On December 24th, AES Andes, a subsidiary of the US power company AES Corporation, submitted a project for a massive industrial complex for environmental impact assessment. This complex threatens the pristine skies above ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the darkest and clearest of any astronomical observatory in the world [1]. The industrial megaproject is planned to be located just 5 to 11 kilometres from telescopes at Paranal, which would cause irreparable damage to astronomical observations, in particular due to light pollution emitted throughout the project’s operational life. Relocating the complex would save one of Earth's last truly pristine dark skies.

An irreplaceable heritage for humanity 

Since its inauguration in 1999, Paranal Observatory, built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), has led to significant astronomy breakthroughs, such as the first image of an exoplanet and confirming the accelerated expansion of the Universe. The Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020 was awarded for research on the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, in which Paranal telescopes were instrumental. The observatory is a key asset for astronomers worldwide, including those in Chile, which has seen its astronomical community grow substantially in the last decades. Additionally, the nearby Cerro Armazones hosts the construction of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the world’s biggest telescope of its kind — a revolutionary facility that will dramatically change what we know about our Universe.

“The proximity of the AES Andes industrial megaproject to Paranal poses a critical risk to the most pristine night skies on the planet,” highlighted ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons. “Dust emissions during construction, increased atmospheric turbulence, and especially light pollution will irreparably impact the capabilities for astronomical observation, which have thus far attracted multi-billion-Euro investments by the governments of the ESO Member States.”

The unprecedented impact of a megaproject 

The project encompasses an industrial complex of more than 3000 hectares, which is close to the size of a city, or district, such as Valparaiso, Chile or Garching near Munich, Germany. It includes constructing a port, ammonia and hydrogen production plants and thousands of electricity generation units near Paranal.

Thanks to its atmospheric stability and lack of light pollution, the Atacama Desert is a unique natural laboratory for astronomical research. These attributes are essential for scientific projects that aim to address fundamental questions, such as the origin and evolution of the Universe or the quest for life and the habitability of other planets.

A call to protect the Chilean skies 

“Chile, and in particular Paranal, is a truly special place for astronomy — its dark skies are a natural heritage that transcends its borders and benefits all humanity,” said Itziar de Gregorio, ESO’s Representative in Chile. “It is crucial to consider alternative locations for this megaproject that do not endanger one of the world's most important astronomical treasures.”

The relocation of this project remains the only effective way to prevent irreversible damage to Paranal's unique skies. This measure will not only safeguard the future of astronomy but also preserve one of the last truly pristine dark skies on Earth.

Notes

[1] A study by Falchi and collaborators, published in 2023 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, compared light pollution at all 28 major astronomical observatories, finding Paranal to be the darkest site among them.

image credit: CTAO

Bologna, Italy, 7 January 2025 – On January 7, 2025, the European Commission established the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), furthering its mission to become the world’s largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. The creation of the CTAO ERIC will enable the Observatory’s construction to advance rapidly and provide a framework for distributing its data worldwide, significantly accelerating its progress toward scientific discovery.

“The ERIC will streamline the construction and operation of the Observatory in a way that will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow,” stated Dr. Aldo Covello, Chair of the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR). “The ERIC status provides the CTAO with the legal stability and administrative advantages it needs to be sustainable in its worldwide operations and impact.”

The CTAO ERIC was established with the international support of 11 countries and one intergovernmental organisation that contribute to the technological development, construction and operation of the Observatory. The BGR represents this group and has been responsible for the preparation of the ERIC.

“We are grateful to our founding members for their support and to the European Commission for reaffirming their confidence in the CTAO as a world-class research infrastructure,” said Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Managing Director. “This milestone represents the culmination of years of dedicated planning by the diverse teams contributing to the success of the Observatory. With the CTAO ERIC, we now have a powerful instrument to consolidate our efforts and drive the project forward.”

The ERIC not only provides the Central Organisation with a formal framework to accept and operate the current telescope prototypes, but it also allows for the immediate start of construction for the full array of more than 60 telescopes across both telescope sites in Spain and Chile. On the CTAO-North site, where the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) is under commissioning, three additional LSTs and one Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) are expected to be built in the next 1-2 years. Meanwhile, on the CTAO-South site, the first five Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) and two MSTs are expected to be delivered by early 2026. Thus, with the aid of the ERIC, the Observatory is expected to be able to operate intermediate array configurations as early as 2026. These sub-sets of the final arrays will already be more sensitive than any existing instrument, bringing the Observatory’s early science within reach.

The impact of the ERIC will extend beyond hardware, influencing several other key areas. In the coming months, the Observatory will prepare to integrate and operate advanced software designed to control the telescopes and their supporting devices on-site, as well as to manage data processing. Additionally, the ongoing recruitment campaign will continue across all CTAO facilities, including the CTAO Headquarters in Italy and the CTAO Science Data Management Centre in Germany, ensuring robust support for these developments.

The CTAO was promoted to a “Landmark” on the European Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap 2018 and was ranked as the main priority among the new ground-based infrastructures in the ASTRONET Roadmap 2022-2035. Now, after years of extensive preparatory work, and with the final legal entity in place, the CTAO solidifies its standing in the global research community, facilitating synergies with other international organisations and observatories.

“The ERIC status strengthens the presence of the CTAO in Europe and its role as a key player in the European Research Area, but the support we have received and the scope of the CTAO ERIC’s influence goes far beyond European borders,” explained Prof. Federico Ferrini, co-Managing Director. “To build and operate the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory that serves the ambitious needs of the global scientific community, we are counting on an increasing number of partners from around the world.”          

The CTAO ERIC Members are Austria, Czech Republic, European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Additionally, Switzerland is an Observer, Japan is a Strategic Partner and Australia is a Third Party.

Read the complete article on the website of the European Research Council.

The renowned Swedish experimental physicist Professor Thomas Nilsson took up the position of the Scientific Managing Director at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR) GmbH on December 1, 2024. With his comprehensive experience and internationally recognized expertise, Professor Thomas Nilsson will play a leading role in shaping the scientific development of the research facility and the international accelerator center FAIR which is currently under construction. He succeeds Professor Paolo Giubellino, who has been appointed as President of Scientific Commission III at the National Research Association of Nuclear Physics INFN in Italy. Professor Thomas Nilsson was Head of the Physics Department at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg before starting his position in Darmstadt. He is also a member of the Physics Class of the prestigious Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which is responsible for selecting Nobel Prize laureates.

As Scientific Managing Director, Professor Thomas Nilsson is in charge of the entire scientific division of GSI and FAIR, and he is also the Spokesperson of the Management Board. Together with the Administrative Managing Director Dr. Katharina Stummeyer and the Technical Managing Director Jörg Blaurock, he forms the joint management board of GSI and FAIR and ensures the implementation of the strategic goals: To conduct international cutting-edge research on site, to realize the future FAIR accelerator facility in international cooperation and to also modernize the campus and the existing facilities.

