The Spanish Royal Physics Society is a non-profit institution for the branch of Physical Sciences resulting from the division in 1980 of the Spanish Royal Society of Physics and Chemistry , founded in 1903, into the Royal Societies of Physics ] and Chemistry of today. The RSEF has been officially recognised as an Association of Public Interest. It aims to promote and develop the basic knowledge of physics and its applications, and to encourage scientific research and teaching of physics in all reaches of education. The RSEF operates on a national scale and maintains international relations with other Societies with similar aims, including Iberoamerican Societies. More details and the Statutes of the RSEF can be found on its website, http://rsef.es/ The RSEF is structured into Specialised Groups and Divisions, such as the Condensed Matter Division and Local Sections. It also includes a Foreign Section for members of the RSEF who pursue their activity outside Spain. The main aims of the RSEF are:
To transmit, to society and institutions alike, the importance of physics in enhancing citizens’ knowledge, the country's economy and its social progress.
To promote research, teaching and outreach in physics.
To be a national reference in everything relating to physics sciences and technologies.
To be the institutional advisory body for all matters concerning physics to the corresponding authorities.
To take part in setting up nation-wide scientific committees, and to join Spanish representations at international scientific institutions and commissions.
To assess and work closely with the business sector on issues relating to physics.
To contribute to scientific and technological education in society at large through the promotion of activities designed to strengthen the dissemination and outreach of physics, including the National and International Physics Olympiads.
To enable interactions among individuals, institutions and organisations with an interest in physics and, most especially, among members of the RSEF.
RSEF membership may consist of:
Members: individuals, without restriction in number or nationality.
Corporate Members: these may be Institutional Members or Business Companies collaborating with the RSEF or supporting its aims.
The RSEF is a member Society of the European Physical Society, the , and the Confederation of Scientific Societies of Spain maintaining cooperation agreements with other national and international societies such as the or the of Portugal.
Early History {{cite journal
The emblem of the RSEF
After its 2003 Centenary celebrations, the RSEF set about designing the Society's emblem, an initiative that had been delayed from the time when the RSEFQ was divided in 1980 into two independent sister societies, the RSEF and the RSEQ. To this aim, a historical study was conducted, beginning with the Public Instruction Act of 1857 promulgated by the Minister of Development, Claudio Moyano, the Act that set forth a re-organisation of Spanish Universities. The academic colours for the six classical faculties at that time were established in the Regulations for the Universities of the Kingdom approved on 22 May 1859, under Queen Isabel II, when the Moyano Act was developed. The turquoise blue, a darker hue than sky blue, is the predominant colour on the RSEF website. Similarly, a survey was conducted of the emblems preserved in the buildings hosting the Faculties of Sciences throughout their existence, as well as other insignias such as that of the former Asociación Nacional de Físicos de España, ANFE, founded in 1949 and the forerunner of the present-day Colegio Oficial de Físicos established in 1977. Incorporating symbols associated with physics, the final RSEF emblem was presented: It appeared for the first time on the Minutes of the Junta de Gobierno of 21-II-2005 and, since then, on all Minutes, RSEF documents, RSEF activities, Specialised Groups and Local Sections, etc. The RSEF emblem comprises the following:
A pendulum at two extreme positions symbolising the measure of time.
A graded scale allusive to the measure of space.
And, going beyond classical physics to incorporate some ‘modern’ aspects, the emblem includes a representation of alpha, beta and gamma radiations in a magnetic field, depicting the deviation of the first two.
This arrangement is surrounded by a border of laurel and palms ; both appear frequently in heraldry. The laurel symbolises everlasting triumph and the coronation of who should reach it; the palm is the symbol of victory and renown. The RSEF emblem likewise includes the royal crown, a legacy of the RSEFQ.
RSEF Presidents
RSEFQ presidents during the period 1903 – 1980 may be consulted in the article . The RSEF has had the following Presidents:
1980–84: :es:Carlos Sánchez del Río|Carlos Sánchez del Río y Sierra
Since the 1970s, a diversity of Local Sections and Specialised Groups emerged within the Royal Spanish Society of Physics and Chemistry, later distributed into the RSEF or the RSEQ. In the year 2017 the RSEF Divisions were set up. For details, see https://rsef.es/
Anales de Física / Serie A, Fenómenos e interacciones,
Anales de Física / Serie B, Applicaciones, Métodos e Instrumentos,.
Between 1992 and 1998 these two physics series were reunited, and the journal recovered its name Anales de Física. Over this period the submission of papers for publication began to dwindle. Finally, the RSEF journal was discontinued after the second issue in 1998, when Anales de Física was merged with several other European journals to found The European Physical Journal. The RSEF published in the year 2000 a closing issue of Anales. Today, the Spanish Royal Physics Society publishes the , which contains articles of general interest; it also provides information on the life of the Society. The RSEF also publishes a monthly Boletín Informativo, which is distributed by email to the Society's membership.
RSEF Physics Awards
The RSEF had established a number of awards:
The RSEF Medal
Award in the area Physics, Innovation and Technology
Two Awards for Junior Researchers, in Theoretical and Experimental Physics
Since 2006, these awards are granted in collaboration with the , with a significant increase in their economic endowment. The present RSEF-Fundación BBVA awards cover the following categories:
