Author: Kristel Crombé

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The Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society is happy to announce its 2024 prizes.

2024 EPS - PPCF Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize

We are pleased to announce that we have received an outstanding array of nominations for the 2024 EPS - PPCF Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize. The quality of submissions reflects the remarkable talent, the strength and vitality of our community. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who took the time to submit nominations.

After careful consideration and evaluation of numerous outstanding nominations, we are delighted to reveal that the winner of the first EPS - PPCF Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize is:

Dr. Varchas Gopalaswamy from the University of Rochester, USA, for "the development of statistical modelling to achieve accurate predictions of laser fusion experiments thereby improving implosions and achieving record Lawson products for direct-drive on OMEGA".

His dedication, innovation, and commitment to advancing the field of plasma physics has truly distinguished him as a rising star in our community.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Varchas Gopalaswamy for this well-deserved honour. His exemplary work serves as an inspiration to us all, demonstrating the profound impact that early-career researchers can have on the field.

In addition to the prize of 1,500 EUR and a certificate, Dr. Varchas Gopalaswamy has accepted our invitation to give a talk on his work at the 50th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics, which will take place in Salamanca, Spain, from July 8th to 12th, 2024.

2024 EPS Plasma Physics Division Innovation Award

With great honour and admiration, we announce that Dr. Anthony B. Murphy from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia is the recipient of the 2024 EPS Innovation Prize. This honour reflects his significant role in the advancement of thermal plasma processes, showcasing his reputation as the leading expert in the field.

Dr. Murphy’s extensive research over more than three decades has led to groundbreaking developments, especially in predictive modeling for arc welding. His innovations have improved the precision and efficiency of metal fabrication processes, marking a significant step forward in the application of thermal plasmas. His current work in expanding these models for use in wire-arc additive manufacturing represents a promising frontier in manufacturing technologies.

His venture into green plasma technology, particularly his research on the plasma-catalytic production of ammonia, underscores his commitment to pioneering sustainable industrial processes. These efforts highlight Dr. Murphy’s ability to blend scientific inquiry with practical solutions for environmental sustainability.

Dr. Murphy’s collaborative endeavors and dedication to the field have not only contributed to the scientific community but have also spurred innovation across industry. His work embodies the spirit of the EPS Innovation Prize, celebrating not just scientific achievement but the practical application and societal impact of these innovations.

By awarding Dr. Murphy the EPS Innovation Prize, we not only honour his past contributions but also recognize his ongoing commitment to innovation. His work serves as an inspiration for future advancements, embodying the innovative spirit and pursuit of excellence that the prize aims to celebrate.

2024 EPS PPD PhD Prize

The 2024 EPS PPD PhD Prize has been awarded as follows:

• Dr Lucas Rovige (Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France) for his thesis “Optimization, stabilization and optical phase control of a high-repetition rate laser-wakefield accelerator“
• Dr Baptiste Frei (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland) for his thesis “A Gyrokinetic Moment Model of the Plasma Boundary in Fusion Devices“
• Dr Toby Adkins (University of Oxford, UK) for his thesis “Electromagnetic instabilities and plasma turbulence driven by the electron-temperature gradient“
• Dr Mathias Hoppe (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden) for his thesis “Runaway-electron model development and validation in tokamaks”

 

The EPS Plasma Physics Innovation Prize 2019 for technological, industrial or societal applications of research in plasma physics is awarded jointly to

• Professor Hana Barankova and
  
  
• Professor Ladislav Bardos
  

both of the Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Hana Barankova and Ladislav Bardos have contributed significantly to the fundamental understanding, and to novel designs, of hollow cathodes and new processes leading to enhanced performance of functional thin films. Linear Arc Discharge (LAD) and Magnets in Motion (M-M) technologies have been patented, licensed, and adopted by industry. They have contributed significant novel work on environmental protection by the conversion of hazardous gases, and on the reduction of energy consumption in industrial processes  by means of plasma technology.

Among the several non-conventional high-density plasma sources which they invented or developed, the radiofrequency hollow cathode plasma jet (RHCPJ) deserves special mention. Their use of graphite cathodes has opened up new hybrid processes which combine plasma vapour deposition (PVD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PE CVD). These have led to extremely high deposition rates, up to 2.5 microns per minute, of amorphous carbon coatings that have good adhesion to insulators, without an interlayer.

They have recently developed a new magnetron with a magnetised hollow cathode enhanced target, which can enhance the TiN deposition by 50% compared to the deposition rate of Ti. The resulting stoichiometric coatings exhibit very high micro-hardness (up to 31.4 GPa) and a dense structure comparable with that of HIPIMS films. These findings are of a significant interest for upgrading conventional magnetrons.