“I am very much looking forward to actively advance the scientific development of GSI and FAIR in close collaboration with the international partners and an outstanding team of researchers. For decades, GSI has stood for excellent, internationally renowned cutting-edge research. The FAIR accelerator center will expand the global scale of research in a forward-looking way. My particular focus is on optimally promoting research work at GSI and FAIR through strategic planning and on offering researchers ideal conditions for outstanding scientific achievements. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the trust placed in me,” said Professor Thomas Nilsson on taking office.

With the appointment of Professor Thomas Nilsson, the international selection committee, consisting of representatives of the GSI Supervisory Board and the FAIR Council as well as renowned scientists, has gained an outstanding leader. The managing directors Dr. Katharina Stummeyer and Jörg Blaurock are looking forward to working together with their new colleague and emphasize: “GSI and FAIR will benefit significantly from Thomas Nilsson's broad scientific and strategic expertise. He is recognized worldwide for his research in the scientific fields relevant to FAIR and GSI. In addition, he has been closely associated with GSI and FAIR through his dedicated work on various committees for a long time. The decision to appoint Professor Nilsson as new Scientific Managing Director is an excellent choice. Together we will continue to successfully shape the future of GSI and FAIR.”

Professor Thomas Nilsson studied Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology and was a PhD student at the former TH (now TU) in Darmstadt, among others. From 1998 to 2004, he worked as a physics coordinator at the ISOLDE facility at the CERN research center in Switzerland, where he was also deputy group leader of the ISOLDE physics group. From 2005 to 2006, he worked as a researcher at TU Darmstadt and Chalmers University. At Chalmers University, he has been a full professor in physics since 2009 and Head of the Physics Department and part of the university management group since 2017.

In his research, Professor Thomas Nilsson focuses on how fundamental types of interactions manifest in subatomic systems, in particular in nuclei with large excesses of neutrons or protons, where exotic structures and properties emerge. His research is carried out with experiments using facilities providing beams of exotic nuclei, like CERN (ISOLDE facility) in Switzerland or GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt. He plays a significant role in the development of such facilities and the connected instrumentation, in particular at FAIR. 

With his projects and commitment, the renowned scientist not only makes important contributions to physics and research infrastructures, but also has extensive experience in the strategic planning of large research projects and international collaborations. He took on scientific tasks in advisory bodies and program committees, for example, at the Canadian National Accelerator Center TRIUMF and at the RIKEN Research Center in Japan.

Professor Thomas Nilsson has been significantly involved in the FAIR project for a long time. Now he will develop it further from a different perspective. He has already served in various positions on the FAIR Council and as a member of the GSI Supervisory Board. He has also been Vice-Chair of the Joint Scientific Council of FAIR and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of GSI since 2020. With his deep understanding of the international research landscape and his ability to develop and implement complex scientific strategies, Professor Thomas Nilsson will make a valuable contribution to the future of FAIR and GSI.

The illustration shows Earth in 3D on the left, with red dots on it. Some of the dots are brightened up in a yellow glow. To the right, a distant active galaxy, which is so far away that it is viewed as a star-like point of light, is depicted, with concentric circles around it that take up the entire frame. Illustration of the highest-resolution detections ever made from the surface of Earth - image credit: ESO

ESO, 27th August 2024. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has conducted test observations, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other facilities, that achieved the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of Earth [1]. They managed this feat by detecting light from distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz, equivalent to a wavelength of 0.87 mm. The Collaboration estimates that in future they will be able to make black hole images that are 50% more detailed than was possible before, bringing the region immediately outside the boundary of nearby supermassive black holes into sharper focus. They will also be able to image more black holes than they have done so far. The new detections, part of a pilot experiment, were published today in The Astronomical Journal.

The EHT Collaboration released images of M87*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the M87 galaxy, in 2019, and of Sgr A*, the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, in 2022. These images were obtained by linking together multiple radio observatories across the planet, using a technique called very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), to form a single ‘Earth-sized’ virtual telescope. 

To get higher-resolution images, astronomers typically rely on bigger telescopes — or a larger separation between observatories working as part of an interferometer. But since the EHT was already the size of Earth, increasing the resolution of their ground-based observations called for a different approach. Another way to increase the resolution of a telescope is to observe light of a shorter wavelength — and that’s what the EHT Collaboration has now done.

“With the EHT, we saw the first images of black holes using the 1.3-mm wavelength observations, but the bright ring we saw, formed by light bending in the black hole’s gravity, still looked blurry because we were at the absolute limits of how sharp we could make the images,” said the study's co-lead Alexander Raymond, previously a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), and now at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, both in the United States. “At 0.87 mm, our images will be sharper and more detailed, which in turn will likely reveal new properties, both those that were previously predicted and maybe some that weren’t.” 

To show that they could make detections at 0.87 mm, the Collaboration conducted test observations of distant, bright galaxies at this wavelength [2]. Rather than using the full EHT array, they employed two smaller subarrays, both of which included ALMA and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner in ALMA and co-hosts and co-operates APEX. Other facilities used include the IRAM 30-meter telescope in Spain and the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in France, as well as the Greenland Telescope and the Submillimeter Array in Hawaiʻi.

In this pilot experiment, the Collaboration achieved observations with detail as fine as 19 microarcseconds, meaning they observed at the highest-ever resolution from the surface of Earth. They have not been able to obtain images yet, though: while they made robust detections of light from several distant galaxies, not enough antennas were used to be able to accurately reconstruct an image from the data. 

This technical test has opened up a new window to study black holes. With the full array, the EHT could see details as small as 13 microarcseconds, equivalent to seeing a bottle cap on the Moon from Earth. This means that, at 0.87 mm, they will be able to get images with a resolution about 50% higher than that of previously released M87* and SgrA* [3] 1.3-mm images. In addition, there’s potential to observe more distant, smaller and fainter black holes than the two the Collaboration has imaged thus far.

EHT Founding Director Sheperd “Shep” Doeleman, an astrophysicist at the CfA and study co-lead, says: “Looking at changes in the surrounding gas at different wavelengths will help us solve the mystery of how black holes attract and accrete matter, and how they can launch powerful jets that stream over galactic distances.” 

This is the first time that the VLBI technique has been successfully used at the 0.87 mm wavelength. While the ability to observe the night sky at 0.87 mm existed before the new detections, using the VLBI technique at this wavelength has always presented challenges that took time and technological advances to overcome. For example, water vapour in the atmosphere absorbs waves at 0.87 mm much more than it does at 1.3 mm, making it more difficult for radio telescopes to receive signals from black holes at the shorter wavelength. Combined with increasingly pronounced atmospheric turbulence and noise buildup at shorter wavelengths, and an inability to control global weather conditions during atmospherically sensitive observations, progress to shorter wavelengths for VLBI — especially those that cross the barrier into the submillimetre regime — has been slow. But with these new detections, that’s all changed.

