Steven Hoekstra
Contact
Steven Hoekstra
Feringa Building
Nijenborgh 3, 9747 AG, Groningen
I am an experimental physicist specialised in the development and application of precision measurement techniques to explore the limits of particle physics. In my group we perform experiments with small quantum systems (atoms, ions, molecules) and nanoparticles. The main tools we use to study these particles are lasers, and external electric and magnetic fields. The experiments we do are typically in a very well controlled environment, shielded from all unwanted background. By doing this, the subtle effects of quantum physics become visible, and we can use these atoms, ions, molecules and nanoparticles for a range of exciting experiments.
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[August 2025] We have a vacancy for a research technician in our group. Here is the position advertisement, and contact me if you are interest to talk about possibilities!
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Are you interested in joining us for a student research project? To get an idea of possible topics, past projects are listed here. Contact me if you are interest to talk about possibilities!
Projects
Our research program to measure the electron's electric dipole moment using a cold, slow and intense beam of BaF molecules
We optically levitate and cool nanospheres, to explore their use as sensitive sensors.
Recent Publications
M. Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis, M. Au, R. Berger, S. Degenkolb, J. De Vries, S. Hoekstra, A. Keshavarzi, N. Neri, D. Ries, P. Schmidt-Wellenburg, M. Tarbutt
ArXiv, pp. 2505.22281
Single-photon loading of polar molecules into an optical trap
Bart J. Schellenberg, Eifion H. Prinsen, Janko Nauta, Lukáš F. Pašteka, Anastasia Borschevsky, Steven Hoekstra
arXiv:2507.17521, July, 2025
2D transverse laser cooling of a hexapole focused beam of cold BaF molecules
Joost W.F. van Hofslot, Izabella E. Thompson, Anno Touwen, Nithesh Balasubramanian, Roman Bause, Hendrick L. Bethlem, Anastasia Borschevsky, Ties H. Fikkers, Steven Hoekstra, Steven A. Jones, Jelmer E.J. Levenga, Maarten C. Mooij, Heleen Mulder, Bastiaan A. Nijman, Efion H. Prinsen, Bart J. Schellenberg, Lucas van Sloten, Rob G.E. Timmermans, Wim Ubachs, Jordy de Vries, Lorenz Willmann
ArXiv:2506.19069, June, 2025
A method to determine the phase-space distribution of a pulsed molecular beam
Maarten C Mooij, Hendrick L Bethlem, Alexander Boeschoten, Anastasia Borschevsky, Ties H Fikkers, Steven Hoekstra, Joost W F van Hofslot, Klaus Jungmann, Virginia R Marshall, Thomas B Meijknecht, Rob G E Timmermans, Anno Touwen, Wim Ubachs, Lorenz Willmann, (NL-eEDM collaboration)
J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys., vol. 58, 2025, p. 015303
Roman Bause, Nithesh Balasubramanian, Ties Fikkers, Eifion H. Prinsen, Kees Steinebach, Arian Jadbabaie, Nicholas R. Hutzler, I. Agustín Aucar, Lukáš F. Pašteka, Anastasia Borschevsky, Steven Hoekstra
Physical Review A, vol. 111, 2025, p. 062815
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Teaching
Activities
Program director master Physics, Applied Physics
I coordinate the master programs of Physics and Applied physics at the University of Groningen
Quantum universe master program
I am the coordinator of the Quantum Universe master program, one of the main specialisation at the interface of physics, astronomy, mathematics and cosmology at the University of Groningen.
I coordinate the teaching activities of the staff and students of the Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity.
Current courses
3rd year broadening minor - university wide.
This is a course on quantum physics for non-physics students, part of the broadening minor 'Einstein's Physics: Space-time and Parallel Worlds'. About ~ 150 students take this course.
2nd year physics, applied physics and astronomy
I have started teaching this course in 2019, and I have transformed it from traditional teaching to problem-based learning. Typically about 190 students take this course.
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