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We were deeply saddened to hear that on 24 January 2021 our former employee, an outstanding specialist in the field of explosive technologies, Prof. Wiktor Babul died.

In the 70s and 80s of the last century, professor was the head of the department at the Military University of Technology dealing with the applications of explosive technologies. At that time, he also worked in the IPPLM, cooperating with a team of researchers and technologists to prepare and apply special explosive systems for the generation and compression of plasma with thermonuclear parameters. It was the original concept of Prof. Sylwester Kaliski, an alternative to the methods of generating such plasma in systems with magnetic plasma confinement and in systems where high-power lasers generate fusion plasma. In cooperation with Prof. Babul, the Institute developed various types of systems applying explosives for plasma testing. In a few cases, original results were highly appreciated by the international scientific community. The works in question were halted after Prof. Kaliski died in 1978.

Prof. Wiktor Babul also collaborated with a team of IPPLM employees dealing with the development and application of explosive methods in construction (e.g. for demolition) and in material technologies (e.g. for modification of metal structures). Many original technical solutions, also used in commercial orders, were developed to implement such applications.

Professor was known for his great knowledge of explosive technologies and experience in their practical application in various fields. He was not only a recognized scientist willingly cooperating with younger researchers, but also a warm person who would talk on various topics, not only focusing on the development and applications of explosive technologies.

That’s how we will remember him.

Photo: Private Archive

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the Polish Physical Society. It is an excellent occasion to recall and underline how crucial Polish discoveries and achievements in the field of world physics are. The scientists will talk about it all during the upcoming 46^th Extraordinary Congress of Polish Physicists in Warsaw.

The event will commence on 16 October 2020 to last three days. The congress has been organized in a hybrid mode. All presentations will be held on-site with the participation of lecturers, invited speakers and technical staff. The entire event will be broadcast via the YouTube platform.

- This is a great celebration for Polish physicists. We have been setting scientific trends for 100 years. Without physicists, there would be no smartphones, computers or the Internet. It is their achievements that support cancer diagnosis and the development of photovoltaics. Polish physicists participate in almost every significant international research project and are successful in their endeavours, says Prof. Andrzej Wysmołek, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 46^th Extraordinary Congress of Polish Physicists.

The program of the congress will present Polish achievements in the field of physics in a nutshell. On the first day, the professors will talk about the beginnings of the Polish Physical Society. Moreover, there will be awards, medals and the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the establishment of the Polish Physical Society. On Saturday, 17 October, 13 half-hour popular science speeches dealing with the most current issues in physics are to be given. The last day of the event will be dedicated to teachers and cover the subject of teaching physics at school.

The open poster session "100 posters for the century" (17 October, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm) will play a special role in the program of the Congress when the scientists from the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion will present their works.

Source: 100 years of the PPS

On 5 October 2020, Minister of Climate appointed Monika Kubkowska, D.Sc., Deputy Director for Research in the Sylwester Kaliski Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion.

Monika Kubkowska, D.Sc., has been associated with the Institute since 2007. For over 9 years, she has been the head of the Department of Nuclear Fusion and Plasma Spectroscopy, and since 2019 - the IPPLM Director’s plenipotentiary for EUROfusion, namely the European nuclear fusion program, and the head of the Scientific and Industrial Center New Energy Technologies (CeNTE).

For years, she has been actively involved in and has led international and national research projects dealing with, among others, the development of diagnostics for the W7-X stellarator, including the PHA system; research and optimization of the processes accompanying plasma-wall interaction in a fusion device.

In 2016, by the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, she was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit for achievements in activities undertaken for the development of the economy. Last year, the IPPLM Director awarded Monika Kubkowska the 1st degree award for outstanding scientific achievements in 2011-2018.

Monika Kubkowska, D.Sc., is a graduate of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw. It was there that she received a doctorate in physical sciences in the field of physics in 2007. In July this year, the NCNR Scientific Council awarded Kubkowska, D.Sc., a postdoctoral degree in exact and natural sciences, a discipline of physical sciences.

Photo: © IFPiLM

On 18-27 September, the 24^th Science Festival was held in Warsaw. Traditionally, the program of the event included several hundred meetings with science: main debates, evening gatherings, meetings for children and teenagers, exhibitions and festival lessons for schools. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some of the live lectures and demonstrations were available online, some were previously recorded and shared through the YouTube platform.

The Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, as it was the case also in the past, participated in this event.

Dr Paweł Gąsior conducted a lesson entitled "Lasers: the music of light" in one of Warsaw's schools. The eighth grade students learned, among others, what is the difference between "ordinary" and laser light as well as what are the possibilities and applications of different types of lasers, and finally the safety rules of their handling.

If you want to get acquainted with the lesson of Dr Paweł Gąsior, recorded in the Laboratory of Laser-Induced Plasma Spectroscopy in the IPPLM, visit the Science Festival website.

Another lesson, this time online, was conducted by Tomasz Fornal, M.Sc. The lecture entitled "Nuclear fusion, or a short story on how to bring the Sun to the Earth" made it possible for students to learn about several main ways how to obtain electricity, what the fusion reaction is all about and what conditions must be met to carry it out in laboratory conditions. They also got acquainted with the most important nuclear fusion projects in Poland and all over the world.

The Science Festival in Warsaw was initiated by the scientific community of the University of Warsaw, the Warsaw University of Technology and the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1996. The first edition took place a year later. As part of the festival, more than one hundred scientific and educational institutions, institutions promoting culture, associations and scientific societies invite enthusiasts to join their meetings.

Photo: © IFPiLM

On 29 September 2020, the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion was visited by Tomasz Nowacki, Director of the Nuclear Energy Department at the Ministry of Climate, and Arlena Kubiak, Senior Specialist of the same Department.

The visit began with a meeting with the IPPLM management and the chairman of the Scientific Council. Director Andrzej Gałkowski presented the main directions of research in the field of plasma physics and nuclear fusion carried out in the Institute. The guests also watched the latest film about activities of the IPPLM.

The last point of the meeting covered the presentation of infrastructure and research equipment. The guests saw, among others, the PF-1000U system, one of the world's largest plasma focus devices, and proceeded to the Plasma Thrusters Laboratory, the High Power Lasers Laboratory and the GEM Detectors Laboratory.

Photo: © IFPiLM