"These VLBI signal detections at 0.87 mm are groundbreaking since they open a new observing window for the study of supermassive black holes", states Thomas Krichbaum, a co-author of the study from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, an institution that operates the APEX telescope together with ESO. He adds: "In the future, the combination of the IRAM telescopes in Spain (IRAM-30m) and France (NOEMA) with ALMA and APEX will enable imaging of even smaller and fainter emission than has been possible thus far at two wavelengths, 1.3 mm and 0.87 mm, simultaneously."

Notes

[1] There have been astronomical observations with higher resolution, but these were obtained by combining signals from telescopes on the ground with a telescope in space: https://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/pressreleases/2022/2. The new observations released today are the highest-resolution ones ever obtained using only ground-based telescopes. 

[2] To test their observations, the EHT Collaboration pointed the antennas to very distant ‘active’ galaxies, which are powered by supermassive black holes at their cores and are very bright. These types of sources help to calibrate the observations before pointing the EHT to fainter sources, like nearby black holes.

[3] The GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer has also obtained extremely detailed observations of Sgr A*, pinpointing the exact location of the black hole and the material orbiting it with an accuracy of a few tenths of microarcseconds.

Winners of the 2024 CERN Beamline for Schools competition: “Mavericks” from Estonia (top right), “SPEEDers” from the USA (bottom right) and “Sakura Particles” from Japan (left) (Images: Mavericks, SPEEDers, Sakura Particles)

Geneva and Hamburg, 25 June 2024.  Beamline for Schools (BL4S) is a physics competition run by CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics, open to secondary school pupils from all around the world. Participants are invited to prepare a proposal for a physics experiment that can be undertaken at the beamline of a particle accelerator, either at CERN or at DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron in Hamburg, Germany). In 2024, three winning teams have been chosen, based on the scientific merit of their proposal and the communication merit of their video.

“Mavericks”, a team from the Secondary School of Sciences in Tallinn and the Hugo Treffner Gymnasium in Tartu, Estonia, and the team “Sakura Particles”, which brings together pupils from Kawawa Senior High School in Kanagawa, Joshigakuin Senior High School and Junten High School in Tokyo, Kawagoe Girls High School in Saitama and Kitano High School in Osaka, Japan, will travel to CERN in September 2024 to perform the experiments that they proposed. The team “SPEEDers” from Andover High School in Andover, USA, will carry out their experiment at a DESY beamline.

A beamline is a facility that provides high-energy fluxes of subatomic particles that can be used to conduct experiments in different fields, including fundamental physics, material science and medicine. 

BL4S started in 2014 in the context of CERN’s 60th anniversary. Over the past 10 years, more than 20 000 pupils from all over the world have taken part in the competition, and 25 teams have been selected as winners. The participation rate has been rising consistently over the years, with a record 461 teams from 78 countries submitting an experiment proposal in 2024. 

“Preparing a proposal for a particle physics experiment is a very challenging task. The success of Beamline for Schools shows that, when provided with the right support, high-school students can design feasible, interesting and imaginative experiments,” says Charlotte Warakaulle, CERN Director for International Relations. “We are continuously impressed by the quality of the proposals, and this year is no exception. The candidates demonstrated impressive creativity and great rigour, two essential qualities for students who might decide to take up scientific careers.”

The fruitful collaboration between CERN and DESY started in 2019 during a long shutdown period of the CERN accelerators. This is the sixth year that the German laboratory has hosted competition winners. 

“Every year I am very impressed by the creativity and determination of the team members,” says Beate Heinemann, Director in charge of Particle Physics at DESY. “I am already looking forward to hosting the team from the USA this year. This programme is so important to me as it advances not only science but also the cultural exchange between young people from different nations.”

“Our experiment will focus on detector development for high-altitude ballooning applications,” says Saskia Põldmaa, one of the “Mavericks” members, from Estonia. “This is by far the biggest opportunity we have had so far in our lifetime so we will hold onto it dearly. We can’t wait to calibrate our homemade muon detector!”

“Our team focuses on detector development for muon tomography applications. We will test and optimise our homemade two-dimensional position-sensitive detector,” says Chiori Matsushita from the Japanese “Sakura Particles” team. “CERN has always been a dream for us. Finally getting to go there, not as a tourist but to do experiments, is amazing!”

“We focus on beam diagnostics: our aim is to measure and analyse the Smith-Purcell (SP) radiation emitted by different diffraction gratings when DESY’s electron or positron beams pass by,” says Niranjan Nair from the US “SPEEDers” team. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to not just watch scientific advancement passively, but actively contribute to it at DESY: the ultimate goal of our experiment is to research SP radiation as a tool for beam diagnostics.”

The winning proposals were selected by a committee of CERN and DESY scientists from a shortlist of 49 particularly promising experiments. In addition, three teams will be recognised for the most creative video proposals and another 13 teams for the quality of physics outreach activities they are organising in their local communities, taking advantage of the knowledge gained by participating in BL4S.

Beamline for Schools is an education and outreach project funded by the CERN & Society Foundation’s donors.This 11th edition is supported notably by ROLEX through its Perpetual Planet Initiative and by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation.

Further information:

18th June 2024, press release ESO
In late 2019 the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before. To understand why, astronomers have used data from several space and ground-based observatories, including the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), to track how the galaxy’s brightness has varied. In a study out today, they conclude that they are witnessing changes never seen before in a galaxy — likely the result of the sudden awakening of the massive black hole at its core.

“Imagine you’ve been observing a distant galaxy for years, and it always seemed calm and inactive,” says Paula Sánchez Sáez, an astronomer at ESO in Germany and lead author of the study accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. “Suddenly, its [core] starts showing dramatic changes in brightness, unlike any typical events we've seen before.” This is what happened to SDSS1335+0728, which is now classified as having an ‘active galactic nucleus’ (AGN) — a bright compact region powered by a massive black hole — after it brightened dramatically in December 2019 [1].

Some phenomena, like supernova explosions or tidal disruption events — when a star gets too close to a black hole and is torn apart — can make galaxies suddenly light up. But these brightness variations typically last only a few dozen or, at most, a few hundreds of days. SDSS1335+0728 is still growing brighter today, more than four years after it was first seen to ‘switch on’. Moreover, the variations detected in the galaxy, which is located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, are unlike any seen before, pointing astronomers towards a different explanation.

The team tried to understand these brightness variations using a combination of archival data and new observations from several facilities, including the X-shooter instrument on ESO’s VLT in Chile’s Atacama Desert [2]. Comparing the data taken before and after December 2019, they found that SDSS1335+0728 is now radiating much more light at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The galaxy also started emitting X-rays in February 2024. “This behaviour is unprecedented,” says Sánchez Sáez, who is also affiliated with the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS) in Chile.

“The most tangible option to explain this phenomenon is that we are seeing how the [core] of the galaxy is beginning to show (...) activity,” says co-author Lorena Hernández García, from MAS and the University of Valparaíso in Chile. “If so, this would be the first time that we see the activation of a massive black hole in real time.”

