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Published: 28 November 2019
Sharing knowledge with new generations
Photo credit: Gaëtan Gauthier, LPP
"Les plasmas (sont encore) dans tous leurs états"
Once again, 2020 will start under the sign of education!
Through a 2-day training on January 8 & 15 PLAS@PAR organizes a workshop for future professors from the "Master des Métiers de l'Enseignement, de l'Education et de la Formation (MEEF), parcours physique-chimie" at Sorbonne University.
Because we think that plasma physics can be easily taught in school, our goal is to give some simple key information and tips to allow teachers to talk about the 4th state of matter in the classroom.
New this year: new programs in high school was an opportunity to introduce the Python programming language. Through simple examples of Python scripts, we offer a dedicated session on solving plasma physics problems (from the movement of particles to chaos).
Training program (full program is available here – in French):
· Discussion & presentations about all types of plasmas
· Hands-on experiments
· Visits of research facilities and experiments
This year 6 researchers from LPP, INSP & LERMA are involved in this training!
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Published: 18 November 2019
Radioastronomy station of Nançay (Observatoire de Paris) will host a workshop with ENSA Bourges' students!
Solitude sidérale - Au coeur des ondes (Workshop)
Following the conference of Philippe Zarka (LESIA & USN, Observatoire de Paris - CNRS - PSL) at ENSA Bourges on October 30, 2019, who was invited by Stéphanie Jamet, Ingrid Luche and Benjamin L. Aman (ENSA), a workshop is now organized, thanks to Stéphanie Jamet (ENSA) with Dominique Blais (artist & lecturer at École des arts de la Sorbonne - Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne) and Philippe Zarka, at the Radioastronomy station of Nançay from November 19, 2019 to November 22, 2019. 10 students will participate!
Abstract (in french) - Solitude sidérale - Au coeur des ondes - Par Dominique Blais
Stéphanie jamet, en présence de Philippe Zarka, astrophysicien
"La plongée dans l’espace-temps particulier qu’est la station de Radioastronomie de Nançay ouvre sur une interrogation de la solitude humaine au-delà même d’un territoire circonscrit et connu. L’isolement obligé du lieu serait-il à l’image de la nécessaire solitude du chercheur ?
Dans le silence, le scientifique sonde en effet l’indicible et l’inaudible de l’espace avec, certainement, toujours ce secret espoir d’entendre une présence « extra-terrestre ».
Comment en rendre compte alors ?"
More information here.
PLAS@PAR is happy to support this interdisciplinary project arts & sciences called "sidereal loneliness".
Photo credit: C. Penin
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Published: 05 November 2019
We are happy to hear some good news from Aurélie Pertusot who will present her work at the exhibition Science Friction 2.0!
Aurélie Pertusot was one of the 4 artists selected in 2018 for the Micro-residency artists and scientists at the Radioastronomy station of Nançay (Observatoire de Paris) & presented her work at the exhibition Campus - Arts and plasma science: an experience of ionized matter, a collaboration between PLAS@PAR, Sorbonne University and the Centre Pompidou.
This residency was a unique opportunity to create links between artists and scientists and open new collaborations! The exhibtiion Science Friction 2.0 is a good example: Aurélie Pertusot will present the sound installation "une certaine musique des sphères", which is the result of a collaboration with Philippe Zarka, Director of Research at the CNRS (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris).
Dates: 07.11.19 - 20.12.19
Location: My monkey, 111 Rue Charles III, 54000 Nancy (fr)
Vernissage: 07.11.19, 18:30
We whish you a lot of success!
To know more about the exhibtiion: http://mymonkey.fr/wordpress/11161-2/
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Published: 28 October 2019
Philippe Zarka gives a conference on October 30, 2019, 5pm, at ENSA Bourges !
Les chants du cosmos
Abstract (in french)
"Le silence des espaces infinis m'effraie" écrit Pascal, tandis que le film Alien rappelle que "dans l'espace on ne vous entend pas crier". Quelle est donc cette "musique des sphères" que les radiotélescopes "écoutent". Je parlerai des ondes sonores et lumineuses, de leurs relations et de leurs traductions mutuelles, pouvant donner à entendre une transcription des ondes radio cosmiques.
J'aborderai ensuite quelques unes des recherches conduites à l'aide de ces ondes radio: aube cosmique, mystérieux "sursauts radio rapides" venus du fin fond de l'espace, exoplanètes dans notre voisinage galactique, signaux extraterrestres. Les premières questionnent l'histoire de l'Univers: où sommes nous entre aube et crépuscule ? Les secondes posent la question d'une autre vie dans cet Univers, qui mettrait fin à notre solitude cosmique ? Abordant ces vastes questions de plus en plus en équipe, le chercheur en est-il moins isolé ?
