Department of Optics and Thermophysics
• Scattering of electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere.
• Aerosol optics.
• Light pollution: theory, modeling and measurement.
• Modeling and measurement of sky luminance distribution.
• Daylight availability and visual comfort in building interiors.
Head of department: Mgr. Miroslav Kocifaj, PhD.
Research activities:
Method for Assessing the Regional Impact of Urban Lighting Using Satellite Nighttime ImageryA solution has been developed that, for the first time, allows satellite night images to quantify the proportion of light emitted by cities just above the horizon, i.e. in a direction that allows light pollution to spread far beyond the borders of urban areas. Previous…
Controlling the climate effect of carbonaceous aerosols by modifying their structureIn collaboration with a US partner (Solar Consulting Services), we have demonstrated that aerosol-induced radiative warming can be controlled without the need to reduce carbon emissions. The research was carried out as part of a COST project, where, in addition to harmonizing photometer measurements, we…
International network for harmonization of atmospheric aerosol retrievals from ground based photometersWithin this collaboration, methods for aerosol characterization from ground-based radiometry were developed and we showed that qualitatively new information can only be obtained in the synergy of sky photometer measurements and optical monitoring of the lower troposphere. We designed a complementary experimental setup for quantification…
Realistic polarization model for night sky brightnessUntil recently, light pollution monitoring focused on the directional distribution of light intensity, which became the basis for modeling the penetration of light pollution into the surrounding environment. Polarization measurements were rather rare, because there was a lack of both high-quality instruments and a physical…
Latest publications:
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FALCHI, Fabio** - FURGONI, Riccardo - GATTILLO, Paolo - FRANCESIO, Maurizio. FALCHI, Fabio**. FURGONI, Riccardo - GATTILLO, Paolo - FRANCESIO, Maurizio. De mora luminis: Roemer’s discovery 350 years later. In European Journal of Physics, 2026, vol. 47, iss. 2, art. no. 025802. (2025: 0.9 - IF, Q3 - JCR, 0.389 - SJR, Q2 - SJR). ISSN 0143-0807. Dostupné na:. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ae3f66. [ADCA].
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PETRŽALA, Jaromír - KOCIFAJ, Miroslav. PM2.5 as a proxy for aerosol optical depth in night sky brightness models. PETRŽALA, Jaromír. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav. PM2.5 as a proxy for aerosol optical depth in night sky brightness models. In Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2026, vol. 548, iss. 3, art. no. stag712. (2025: 5.2 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 1.852 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 0035-8711. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag712. [ADCA].
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WALLNER, Stefan** - KOCIFAJ, Miroslav - SILHA, J. WALLNER, Stefan**. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav - SILHA, J. Space debris contributions to night sky brightness: Comparing model predictions and implications for astronomical signal-to-noise ratios. In Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2026, vol. 708, art. no. L10. (2025: 6.1 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 2.052 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 0004-6361. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0010/20 : Difúzne svetlo v mestskom prostredí: nový model zohľadňujúci vlastnosti lokálnej atmosféry. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia. APVV-24-0627 : Kvantifikácia parametrov šírenia svetla pre moderné umeléosvetlenie: Povrchový odraz, vplyv oblakov a dynamické zdroje. 1384/03/01 : Meranie a modelovanie svetelného znečistenia.). https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202557485. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - FALCHI, Fabio - KUNDRACIK, F. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. FALCHI, Fabio - KUNDRACIK, F. An all-sky light pollution model for global-scale applications that embraces a full range of cloud distributions. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025, vol. 122, iss. 44, art. no. e2508001122. (2024: 9.1 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 3.414 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 0027-8424. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2508001122. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - KUNDRACIK, F. - WALLNER, Stefan. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. KUNDRACIK, F. - WALLNER, Stefan. Low Earth Orbit satellite fragmentation rates are critically disrupting the natural night sky background. In Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 2025, vol. 541, no. 1, p. L47–L51. (2024: 4.8 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 1.688 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 1745-3925. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0010/20 : Difúzne svetlo v mestskom prostredí: nový model zohľadňujúci vlastnosti lokálnej atmosféry. 1384/03/01 : Meranie a modelovanie svetelného znečistenia. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slaf052. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - KÓMAR, Ladislav. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. KÓMAR, Ladislav. Satellite Imagery Reveals Near-Horizon Urban Light Emissions Impacting Ambient Environment. In Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, 2025, vol. 130, issue 22, art. no. e2025JD045452. (2024: 3.4 - IF, Q2 - JCR, 1.545 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 2169-897X. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JD045452. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - NOVÁK, Tomáš - MEDVEĎ, Igor. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. NOVÁK, Tomáš - MEDVEĎ, Igor. Optical properties of semi-transparent sensor covers determined from their spectral intensity distribution function. In Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy & Radiative Transfer, 2025, vol. 332, art. no. 109292. (2024: 1.9 - IF, Q2 - JCR, 0.676 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). (2025 - WOS, SCOPUS, NASA ADS). ISSN 0022-4073. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2024.109292. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - KUNDRACIK, F. - GUEYMARD, CH. A. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. KUNDRACIK, F. - GUEYMARD, CH. A. Radiative warming by multicomponent soot-dominated aerosols can be controlled by material configuration. In Environment International, 2025, vol. 197, art. no. 109343, 5 p. (2024: 9.7 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 3.145 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 0160-4120. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109343. [ADCA].