Massive black holes — with masses over one hundred thousand times that of our Sun — exist at the centre of most galaxies, including the Milky Way. “These giant monsters usually are sleeping and not directly visible,” explains co-author Claudio Ricci, from the Diego Portales University, also in Chile. “In the case of SDSS1335+0728, we were able to observe the awakening of the massive black hole, [which] suddenly started to feast on gas available in its surroundings, becoming very bright.”

“[This] process (...) has never been observed before,” Hernández García says. Previous studies reported inactive galaxies becoming active after several years, but this is the first time the process itself — the awakening of the black hole — has been observed in real time. Ricci, who is also affiliated with the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University, China, adds: “This is something that could happen also to our own Sgr A*, the massive black hole (...) located at the centre of our galaxy," but it is unclear how likely this is to happen. 

Follow-up observations are still needed to rule out alternative explanations. Another possibility is that we are seeing an unusually slow tidal disruption event, or even a new phenomenon. If it is in fact a tidal disruption event, this would be the longest and faintest such event ever observed. “Regardless of the nature of the variations, [this galaxy] provides valuable information on how black holes grow and evolve,” Sánchez Sáez says. “We expect that instruments like [MUSE on the VLT or those on the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)] will be key in understanding [why the galaxy is brightening].”  

Notes

[1] The SDSS1335+0728 galaxy’s unusual brightness variations were detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope in the US. Following that, the Chilean-led Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events (ALeRCE) broker classified SDSS1335+0728 as an active galactic nucleus.

[2] The team collected archival data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the eROSITA instrument on IKI and DLR’s Spektr-RG space observatory. Besides ESO’s VLT, the follow-up observations were conducted with the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR), the W. M. Keck Observatory, and NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) was launched in 2020 by the IAEA Director General to increase the number of women in the nuclear field, supporting an inclusive workforce of men and women who contribute to and drive global scientific and technological innovation.

The programme aims to inspire and encourage women to pursue a career in the nuclear related field, by providing highly motivated female students with scholarships for master’s programmes and an opportunity to pursue an internship facilitated by the IAEA. Scholarships are awarded annually.

In the selection of students, consideration is given to geographic and field of study diversity, in addition to eligibility requirements and other criteria. The selected students are awarded up to €20,000 for tuition costs and up to €20,000 for living costs for their master’s programme (the amount will vary depending on the duration of the programme, costs associated with tuition as well as location of the studies). Upon completion of their studies, students who pursue an internship facilitated by the IAEA, in line with their specialization in the nuclear field, are also provided with a stipend for up to 12 months. The internships may take place at the IAEA or in nuclear organizations in the public or private sector.  Additionally, students are provided with opportunities to attend and participate in various educational, professional, and networking events. MSCFP recipients also have a chance to become a part of the programme’ s LinkedIn Student and Alumni Group where they can connect with their peers and exchange knowledge and experience, as well as find out about technical events and career opportunities. Since its launch in 2020, MSCFP has received 2271 applications, selecting 560 students from 121 nationalities studying in 72 countries worldwide. By end of March 2024, 201 students have already completed their master’s programme with support of MSCFP.  From these graduates, 110 have been confirmed for an internship facilitated by the IAEA at the IAEA departments and labs (Seibersdorf and Monaco), IAEA Collaborating Centres, and other nuclear organizations in the public or private sector in various countries The internships are linked to the students’ areas of specialization in fields ranging from nuclear energy, nuclear science and applications, nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear safety and security and nuclear law.   The remaining graduates have pursued PhD studies or obtained employment in their field.  The programme is envisaged to grow each year to ensure more women have an opportunity to pursue advanced education in the nuclear related field.

More information about the programme

• Meet the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme students | IAEA
• Watch Marie Curie Fellowship Programme
• MSCFP brochure

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ProtoDUNE begins liquid argon filling (Image: CERN)

This will be a significant step towards testing ProtoDUNE for the next era of neutrino research

CERN’s Neutrino Platform houses a prototype of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) known as ProtoDUNE, which is designed to test and validate the technologies that will be applied to the construction of the DUNE experiment in the United States.

Recently, ProtoDUNE has entered a pivotal stage: the filling of one of its two particle detectors with liquid argon. Filling such a detector takes almost two months, as the chamber is gigantic – almost the size of a three-storey building. ProtoDUNE’s second detector will be filled in the autumn.

ProtoDUNE will use the proton beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron to test the detecting of charged particles. This argon-filled detector will be crucial to test the detector response for the next era of neutrino research. Liquid argon is used in DUNE due to its inert nature, which provides a clean environment for precise measurements. When a neutrino interacts with argon, it produces charged particles that ionise the atoms, allowing scientists to detect and study neutrino interactions. Additionally, liquid argon's density and high scintillation light yield enhance the detection of these interactions, making it an ideal medium for neutrino experiments.

Interestingly, the interior of the partially filled detector now appears green instead of its usual golden colour. This is because when the regular LED light is reflected inside the metal cryostat, the light travels through the liquid argon and the wavelength of the photons is shifted, producing a visible green effect.

The DUNE far detector, which will be roughly 20 times bigger than protoDUNE, is being built in the United States. DUNE will send a beam of neutrinos from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago, Illinois, over a distance of more than 1300 kilometres through the Earth to neutrino detectors located 1.5 km underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota.

Watch a short time-lapse video of protoDUNE being filled with liquid argon: https://youtu.be/FweOvhKsqaM

Planet-forming discs in three clouds of the Milky Way - image credit: ESO

ESO, 5th March 2024. In a series of studies, a team of astronomers has shed new light on the fascinating and complex process of planet formation. The stunning images, captured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in Chile, represent one of the largest ever surveys of planet-forming discs. The research brings together observations of more than 80 young stars that might have planets forming around them, providing astronomers with a wealth of data and unique insights into how planets arise in different regions of our galaxy.

“This is really a shift in our field of study,” says Christian Ginski, a lecturer at the University of Galway, Ireland, and lead author of one of three new papers published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics. “We’ve gone from the intense study of individual star systems to this huge overview of entire star-forming regions.”

To date more than 5000 planets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, often within systems markedly different from our own Solar System. To understand where and how this diversity arises, astronomers must observe the dust- and gas-rich discs that envelop young stars — the very cradles of planet formation. These are best found in huge gas clouds where the stars themselves are forming.

Much like mature planetary systems, the new images showcase the extraordinary diversity of planet-forming discs. “Some of these discs show huge spiral arms, presumably driven by the intricate ballet of orbiting planets,” says Ginski. “Others show rings and large cavities carved out by forming planets, while yet others seem smooth and almost dormant among all this bustle of activity,” adds Antonio Garufi, an astronomer at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and lead author of one of the papers.