Speaker
Philippe Zarka, LESIA & USN, Observatoire de Paris - CNRS - PSL
Après un doctorat à l’Université de Paris VI, Philippe Zarka est entré au CNRS en 1985. Affecté à l’Observatoire de Paris, il y a abordé la radioastronomie, l’étude des planètes et la physique des plasmas. De l'étude des planètes du système solaire en ondes radio depuis l'espace (de Voyager à Cassini) et le sol (à Nançay), il est passé aux exoplanètes, dont il a prédit les émissions radio qu'il tente de détecter avec les plus grands radiortélescopes au sol: Ukraine, Pays-Bas, et aujourd'hui en France où il dirige la construction d'un des plus puissants radiotélescopes basses fréquences du monde: NenuFAR. Directeur de Recherche au CNRS et directeur-adjoint de la Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, il mène des activités de recherche scientifique (~300 articles et quelques ouvrages), de formation (cours, conférences), d'encadrement (thèses) et de vulgarisation. Il a par ailleurs imaginé une méthode originale de traduction sonore des ondes radio cosmiques, aujourd'hui matière à collaborations avec des artistes.
Philippe is invited by Stéphanie Jamet, Ingrid Luche and Benjamin L. Aman (ENSA).
PLAS@PAR is happy to support this interdisciplinary project arts & sciences called "sidereal loneliness".
Photo credit: C. Penin
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Published: 15 October 2019
Elmar Slikboer, researcher at LPP has been awarded by the 2019 René Pellat Prize from the SFP (Société Française de Physique, plasma division), congratulations!
This prize is awarded once a year to a young researcher or a young researcher who has done exemplary work in plasma physics (hot, cold, natural plasma) and is awarded this year to a co-supervised PhD student at LPP.
Elmar Slikboer worked on "Investigation of Plasma Surface Interactions using Mueller Polarimetry" with 3 laboratories to complete his thesis: a co-supervision of A. Sobota of Eindhoven University (TU / e), E. Garcia Caurel of LPICM and O. Guaitella of LPP (École Polytechnique).
Read more here.
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Published: 15 October 2019
Lina Hadid, who did her PhD at LPP under the supervision of F. Sahraoui has been awarded by the 2019 Vincenzo Ferraro Prize, congratulations!
Lina Hadid has been awarded the Vincenzo Ferraro 2019 Prize, which is awarded once a year to a young researcher who has completed a thesis and major international research work in space plasmas physics. In addition, Lina will join the LPP in January 2020 after having been recruited in the CNRS 2019 competition (Section 17 - Astrophysics).
Read more here.
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Published: 16 September 2019
 
Ane Aanesland, researcher at LPP and former member of the PLAS@PAR steering committee has been awarded by the 2019 CNRS Innovation Medal, congratulations!
A new success for Thrustme the start-up founded in 2017 by Ane Aanesland and Dmytro Rafalskyi, specialized in the propulsion of miniaturized satellites with a main objective: to enable an economically and environmentally sustainable space industry. Both, they developed 2 major innovations to reduce the size of the thrusters used by satellites in low Earth orbit:
First, they imagined new ways of storing, processing and accelerating iodine, they have shown that this inexpensive ergol, could in solid form, replace xenon, a gas widely used for plasma propulsion systems. Secondly, they designed a unique technology that accelerates both positive ions and electrons, instead of having a different electrode to emit each type of particles.
Thrustme has benefited from PLAS@PAR support to initial scientific investigations at LPP just before its launch.
Photo credit: Thrustme
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EPISODE 13
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"PLAS@PAR allow us to (...) meet scientists of other fields and this gives the opportunity to have some other ideas, another point of view (...)"
After a Master degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Observatoire de Paris, Mélissa Menu joined Sébastien Galtier (LPP) and Ludovic Petitdemange (LERMA) for a PhD funded by PLAS@PAR. Since 2016, she is working on Rotating turbulent dynamos and will defend her thesis in few months.
In this episode, Mélissa explains what is a dynamo, then she talks about her research, her results and the benefits of belonging to the PLAS@PAR research community!
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The significant impact of Jupiter's magnetic field
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute
Who is Europa?
In fews words, Europa is a small satellite of Jupiter, the sixth by distance and the second among the Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede).