They have made significant contributions both in reduced pressure and atmospheric plasma hollow cathodes. They invented the fused hollow cathode (FHC) cold atmospheric plasma source, which has an integrated open structure with flowing gas. Combination of the hollow cathode plasma with the microwave antenna was used in a new hybrid hollow electrode activated discharge source (H-HEADS). International patents have been granted on gas and surface treatment by FHC and on H-HEADS. Both sources have been exploited in many applications, from the surface treatment of heat sensitive substrates to the sintering of powders.

Their work on gas conversion for environment cleaning is noteworthy. Results in NOx + air confirmed that plasma can act as a 100% oxidation catalyst, without any additives and without any further heterogeneous catalyst. The conversion of CO2 to glassy deposits was achieved, thus suggesting a path for CO2 fixation. They performed field experiments at Vattenfall AB Värme and verified the results in the real environment.

Hana Barankova and Ladislav Bardos are also currently working on the use of plasma for hydrogen production in liquids. Results from their novel plasma source design confirm the highly efficient production of a hydrogen rich (65%) synthesis gas, from ethanol-water mixtures. The energy corresponds to 7 kWH per 1 kg of  hydrogen. They continue this applied research, in cooperation with  industry, for the development of a hydrogen-on-demand concept using renewable electric energy. The system can be also used for production of high value chemicals from low value feeds.

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More info on the website of the EPS Plasma Physics Division

The 2017 Alfvén prize is awarded to Ksenia Aleksandrovna Razumova, from the Kurchatov Institute (Moscow, Russia), for

“obtaining, for the first time, a macroscopically stable plasma column in a tokamak configuration; this led to the world-wide programme of experimental exploration and development of the tokamak concept for magnetic confinement fusion”.

The 2017 Innovation award is going to Michel Moisan, from the Université de Montréal (Québec, Canada), for

“pioneering contributions to the development and understanding of microwave plasma sources and their applications to materials processing, healthcare and environmental protection”.

 

Research in Plasma Physics has multiple and rich outcomes with direct and/or indirect applications. These applications, which are sometimes inconspicuous and even unknown to the layman, can have significant impacts on daily human life as well as on economic activity. Surprisingly, some of the impacts seem far from the basic Plasma Physics research which gave birth to these key original ideas, but nonetheless represent exemplary innovative strategies. Today, applications of Plasma Physics flourish in vastly different domains, such as radioactive waste transmutation, medicine, isotope separation processes (with fundamental applications to cancer therapy), infection treatment, material processing, torch cutting and welding, flat TV screens, lighting systems, thrusters, as well as countless other medical, industrial and engineering applications. Within the general framework of the relationship between "Science and Society", there is a strong effort on communication between research and public domains in many countries.

The European Physical Society is keenly aware of these important applications. As a dual gesture of stimulation and recognition, a new annual prize has been created by the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society. This prize targets research which has demonstrably led to robust innovative applications or important effects on society. Nominations in any fields are encouraged.

Establishment and Support
The prize has been established in 2008 and supported by the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physics Society. The Prize is given once a year and consists of 3000 euros and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient.  More information and previous winners can be found at :  http://plasma.ciemat.es/eps/awards/innovation-award/

Rules and eligibility :
Nominees need not now be working on the topics. Any work may be submitted. The recognized contribution may be a product, a process or a tool enabling practical application issued directly from plasma physics field.
Existing applications (i.e. excluding those expected to be developped within a short time or forthcoming future) will be taken into consideration. Moreover, applications developped in areas outside the plasma research field in which these were born will be analyzed by the jury. High technology products /tools which represent only extensions of works developped in the same original research field will be not considered.
Nominees need not to be EPS members. Nominees candidatures are submitted by nominators as detailed below. Proposals for prize sharing are also admitted. There is no restriction in terms of geography and/or nationality.


Nominations and selection Process
A broad spectrum of nominations and in particular from companies/institutions/National and/or Universities laboratories are encouraged to apply. To complete the nomination, you (the nominator) are asked to provide the EPS Plasma Physics Innovation Prize nomination form by November 8th 2013.
   

Completed forms should be sent to
Chair of the EPS Plasma Physics Division
Dr. Sylvie Jacquemot
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique
91128 Palaiseau cedex
France
Email address: sylvie.jacquemot@polytechnique.edu

Contacts

• Bertrand Lembège :     bertrand.lembege@latmos.ipsl.fr
• Holger Kernsten :         kersten@physik.uni-kiel.de
• Achim.vonKeudell:      Achim.vonKeudell@rub.de

More info

Website of the EPS Plasma Physics Division
Call for nominations for the 2014 EPS Plasma Physics Innovation prize