The team studied a total of 86 stars across three different star-forming regions of our galaxy: Taurus and Chamaeleon I, both around 600 light-years from Earth, and Orion, a gas-rich cloud about 1600 light-years from us that is known to be the birthplace of several stars more massive than the Sun. The observations were gathered by a large international team, comprising scientists from more than 10 countries.

The team was able to glean several key insights from the dataset. For example, in Orion they found that stars in groups of two or more were less likely to have large planet-forming discs. This is a significant result given that, unlike our Sun, most stars in our galaxy have companions. As well as this, the uneven appearance of the discs in this region suggests the possibility of massive planets embedded within them, which could be causing the discs to warp and become misaligned.

While planet-forming discs can extend for distances hundreds of times greater than the distance between Earth and the Sun, their location several hundreds of light-years from us makes them appear as tiny pinpricks in the night sky. To observe the discs, the team employed the sophisticated Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument (SPHERE) mounted on ESO’s VLT. SPHERE’s state-of-the-art extreme adaptive optics system corrects for the turbulent effects of Earth’s atmosphere, yielding crisp images of the discs. This meant the team were able to image discs around stars with masses as low as half the mass of the Sun, which are typically too faint for most other instruments available today. Additional data for the survey were obtained using the VLT’s X-shooter instrument, which allowed astronomers to determine how young and how massive the stars are. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, on the other hand, helped the team understand more about the amount of dust surrounding some of the stars.

As technology advances, the team hopes to delve even deeper into the heart of planet-forming systems. The large 39-metre mirror of ESO’s forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), for example, will enable the team to study the innermost regions around young stars, where rocky planets like our own might be forming. 

For now, these spectacular images provide researchers with a treasure trove of data to help unpick the mysteries of planet formation. “It is almost poetic that the processes that mark the start of the journey towards forming planets and ultimately life in our own Solar System should be so beautiful,” concludes Per-Gunnar Valegård, a doctoral student at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who led the Orion study. Valegård, who is also a part-time teacher at the International School Hilversum in the Netherlands, hopes the images will inspire his pupils to become scientists in the future.

More information

This research was presented in three papers to appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The data presented were gathered as part of the SPHERE consortium guaranteed time programme, as well as the DESTINYS (Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars) ESO Large Programme.

1. “The SPHERE view of the Chamaeleon I star-forming region: The full census of planet-forming disks with GTO and DESTINYS programs” (https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202244005)

The team is composed of C. Ginski (University of Galway, Ireland; Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, the Netherlands [Leiden]; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands [API]), R. Tazaki (API), M. Benisty (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, France [Grenoble]), A. Garufi (INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy), C. Dominik (API), Á. Ribas (European Southern Observatory, Chile [ESO Chile]), N. Engler (ETH Zurich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Switzerland), J. Hagelberg (Geneva Observatory, University of Geneva, Switzerland), R. G. van Holstein (ESO Chile), T. Muto (Division of Liberal Arts, Kogakuin University, Japan), P. Pinilla (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Germany [MPIA]; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, UK), K. Kanagawa (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan), S. Kim (Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University, China), N. Kurtovic (MPIA), M. Langlois (Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, CNRS, UCBL, France), J. Milli (Grenoble), M. Momose (College of Science, Ibaraki University, Japan [Ibaraki]), R. Orihara (Ibaraki), N. Pawellek (Department of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Austria), T. O. B. Schmidt (Hamburger Sternwarte, Germany), F. Snik (Leiden), and Z. Wahhaj (ESO Chile).

2. “The SPHERE view of the Taurus star-forming region: The full census of planet-forming disks with GTO and DESTINYS programs” (https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347586)

The team is composed of A. Garufi (INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy [INAF Arcetri]), C. Ginski (University of Galway, Ireland), R. G. van Holstein (European Southern Observatory, Chile [ESO Chile]), M. Benisty (Laboratoire Lagrange, Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, France; Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, France [Grenoble]), C. F. Manara (European Southern Observatory, Germany), S. Pérez (Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons [YEMS]; Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile [Santiago]), P. Pinilla (Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, UK), A. Ribas (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK), P. Weber (YEMS, Santiago), J. Williams (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai‘i, USA), L. Cieza (Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile [Diego Portales]; YEMS), C. Dominik (Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands [API]), S. Facchini (Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy), J. Huang (Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, USA), A. Zurlo (Diego Portales; YEMS), J. Bae (Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, USA), J. Hagelberg (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, Switzerland), Th. Henning (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany [MPIA]), M. R. Hogerheijde (Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, the Netherlands; API), M. Janson (Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Sweden), F. Ménard (Grenoble), S. Messina (INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Italy), M. R. Meyer (Department of Astronomy, The University of Michigan, USA), C. Pinte (School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Australia; Grenoble), S. Quanz (ETH Zürich, Department of Physics, Switzerland [Zürich]), E. Rigliaco (Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy [Padova]), V. Roccatagliata (INAF Arcetri), H. M. Schmid (Zürich), J. Szulágyi (Zürich), R. van Boekel (MPIA), Z. Wahhaj (ESO Chile), J. Antichi (INAF Arcetri), A. Baruffolo (Padova), and T. Moulin (Grenoble).

3. “Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars (DESTINYS): The SPHERE view of the Orion star-forming region” (https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347452)

The team is composed of P.-G. Valegård (Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands [API]), C. Ginski (University of Galway, Ireland), A. Derkink (API), A. Garufi (INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy), C. Dominik (API), Á. Ribas (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK), J. P. Williams (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai‘i, USA), M. Benisty (University of Grenoble Alps, CNRS, IPAG, France), T. Birnstiel (University Observatory, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany [LMU]; Exzellenzcluster ORIGINS, Germany), S. Facchini (Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy), G. Columba (Department of Physics and Astronomy "Galileo Galilei" - University of Padova, Italy; INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy), M. Hogerheijde (API; Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, the Netherlands [Leiden]), R. G. van Holstein (European Southern Observatory, Chile), J. Huang (Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, USA), M. Kenworthy (Leiden), C. F. Manara (European Southern Observatory, Germany), P. Pinilla (Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, UK), Ch. Rab (LMU; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Germany), R. Sulaiman (Department of Physics, American University of Beirut, Lebanon), A. Zurlo (Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile; Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile; Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons).

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration for astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as survey telescopes such as VISTA. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates ALMA on Chajnantor, a facility that observes the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society. 

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. 

Links

• Research papers: Chamaeleon, Taurus, Orion
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At the Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK, a European research team has succeeded in generating 69 megajoules of energy from 0.2 milligrams of fuel. This is the largest amount of energy ever achieved in a fusion experiment.

Fusion power plants are designed to fuse light atomic nuclei, following the example of the sun, in order to harness huge amounts of energy for humanity from very small amounts of fuel. The European research consortium EUROfusion is pursuing the concept of magnetic fusion, which is considered by experts to be the most advanced. With the large-scale experiments ASDEX Upgrade and Wendelstein 7-X, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) is driving forward research into this in Germany.