Size: 3,121 kilometers (one-fourth the diameter of Earth)
Temperature: - 150°C
Atmosphere: mainly composed of O2
Structure: Its surface is composed of ice and is the slickest of all the solar system. In the 1990’s, the Galileo space mission revealed the presence of deep liquid ocean under the ice ; in September 2016, the Hubble Space Telescope (NASA) observed water geysers on its surface.
These discoveries triggered questions about a potential life in Europa. The NASA is planning to investigate this hypothesis thanks to a new space mission that might be launched in 2020-2030.
Europa awakens the curiosity of the scientific community!
If data from space missions got evidences of the presence of oceans in the moons of Jupiter (awaiting confirmation by a future mission), we didn’t have much information about the mechanisms and the geological consequences on these moons and more particularly on Europa.
The influence of Jupiter’s magnetic field on ocean dynamics : a first and huge step in the understanding of Europa
Ludovic Petitdemange, CNRS researcher at LERMA (Laboratoire d’Études du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique et Atmosphères) and Christophe Gissinger CNRS researcher at LPENS (Laboratoire de Physique de l’École Normale Supérieure), started their research about Europa in 2016.
They focused their research on the oceanic motions and highlighted a physical phenomenon still ignored by scientists.
To reach their goals, they did numerical simulations of Europa’s interior (a model) thanks to data from space missions. They found that Jupiter influences the dynamics of oceans : « Jupiter’s magnetic field generates a retrograde oceanic jet at the equator, which may influence the global dynamics of Europa’s ocean and contribute to the formation of some of its surface features by applying a unidirectional torque on Europa’s ice shell. »
Fig.1 shows that the rotation of Jupiter’s magnetic field induces a planetary scale recirculation, and generates strong upward and downward turbulent motions at the equator (Fig. 1c). But the most striking feature is the generation of a powerful oceanic jet propagating westward (Fig. 1a and 1b), and localized in the moon’s equatorial region.
More detailed information in the scientific paper here
Next research steps
These results brought new ideas to the scientists and raised new questions. Ludovic and Christophe are now planning to explain the link between the liquid and the geological features observed on Europa. According to them, It would also be interesting to do simulations which cover all the parameters (it means a more detailed model of Europa) such as Jupiter's tidal effect on Europa because we don’t know yet precisely how theses forces are acting/reacting together.
>>> Congratulations Ludovic and Christophe & Good luck! We're waiting to hear from this great astrophysics project!
References:
Gissinger, C., Petitdemange, L., 2019. A magnetically driven equatorial jet in Europa’s ocean. Nature Astronomy. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0713-3
Article grand public, National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/espace/2019/03/le-champ-magnetique-de-jupiter-fragilise-sa-lune-europe
About Europa in NASA website: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/europa/in-depth/
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Nicolas Sisourat, associate professor at LCPMR, has been awarded the prize Aimé Cotton from french Physical Society (SFP) for his contribution to the development of theoretical and numerical methods to describe the ultra-fast electronic and nuclear processes occurring during the interactions of atoms or molecules with radiation or with ions. The prize will be decerned during the general congres of SFP, on 8th July 2019.
All our congratulations !
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Her recent work concerns the ultrafast dynamics of electron relaxation and nuclear motion induced by hard X-rays. She is the PI of the ANR JCJC MUSTACHE and the first author of two Physical Review Letters in 2016 and 2017. She is also involved in the development of the MOSARIX X-ray emission spectrometer funded by PLAS@PAR.
She participates in several experiments on XFEL and synchrotron light sources and particularly with the LCPMR's HAXPES and CELIMENE instruments in France.
She co-supervises a thesis with Marc SIMON and John BOZEK, head of the PLEIADES SOLEIL beamline.
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Published: 26 February 2019
EPISODE 12
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Javier (biologist) and Florian (physicist), postdoctoral fellows at LPP have a common goal: pool their knowledge and try to provide innovative solutions for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, a liver cancer, thanks to plasma. Discover this incredible collaboration!
Also read the dedicated article on Sorbonne University website: "Le plasma froid, un nouvel espoir contre le cancer" : https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/newsroom/actualites/le-plasma-froid-un-nouvel-espoir-contre-le-cancer
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Published: 18 February 2019
Sharing knowledge with new generations
Photo credit: Gaëtan Gauthier, LPP
2019 started under the sign of education, which is an important pillar within the PLAS@PAR community. The Labex regularly organizes actions at the Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels but also towards middle and high school audiences.
Through a 2-day training, once a year, we organize a workshop for future professors from the "Master des Métiers de l'Enseignement, de l'Education et de la Formation (MEEF), parcours physique-chimie" at Sorbonne University.