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KOCIFAJ, Miroslav** - FALCHI, Fabio. KOCIFAJ, Miroslav**. FALCHI, Fabio. Generalizing the world atlas of artificial night sky brightness to encompass a wide range of sky states. In Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 2025, vol. 542, no. 1, p. L154-L157. (2024: 4.8 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 1.688 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). ISSN 1745-3925. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slaf083. [ADCA].
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PETRŽALA, Jaromír** - KÓMAR, Ladislav. PETRŽALA, Jaromír**. KÓMAR, Ladislav. The contribution of scattered radiation to the upward radiance of a city. In Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy & Radiative Transfer, 2025, vol. 333, art. no. 109330. (2024: 1.9 - IF, Q2 - JCR, 0.676 - SJR, Q1 - SJR). (2025 - WOS, SCOPUS, NASA ADS). ISSN 0022-4073. Dostupné na: (VEGA 2/0009/24 : Optická charakterizácia častíc vo vonkajšom a vnútornom prostredí. APVV-22-0020 : Komplexný model šírenia svetelného znečistenia do okolitého prostredia.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2024.109330. [ADCA].
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Projects:
5 projects found
| Project Name | Responsible Person | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| INHAAR - International network for harmonization of atmospheric aerosol retrievals from ground based photometers | Mgr. Kocifaj Miroslav, DrSc. | 1.10.2022 - 31.10.2026 | International |
| BSS - The birth of solar systems (PLANETS) | Mgr. Kocifaj Miroslav, DrSc. | 1.9.2023 - 30.9.2027 | International |
| LIPRO - Quantifying Light Propagation Parameters for Modern ArtificialLighting: Ground Reflection, Cloud Impact and Dynamic Sources | Dr. Wallner Stefan, MSc. | 1.9.2025 - 31.8.2029 | National |
| OCCVVP - Optical characterization of particles in exteriors and interiors | Mgr. Kocifaj Miroslav, DrSc. | 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 | National |
| LIGHT-POLLUTION- - Comprehensive model of light pollution propagation into the ambient environment | Mgr. Kocifaj Miroslav, DrSc. | 1.7.2023 - 30.6.2027 | National |
People:
| Name / Position | Phone | |
| Falchi, Fabio Mgr., PhD. scientific worker |
falchi@lightpollution.it | |
| Fecko, Stanislav Mgr. research worker |
stanislav.fecko@gmail.com | |
| Kocifaj, Miroslav Mgr., DrSc. Head of department, Senior researcher |
kocifaj@savba.sk | |
| Kómar, Ladislav RNDr., PhD. researcher |
ladislav.komar@savba.sk | |
| Petržala, Jaromír Mgr., PhD. senior researcher |
j.petrzala@savba.sk | |
| Puschnig, Johannes Arvid Mgr., PhD. scientific worker |
johannes.puschnig@savba.sk | |
| Selber, Raphael BSc MSc research worker |
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| Stidl, Sarah Msc. research worker |
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| Tóth, Peter Mgr. scientific worker |
peter.toth@savba.sk | |
| Wallner, Stefan Dr., MSc. senior researcher |
stefan.wallner@savba.sk |