For experiments with the fuel of future power plants (deuterium and tritium), Europe's scientists operated the JET research facility near Oxford together with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). A new world record was set there on 3 October 2023: 69 megajoules of fusion energy were released in the form of fast neutrons during a 5.2 second plasma discharge. 0.2 milligrams of fuel were required for this. The same amount of energy would have required about 2 kilograms of lignite – ten million times as much. JET thus beat its own record from 2021 (59 megajoules in 5 seconds).

"This world record is actually a by-product. It was not actively planned, but we were hoping for it," explains IPP scientist Dr Athina Kappatou, who worked for JET as one of nine Task Force Leaders. "This experimental campaign was mainly about achieving the different conditions necessary for a future power plant and thus testing realistic scenarios. One positive aspect, however, was that the experiments from two years ago could also be successfully reproduced and even surpassed." The latter was the case with the record-breaking experiment. The entire campaign is essential for the future operation of the international fusion plant ITER, which is currently being built in southern France, as well as for the planned European demonstration power plant DEMO. Over 300 scientists and engineers from EUROfusion contributed to these landmark experiments.

The JET record did not achieve a positive energy balance – in other words, more heating energy had to be invested in the plasma than fusion energy was generated. In fact, an "energy gain" is physically impossible with JET and all other current magnetic fusion experiments worldwide. For a positive energy balance, these fusion plants must exceed a certain size, which will be the case with ITER.

The record-breaking experiment (JET pulse #104522) in the autumn was one of the last ever at JET. After four decades the facility ceased operations at the end of 2023.

Review in Nature Review Physics discusses major challenges in the field of superheavy elements and their nuclei and provides an outlook on future developments

Since the turn of the century, six new chemical elements have been discovered and subsequently added to the periodic table of elements, the very icon of chemistry. These new elements have high atomic numbers up to 118 and are significantly heavier than uranium, the element with the highest atomic number (92) found in larger quantities on Earth. This raises questions such as how many more of these superheavy species are waiting to be discovered, where – if at all – is a fundamental limit in the creation of these elements, and what are the characteristics of the so-called island of enhanced stability. In a recent review, experts in theoretical and experimental chemistry and physics of the heaviest elements and their nuclei summarize the major challenges and offer a fresh view on new superheavy elements and the limit of the periodic table. One of them is Professor Christoph Düllmann from the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM). In its February issue, the world's leading high-impact journal Nature Review Physics presents the topic as its cover story.

Visualizing an island of stability of superheavy nuclei

Already in the first half of the last century, researchers realized that the mass of atomic nuclei is smaller than the total mass of their proton and neutron constituents. This difference in mass is responsible for the binding energy of the nuclei. Certain numbers of neutrons and protons lead to stronger binding and are referred to as “magic”. In fact, scientists observed early on that protons and neutrons move in individual shells that are similar to electronic shells, with nuclei of the metal lead being the heaviest with completely filled shells containing 82 protons and 126 neutrons – a doubly-magic nucleus. Early theoretical predictions suggested that the extra stability from the next “magic” numbers, far from nuclei known at that time, might lead to lifetimes comparable to the age of the Earth. This led to the notion of a so-called island of stability of superheavy nuclei separated from uranium and its neighbors by a sea of instability.

There are numerous graphical representations of the island of stability, depicting it as a distant island. Many decades have passed since this image emerged, so it is time to take a fresh look at the stability of superheavy nuclei and see where the journey to the limits of mass and charge might lead us. In their recent paper titled "The quest for superheavy elements and the limit of the periodic table", the authors describe the current state of knowledge and the most important challenges in the field of these superheavies. They also present key considerations for future development.

Elements up to oganesson (element 118) have been produced in experiments, named, and included in the periodic table of elements in accelerator facilities around the world, such as at GSI in Darmstadt and in future at FAIR, the international accelerator center being built at GSI. These new elements are highly unstable, with the heaviest ones disintegrating within seconds at most. A more detailed analysis reveals that their lifetimes increase towards the magic neutron number 184. In the case of copernicium (element 112), for example, which was discovered at GSI, the lifetime increases from less than a thousandth of a second to 30 seconds. However, the neutron number 184 is still a long way from being reached, so the 30 seconds are only one step on the way. Since the theoretical description is still prone to large uncertainties, there is no consensus on where the longest lifetimes will occur and how long they will be. However, there is a general agreement that truly stable superheavy nuclei are no longer to be expected.

Revising the map of superheavy elements

This leads to a revision of the superheavy landscape in two important ways. On the one hand, we have indeed arrived at the shores of the region of enhanced stability and have thus confirmed experimentally the concept of an island of enhanced stability. On the other hand, we do not yet know how large this region is – to stay with the picture. How long will the maximum lifetimes be, with the height of the mountains on the island typically representing the stability, and where will the longest lifetimes occur? The Nature Reviews Physics paper discusses various aspects of relevant nuclear and electronic structure theory, including the synthesis and detection of superheavy nuclei and atoms in the laboratory or in astrophysical events, their structure and stability, and the location of the current and anticipated superheavy elements in the periodic table.

The detailed investigation of the superheavy elements remains an important pillar of the research program at GSI Darmstadt, supported by infrastructure and expertise at HIM and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, forming a unique setting for such studies. Over the past decade, several breakthrough results were obtained, including detailed studies of their production, which led to the confirmation of element 117 and the discovery of the comparatively long-lived isotope lawrencium-266, of their nuclear structure by a variety of experimental techniques, of the structure of their atomic shells as well as their chemical properties, where flerovium (element 114) represents the heaviest element for which chemical data exist. Calculations on production in the cosmos, especially during the merging of two neutron stars, as observed experimentally for the first time in 2017, round off the research portfolio. In the future, the investigation of superheavy elements could be even more efficient thanks to the new linear accelerator HELIAC, for which the first module was recently assembled at HIM and then successfully tested in Darmstadt, so that further, even more exotic and therefore presumably longer-lived nuclei will also be experimentally achievable. An overview of the element discoveries and first chemical studies at GSI can be found in the article “Five decades of GSI superheavy element discoveries and chemical investigation,” published in May 2022.

Geneva, January 25, 2024. Today CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, announced a programme to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2024. This landmark year honours CERN's remarkable contributions to scientific knowledge, technological innovation and international collaboration in the field of particle physics. Throughout the year, a variety of events and activities will showcase the Laboratory’s rich past as well as its bright future.

Leading up to an official high-level ceremony on 1 October, the preliminary anniversary programme, spanning the entire year, offers a rich array of events and activities, aimed at all types of audiences, at CERN and in the Organization’s Member States and Associate Member States and beyond. The first public event, scheduled for 30 January, will combine science, art and culture, and will feature a panel of eminent scientists discussing the evolution of particle physics and CERN’s significant contributions in advancing this field. On 7 March and 18 April, special events will showcase the practical applications of high-energy physics research in everyday life. Mid-May will see a focus on the importance of global collaboration in scientific endeavours, while the events in June and July will explore the current unanswered questions in particle physics and the facilities being planned for future breakthroughs. From talks by distinguished scientists and exhibitions showing CERN’s cutting-edge research and the diversity of its science and its people, to public engagement initiatives worldwide, everyone will find something to enjoy in this programme.