Because we think that plasma physics can be easily taught in school, our goal is to give some simple key information and tips to allow teachers to talk about the 4th state of matter in the classroom.
Training program (full program is available here – in French):
· Discussion & presentations about all types of plasmas
· Hands-on experiments
· Visits of research facilities and experiments
This year 8 researchers from LERMA, INSP and LPP were involved and 5 future teachers were participating. New this year in this training:
· We welcomed a group of 3 high school students that we met during the last National Science Day, asking for more information about plasma for their TPE exam (Baccalaureat).
· 3 science guides from Universience also participated in this training: a first step to start building new outreach collaborations and reach a broader audience in the future!
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Published: 04 February 2019
 
Hello Iyas! Congratulation for this new position at CNRS, what a great achievement! We think that your story could interest many people, especially students regarding their professional career. Could you enlighten us about your background?
MY BACKGROUNG
After graduating in physical engineering from the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST), Damascus Syria, I came to France to prepare the DEA (Master 2) “Rayonnement et Plasmas” at the Université́ de Provence (Marseille). Then I moved to the Université́ de Paris-Sud, Laboratoire des Collisions Atomiques et Moléculaires (LCAM), where I obtained a PhD degree in Physics (2005). After that, I came back to Syria, where I was nominated in 2006 as permanent researcher at the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria to work at the Ion Beam Accelerator Laboratory. In 2014, I was promoted to senior researcher at the same laboratory.
In 2015, PLAS@PAR offered you the opportunity to work on MOSARIX, an important and exciting project fully founded by the Labex. May you explain the project and your results?
MY WORK AT PLAS@PAR
 
Credit: Iyas Ismail, LCPMR
In 2015, I have been recruited by PLAS@PAR for a 3-years contract at LCPMR (Sorbonne Université). I was in charge of the development of a new X-ray spectrometer (MOSARIX) with high resolution and high efficiency allowing for the first time to measure the photons X (1.8 to 5 keV) in coincidence with ions or electrons.
As part of this project, I developed a new detector of photons based on microchannel plates (MCPs). This detector was a subject of a patent application (January 12, 2018)! The fast response of this detector allows coincidence measurements of photons with good time and spatial resolution. This makes possible to reach a spectral resolution <1eV over the entire energy range. I recently designed, built and successfully tested, at GALAXIES beamline of the SOLEIL synchrotron, a first version of this spectrometer. This allowed to test our simulations, validate the design and to move toward the construction of the final multi-crystals version of the spectrometer!
This project looks like a success story! It should be a plus for the permanent position you were looking for at CNRS. Can you explain us if there is a direct link between your work on MOSARIX and your new missions?
MY NEW MISSIONS AS A PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE LCPMR
 
Credit: LCPMR, https://lcpmr.cnrs.fr/
Yes, I will continue working on MOSARIX besides other new projects as well. Currently, I started working with two groups of the LCPMR using different heavy experimental setups: X-XUV spectrometers and electron spectrometer (magnetic bottle). These equipments can be used both at the laboratory and large-scale facilities (SOLEIL synchrotron and Free Electron Laser XFEL). I am interested in the development of these techniques besides the different scientific projects involved with. In addition, I have a project to combine MOSARIX with some of these spectrometers to make unique measurements of photons with high resolution and/or in coincidence with ions or electrons.
Can you precise your scientific goals?
My scientific objective is to study the processes occurring after excitation in inner shell of molecules using intense photon beams issued from third generation synchrotron or XFEL sources. Later on, it might be interesting to go toward to study larger molecules of biological interest owing to the unprecedented measurements of photons in coincidences with ions and electrons that can be performed with MOSARIX spectrometer and the different instruments of the LCPMR.
Thanks Iyas and good luck!
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Published: 21 January 2019
All the PLAS@PAR direction team wishes you a happy new year 2019, rich in scientific and personal success!
2019 will start with our annual Scientific day on February 14! This event will celebrate recent scientific achievements in our project thanks to the commitment of our community since 2012!
It will be followed by the launch of the European PIONEER project, a call for small innovative projects, thematic days, workshops and summer schools.
We are looking forward to see you all!
