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Two projects, which were on the reserve list in the OPUS 25 and Preludium 22 competitions, submitted by IPPLM employees received funding.

Financing additional research projects in competitions was possible thanks to the increase in the budget of the National Science Centre (NCN) in 2024 by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The project, submitted as part of the OPUS competition, entitled "Experimental studies of the proton-boron (p+B) fusion reaction in the Plasma-Focus device" will be carried out jointly with the H. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, PAS. Its purpose is to show the possibility of triggering the p–¹¹B reaction in a Plasma-Focus device and to measure the products of this reaction. The experiments conducted as part of the project will verify the theoretical model and the possibility of using Plasma-Focus for proton-boron synthesis. The developed theoretical model will allow us to determine whether it is possible to obtain partially self-sustaining reactions in Plasma-Focus conditions by trapping protons and alpha particles in a strong magnetic field.

The project as part of the Preludium competition entitled "Anomalous electron transport in partially magnetized E×B plasmas induced by azimuthal oscillations" was received by a team of IPPLM employees from the Laboratory of Plasma Nudge for Satellites. The applicant of the project was M.Sc. Olgierd Cichorek.

The project deals with research on plasma flows in Hall-type thrusters. The principle of operation of Hall thrusters uses the effect of reducing electron mobility in a magnetic field. However, the classical collision theory of electron conductivity predicts significantly lower values of electron conductivity than those observed in experiments. The exact physical phenomena causing the increased conductivity observed experimentally are not known; the excess conductivity was therefore called anomalous electron conductivity. Currently, it is suspected that the key role in the mechanisms of anomalous electron conductivityis played by plasma oscillations propagating in the azimuthal direction, perpendicular to the fundamental, radial component of the magnetic field.

The project involves examining the plasma flow in the Hall thruster in order to find the conditions for generating azimuthal oscillations. For this purpose, an experiment will be carried out with plasma imaging using a high-speed camera. The obtained results will be compared with numerical calculations. The main goal of the project is to determine whether increased values of electron conductivity will occur at thruster’s operating points exhibiting the presence of azimuthal oscillations.

The Laboratory of Plasma Nudge for Satellites	Hall Thruster

We would like to congratulate the winners and wish them success in their research work!

Photos: IPPLM

The next edition of the Science Picnic will take place on Saturday, 15 June 2024, at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. The theme of the event: Unbelievable!

At the stand of the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, researchers will explain, using the example of a spectacular glow discharge, what plasma is and what the knowledge about it can be used for. This information will help us understand not only the nature of stars, but also the basis for the operation of future energy sources based on nuclear fusion.

In the next demonstration, the phenomenon of nuclear fusion will be explained in a simple and illustrative way using a device called fusor. Participants, under the supervision of an instructor, will be able to adjust the parameters in the device (e.g. pressure, voltage of the electrodes) that affect the resulting plasma.

The third demonstration will be related to the unusual phenomena that occur when laser light meets matter. These will include the phenomena of absorption, fluorescence, light scattering and the spectacular phenomenon of birefringence, in which a calcite crystal will be used.

The IPPLM stand will be located in the Future Zone, tent number B14.

Link to the interactive map: https://mapapiknikunaukowego.kopernik.org.pl/

We invite you to join us from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There is no charge for the admission to the event.

The Science Picnic, organized by the Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre, is Europe's largest outdoor science-themed event. Its aim is to disseminate knowledge from various scientific disciplines by presenting interesting experiments. The Picnic allows you to understand science, showing it as an extremely exciting and fascinating area of life, and by presenting the researcher’s methods and techniques, it encourages and inspires the participants of this event to undertake independent research activity.

For more information about the 27th Science Picnic please visit: https://pikniknaukowy.pl/

The 2nd 'Science for Society' Congress will be held on 9-10 June 2024 at the Warsaw University of Technology. The event is held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Science and the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland. The congress is held under the motto: 'This is how science in Poland affects the life of every Pole'.

Substantive debates will be accompanied by exhibitions of scientific units illustrating contemporary achievements of science, interviews with experts, and presentations of the most important scientific implementations.

The IPPLM stand will offer an opportunity to learn more about nuclear fusion and the Institute's scientific activities. We invite you on Sunday, 9 June, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Monday, 10 June, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

The event will be streamed online at: https://nauka-dla-spoleczenstwa.pl/.

The Congress program can be downloaded from: https://nauka-dla-spoleczenstwa.pl/program/.

Source: Nauka dla Społeczeństwa

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of our friend Dr. Hellmut Schmidt (1935-2024).

Our first contact with Hellmut Schmidt was during the period of his activity in the so-called Steering Committee of the International Centre for Dense Magnetized Plasma, operating at the end of the last century under the auspices of UNESCO, whose goal was to establish an international centre for DMP research. In August 1999, the UNESCO President and the President of the Polish Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement to establish the International Centre for Dense Magnetized Plasma (ICDMP), which became part of the organizational structure of the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM). In the following years, Hellmut Schmidt became one of the closest collaborators and, one might say, mentors of the Polish ICDMP team. For almost twenty years he was a frequent guest of IPPLM, actively participating in experiments conducted with the Plasma-Focus PF-1000 plasma generator. He also supported us during the organization of regular schools for young science students since 2004 (International Kudowa School "Towards Fusion Energy") and workshops on dense magnetized plasma. Dr. Schmidt also participated in the annual meetings of the ICDMP International Scientific Council, supporting us with his knowledge and scientific authority. He was well-known in our community for his work on the POSEIDON plasma-focus system. The research conducted under his leadership clarified important regularities in neutron emission from PF systems, and the articles describing this research are classic items still cited today.

When we remember Hellmut Schmidt today, we see a man of impeccable manner, calm, competent, open to others, and always ready to help.

We will miss him.

ICDMP meeting, 2017. Dr. Hellmut Schmidt third from left in the front row

On the occasion of the Open Days of European Funds organized as part of the celebration of Poland's 20th anniversary in the European Union, we invite you to visit the Sylwester Kaliski Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion.

On 10 May at 12.00 in the administration building at 23 Hery Str. a lecture will take place on nuclear fusion as well as the Institute's 20-year involvement in European research in the field of plasma physics and the development of thermonuclear technology.

After the lecture, guests will visit the IPPLM laboratories. You will be able to see, among others:

• the largest plasma focus concentrator in Europe,
• Pulsar 10 TW high-power femtosecond laser system,
• a laboratory where research is carried out on ion/plasma accelerators - in particular on Hall engines and PPT (Pulsed Plasma Thruster) in the context of electric drives for satellites,
• a laboratory where projects are carried out aimed at the construction and development of GEM (Gas Electron Multiplier) gas detectors for the purposes of soft X-ray imaging of plasma structures and monitoring radiation from plasma admixtures,
• a laboratory where research is carried out using the LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) method to study sample composition, as well as in the context of developing diagnostics for measuring fuel retention in a fusion reactor.

The meeting will end at 2:30.

Admission is free. The number of places is limited.

The website of the organizer of the celebration of Poland's 20th anniversary in the EU: https://20lat.eu/

Photo: IPPLM