“CERN’s achievements over the 70 years of its history show what humanity can do when we put aside our differences and focus on the common good”, says Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General. “Through the celebrations of CERN’s 70^thanniversary, we will demonstrate how, over the past seven decades, CERN has been at the forefront of scientific knowledge and technological innovation, a model for training and education, collaboration and open science, and an inspiration for citizens around the world. This anniversary is also a great opportunity to look forward: CERN’s beautiful journey of exploration into the fundamental laws of nature and the constituents of matter is set to continue into the future with new, more powerful instruments and technologies.”

CERN came to life in 1954, in the aftermath of the Second World War, to bring excellence in scientific research back to Europe and to foster peaceful collaboration in fundamental research. This collective effort has pushed back the frontiers of human knowledge and of technology. As more powerful accelerators and experiments were built, foundational discoveries and innovations were made: among others, Georges Charpak revolutionised detection with his multiwire proportional chamber in 1968, the neutral currents were discovered in the 1970s, the W and Z bosons were discovered in 1983, the precision measurement of the Z boson and of other parameters of the electroweak theory was made in the 1990s thanks to the Large Electron Positron (LEP) collider, the Large Hadron Collider started up in 2009, and the Higgs boson was discovered in 2012. CERN is also the birthplace of the World Wide Web and has generated technologies that are used in other fields, including medical diagnostics and therapy and environmental protection.

Today, CERN counts 23 Member States, 10 Associate Member States and a vibrant community of 17,000 people from all over the world, with more than 110 nationalities represented. Currently, the Laboratory is home to the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. Building on its remarkable legacy of research and technological development, CERN is already looking to the future, in particular by studying the feasibility of a Future Circular Collider.

“This anniversary year is for everyone and should engage and inspire scientists, policy makers and the public. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone at CERN for the many events being planned, but also to the celebrations in our Member States, Associate Member States and beyond”, says Luciano Musa, coordinator of the CERN 70^thanniversary. “These international events are a testament to CERN's impact on scientific knowledge, technological development and worldwide collaboration.”

CERN extends an invitation to everyone to take part in these inspiring events, which aim to kindle scientific curiosity, honour scientific progress and collaborative efforts, and underscore the role of science in society.

Join us in this year of celebration as we honour our glorious past and shape a bright future for CERN and its community.

For the complete CERN70 anniversary events and programme of activities, please visit: cern.ch/cern70. 

The ISOLDE set-up used to study the exotic nucleus of aluminium. (Image: CERN)

Geneva, 28th November 2023

Experiments at CERN and the Accelerator Laboratory inJyväskylä, Finland,haverevealed that the radius of an exoticnucleus ofaluminium,^26mAl, is much larger than previously thought. The result, described in a paper just published inPhysical Review Letters, sheds light on the effects of the weak force onquarks–the elementary particles that make upprotons,neutronsand other composite particles.

Among thefourknown fundamental forcesof nature–the electromagnetic force, the strong force, the weak force and gravity –the weakforcecan,with a certain probability, change the“flavour”ofaquark. The Standard Model of particle physics, which describes all particles and their interactions with one another, does not predict the value of this probability, but, for a given quark flavour, does predict thesum of allpossibleprobabilitiesto be exactly1. Therefore, the probability sum offers a way to test the Standard Model and search for new physics: if theprobabilitysum is found to be different from 1, itwould imply new physicsbeyond the Standard Model.

Interestingly, the probability sum involving the up quark is presently in apparent tension with the expected unity, although the strength of the tension depends on the underlying theoretical calculations.This sum includes the respective probabilities of the down quark, the strange quark and the bottom quark transforming into the up quark.

The first of these probabilities manifests itselfinthebeta decayof an atomic nucleus, in which a neutron (made of one up quark and two down quarks)changes into a proton (composed of two up quarks and one down quark)or vice versa.However, due to the complex structure of the atomic nuclei that undergo beta decays, an exact determination of this probability is generally not feasible. Researchers thus turn to a subset of beta decays that are less sensitive to the effects of nuclear structure to determine the probability. Among the several quantities that are needed to characterise such “superallowed” beta decays is the (charge) radius of the decaying nucleus.

This is where the new result for the radius of the^26mAlnucleus, which undergoes a superallowed beta decay, comes in. The result was obtained by measuring the response of the^26mAlnucleus to laser light in experiments conducted at CERN’s ISOLDE facility and the AcceleratorLaboratory’s IGISOL facility. The new radius, a weighted average of the ISOLDE and IGISOL datasets, is much larger than predicted, and the upshot is a weakening of the current apparent tension inthe probability sum involving the up quark.

“Charge radii of other nuclei that undergo superallowed beta decays have been measured previously at ISOLDE and other facilities, and efforts are under way to determine the radius of⁵⁴Co at IGISOL,”explains ISOLDE physicist and lead author of the paper, Peter Plattner. “But^26mAlis a rather unique case as, although it is the most precisely studied of such nuclei, its radius has remained unknown until now, and, as it turns out, it is much larger than assumed in the calculation of theprobability of the down quark transforming into the up quark.”

“Searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model, including those based on the probabilities of quarks changing flavour, are often a high-precision game,” says CERN theorist Andreas Juttner. “This result underlines the importance of scrutinising all relevant experimental and theoretical results in every possible way.”

Past and present particle physics experiments worldwide, including the LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, have contributed, and are continuing to contribute, significantly to our knowledge of the effects of the weak force on quarks through the determination ofvarious probabilities of a quarkflavour change. However,nuclear physics experiments onsuperallowed beta decays currently offer the best way to determine theprobability of the down quark transforming into the up quark, and this may well remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Illustration of two types of long-lived particles decaying into a pair of muons, showing how the signals of the muons can be traced back to the long-lived particle decay point using data from the tracker and muon detectors. / Représentation graphique de deux types de particules à vie longue se désintégrant en paires de muons ; les signaux correspondant aux muons peuvent être associés au point où la particule à vie longue s'est désintégrée, à l’aide des données provenant du trajectographe et des détecteurs de muons. (Image: CMS/CERN)

Geneva, 13th november 2023

The CMS experiment has presented its first search for new physics using data from Run 3 of the Large Hadron Collider. The new study looks at the possibility of “dark photon” production in the decay of Higgs bosons in the detector. Dark photons are exotic long-lived particles: “long-lived” because they have an average lifetime of more than a tenth of a billionth of a second – a very long lifetime in terms of particles produced in the LHC – and “exotic” because they are not part of the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model is the leading theory of the fundamental building blocks of the Universe, but many physics questions remain unanswered, and so searches for phenomena beyond the Standard Model continue. CMS’s new result defines more constrained limits on the parameters of the decay of Higgs bosons to dark photons, further narrowing down the area in which physicists can search for them.