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Published: 19 December 2018
Plasma Atomic Physics presents the essential concepts and detailed information required for a better understanding of plasma physics
All authors are established experts on, and dedicated teachers of, atomic physics
The only modern book to treat this topic in depth
Addresses students, postgraduates, teachers and researchers
Combines elements of textbook and monograph style
Plasma Atomic Physics provides an overview of the elementary processes within atoms and ions in plasmas, and introduces readers to the language of atomic spectra and light emission, allowing them to explore the various and fascinating radiative properties of matter. The book familiarizes readers with the complex quantum-mechanical descriptions of electromagnetic and collisional processes, while also developing a number of effective qualitative models that will allow them to obtain adequately comprehensive descriptions of collisional-radiative processes in dense plasmas, dielectronic satellite emissions and autoionizing states, hollow ion X-ray emissions, polarized atoms and ions, hot electrons, charge exchange, atomic population kinetics, and radiation transport. Numerous applications to plasma spectroscopy and experimental data are presented, which concern magnetic confinement fusion, inertial fusion, laser-produced plasmas, and X-ray free-electron lasers’ interaction with matter. Particular highlights include the development of quantum kinetics to a level surpassing the almost exclusively used quasi-classical approach in atomic population kinetics, the introduction of the recently developed Quantum-F-Matrix-Theory (QFMT) to study the impact of plasma microfields on atomic populations, and the Enrico Fermi equivalent photon method to develop the “Plasma Atom”,where the response properties and oscillator strength distribution are represented with the help of a local plasma frequency of the atomic electron density. Based on courses held by the authors, this material will assist students and scientists studying the complex processes within atoms and ions in different kinds of plasmas by developing relatively simple but highly effective models.
Authors: Rosmej, F.B., Astapenko, V.A., Lisitsa, V.A., Sorbonne University, Paris Cedex 05, France
Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics
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Published: 04 December 2018
Join the International Plasma Physics School in Vietnam!
1-6 July, 2019 - Registration is closed
 
PLAS@PAR is organizing a 5-day summer school in Vietnam! This school is targeting students at the master level looking to improve their knowledge of plasma physics, from astrophysical and natural plasmas to plasma applications.
Lectures, accommodation (hotel and restaurant) are free of charge.
Goals
The main objective is to introduce plasma physics in any state from Laboratory, to the distant universe. The school will select motivated students with a good background in physics or applied mathematics, to introduce them to the diversity of plasma physics. Hence the training covers various aspects of plasmas: astrophysical and natural plasmas, laboratory plasmas generated by lasers, electrical devices, ion beams, and also cold plasmas for industrial applications etc.
Program director: Philippe Savoini
More information and registration here
Partners
     
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Published: 02 December 2018
Anna Grassi received in 2014 M.Sc. degrees in Physics from the Università di Pisa, Italy. She received a PLAS@PAR fellowship in order to do her PhD in Plasma Physics under the supervision of C. Riconda, LULI and A. Macchi, UNIPI. Her thesis, on "Relativistic shocks in magnetized plasmas in the context of laboratory astrophysics » was defended brilliantly in October 2017. Right after she joined Stanford University (California) for a postodoctoral position.
She is already the recipient of the René Pellat Prize from the SFP (Société Française de Physique), plasma division. Now, she is awarded by the University of Pisa for the best doctoral thesis - year 2018 - sector "Mathematics, Informatics, Physics and Earth Sciences"!
Congratulations!
More information here.
Meet with Anna Grassi
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Published: 28 November 2018
Following the departure of our colleague Jan Lüning (PU, LCPMR) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Marc Simon (DR, LCPMR) has been appointed coordinator of GDRi "XFEL-Science" by the CNRS, which gathers the French community around XFEL sources (X-ray Free Electron Laser). After agreement from the GDRi and INP, including Emmanuelle LACAZE (DAS Grands Instruments INP) and Francine SOLAL (INP project manager), Marco CAMMARATA (CRCN, IPR Rennes) is appointed co-coordinator.
Congratulations to our colleagues!
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Published: 27 November 2018
ARTS AND SCIENCES OF PLASMAS: an experience of ionized matter is a program of artistic and scientific events.
Thanks to an unprecedented collaboration between the Labex PLAS@PAR, Sorbonne University and the Centre Pompidou, artists and scientists offered an immersion in the heart of the 4th state of matter, the plasma. Throughout the year 2017-2018, high school students, teachers and students had the opportunity to discover the links between arts and sciences, through a decompartmentalized experience around plasma, this state of matter present in 99% of the universe, but not yet enough known.
Here is a feedback in video of this immersive project in 5 acts!
NEW THIS YEAR: The Plasma Reflection, created by Danny Rose, is exhibited in Sorbonne University libraries:
- at the License Library (BDL - Bibliothèque des Licences) - Pierre and Marie Curie Campus - from November 26 to December 21, 2018
- at Clignancourt Library - from March 18 to April 12, 2019
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