Special fields: 
Nano-devices, Semiconductor Sensor, Non-volatile Memory
A. Kuznetsov
Senior Scientist, Head of Advanced Concepts and Nanotechnology Division, Leader of Nanophotonics Program, Data Storage Institute (DSI), 2 Fusionopolis Way #08-01, Innovis, 138634 Singapore
(email: arseniy_kuznetsov@imre.a-star.edu.sg)
Special fields:
Nanophotonics/electronics/plasmonics, metamaterials and plasmonics, laser ablation/processing of thin films, laser induced forward/backward transfer, nanotechnology, nanofabrication, nano-devices

E. List-Kratochvil
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Physik, Institut für Chemie & IRIS Adlershof, Brook-Taylor-Strasse 6, 12489 Berlin, Germany
(email: list-kratochvil@hu-berlin.de)
Special fields:
Nanolithography, functional oxides, polymers and organic materials, materials for solar cells
A. Palla-Papavlu
National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, Lasers Department, Atomistilor 409, ZIP 077125, Magurele, Romania
(email: alexandrapalla@yahoo.co.uk) 
Special field:
Laser material interactions
B. Pradhan 
Central University of Jharkhand, Centre for Energy Engineering, Ratu-Lohardaga Road, Brambe, Ranchi-835205 Jharkhand, India
(email: basudev.pradhan@cuj.ac.in)
Special fields:
Organic solar cells, organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells, optoelectronics devices, and nanomaterials
K. Rätzke
Technische Fakultät der Universität Kiel, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Kaiserstr. 2, D-24143 Kiel, Germany 
(email: kr@tf.uni-kiel.de)
Special field: 
Amorphous solids
A. Rode
The Australian National University, Laser Physics Centre, Oliphant Building #60,
Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
(email: avr111@physics.anu.edu.au)
Special fields:
Ultrafast laser interaction with matter, Material phase transitions induced by ultrafast laser pulses
J. L.M. Rupp
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Room 8-242
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
(email: jrupp@mit.edu)
Special fields:
Oxides for electronics, especially resistivity switching, materials for energy storage and fuel cells, and amorphous alloys
S-C. Shen
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
(email: shyh.shen@ece.gatech.edu)
Special fields:
III-nitride transistor technologies, III-V compound semiconductors, Photodetectors, WBG high power electronics
T. Speck
Universität Freiburg, Funktionelle Morphologie und Bionk, Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanischer Garten, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
(email: thomas.speck@biologie.uni-freiburg.de)
Special fields:
Evolutionary biomaterials, biomechanics, functionalized surfaces, adhesion
J. Syzdek
Bio-Logic USA LLC, 9050 Executive Park Drive, Ste 110C, Knoxville, TN 37923, USA
(email: jaroslaw.syzdek.apya@gmail.com)
Special fields:
Energy storage and conversion, electrochemistry, in situ diagnostics, scanning probe microscopy
M. Watanabe
Kyushu University, International Inst. for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 JAPAN 
(email: mwata@i2cner.kyushu-u.ac.jp)
Special fields:
Photocatalyst, dye-sensitized, solar cell, organic field-effect transistor, organic materials
R.B. Wehrspohn
Fraunhofer Institut für Werkstoffmechanik Halle, Walter-Hülse-Str. 1, 06120 Halle, Germany
(email: ralf.b.wehrspohn@iwmh.fraunhofer.de)
Special field:
Nanophotonic materials
H. Wu
Tsinghua University, Inst. of Microelectronics, 1 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China, 100084
(email: wuhq@tsinghua.edu.cn)
Special fields:
Nano-fabrication, Semiconductor Processing, Nanoelectronics, Emerging Memory, Neuromorphic Device
W. Wu
University of Southern California, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, 3740 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2560, USA
(email: wu.w@usc.edu)
Special fields:
Nano-fabrication, Nano-electronics, Optical Meta-materials, Nano-Plasmonics