In theory, dark photons would travel a measurable distance in the CMS detector before they decay into “displaced muons”. If scientists were to retrace the tracks of these muons, they would find that they don’t reach all the way to the collision point, because the tracks come from a particle that has already moved some distance away, without any trace.

Run 3 of the LHC began in July 2022 and has a higher instantaneous luminosity than previous LHC runs, meaning there are more collisions happening at any one moment for researchers to analyse. The LHC produces tens of millions of collisions every second, but only a few thousand of them can be stored, as recording every collision would quickly consume all the available data storage. This is why CMS is equipped with a real-time data selection algorithm called the trigger, which decides whether or not a given collision is interesting. Therefore, it is not only a higher volume of data that could help to reveal evidence of the dark photon, but also the way in which the trigger system is fine-tuned to look for specific phenomena.

“We have really improved our ability to trigger on displaced muons,” says Juliette Alimena from the CMS experiment. “This allows us to collect much more events than before with muons that are displaced from the collision point by distances from a few hundred micrometres to several metres. Thanks to these improvements, if dark photons exist, CMS is now much more likely to find them.”

The CMS trigger system has been crucial to this search, and was especially refined between Runs 2 and 3 to search for exotic long-lived particles. As a result, the collaboration has been able to use the LHC more efficiently, obtaining a strong result using just a third of the amount of data as previous searches. To do this, the CMS team refined the trigger system by adding a new algorithm called a non-pointing muon algorithm. This improvement meant that even with just four to five months of data from Run 3 in 2022, more displaced-muon events were recorded than in the much larger 2016–18 Run 2 dataset. The new coverage of the triggers vastly increases the momentum ranges of the muons that are picked up, allowing the team to explore new regions where long-lived particles may be hiding.

The CMS team will continue using the most powerful techniques to analyse all data taken in the remaining years of Run 3 operations, with the aim of further exploring physics beyond the Standard Model.

The experiment was conducted at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory (RIBF) at the RIKEN research center in Japan. The ²⁸O nuclei were produced in collisions of accelerated ions of the radioactive fluorine isotope ²⁹F with a hydrogen target, in which a proton was shot out of the fluorine. Subsequently, the decay of the ²⁸O into ²⁴O and four neutrons had to be measured. Thanks to the utilization of the NeuLAND neutron detector setup, four neutrons could be observed in coincidence with the charged remnant nucleus for the first time.

“NeuLAND is being developed at GSI/FAIR and built with the participation of German university groups for the R3B experiment at the FAIR facility. For the current experiment, we flew the detector to RIKEN in Japan and recommissioned it on site,” explains Professor Thomas Aumann, who heads the Research department Nuclear Reactions at GSI/FAIR and holds a professorship for experimental nuclear physics with exotic ion beams at TU Darmstadt. “The realization required an extraordinary effort, in which the Darmstadt groups at GSI/FAIR and the TU Darmstadt made a central contribution.”

The most stable oxygen isotope is composed of eight protons and eight neutrons, while ²⁸O has eight protons and 20 neutrons. Understanding the properties of such extremely neutron-rich nuclei is of great importance for the further development and for tests of modern nuclear theories. These, in turn, form the basis for predicting and understanding properties of neutron-rich nuclei and neutron-rich nuclear matter, which play a major role in our universe, for example in the synthesis of the heavy elements. They are for example produced in collisions of neutron stars, which have recently been detected by multi-messenger astronomy using the measurement of gravitational waves.

“The result impressively highlights the relevance and contribution of the detector setups developed for FAIR, such as in this case the NeuLAND detector, which was essential to conduct the experiment,” says Professor Paolo Giubellino, Scientific Managing Director of GSI and FAIR. “Together with our Japanese colleagues, with whom we have a long-standing successful collaboration, and in an international team of top researchers, we were able to achieve this outstanding result, of which all involved can be very proud.”

The participation of German universities in the development and construction of the R3B NeuLAND detector was substantially supported through the BMBF's collaborative research program. The experiment was funded by the DFG through the collaborative research center SFB 1245 “Atomic nuclei: From Fundamental Interactions to Structure and Stars” at the TU Darmstadt.

From left to right: President of the CERN Council, Eliezer Rabinovici, President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, CERN Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti, Chair of Stellantis, John Elkann, and architect, Renzo Piano, right after cutting the ribbon of Science Gateway, officially declaring the project open.

Geneva, 7 October 2023. Today, CERN inaugurated its new state-of-the-art facility for science education and outreach. In a day-long inauguration event, CERN debuted Science Gateway to the President of the Swiss Confederation, ministers and other high-level authorities from CERN’s Member and Associate Member States, the project’s donors and partners in CERN’s research, education and outreach. Designed by world-renowned Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the new facility is open to visitors from around the world, from the age of five and upwards. It will allow CERN to significantly expand its portfolio of educational and outreach activities. CERN Science Gateway will be open to the public as of tomorrow, 8 October 2023.

The inauguration ceremony began with an address by Fabiola Gianotti, the CERN Director-General, who stressed the value of education and outreach with the public. “Sharing CERN’s research and the beauty and utility of science with the public has always been a key objective and activity of CERN, and with Science Gateway, as of tomorrow, we can expand significantly this component of our mission. We want to show the importance of fundamental research and its applications to society, infuse everyone who comes here with curiosity and a passion for science, and inspire young people to take up careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)” she said. “Science Gateway will be a place where scientists and the public can interact daily. For me, personally, Science Gateway is a dream that has become a reality and I am deeply grateful to all the people who have contributed, starting with our generous donors.”

CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, is the home of the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.

In his address, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, said: “Those familiar with Venn diagrams will agree that this invisible circle puts CERN at the intersection between Switzerland, France and Europe, thus symbolising its commitment to shared scientific and political values. CERN truly is an exceptional facility and one that enables Switzerland and Geneva to shine on the world stage.”

The iconic building, inspired by the tubular structure of CERN’s accelerators, comprises five areas housing exhibitions, laboratories and an auditorium that can be flexibly configured into different spaces depending on requirements, as well as a shop and a restaurant. 

The transparent glass panels and bridges further represent CERN’s commitment to collaboration across borders and culture and open science that is accessible to all.

Renzo Piano, chief architect of the project, said: “This will be a place where people meet: kids, students, adults, teachers and scientists, everybody attracted by the exploration of the Universe, from the infinitely vast to the infinitely small. It is a bridge, in both a metaphorical and a real sense. This building is fed by the energy of the Sun, landed in the middle of a newly grown forest.”

Not only is the building visually striking, but CERN and the architects committed to it being fully carbon neutral, and almost 4000 square metres of solar panels supply more power than the building’s needs. Over 400 trees have been planted, situating the whole campus in a living forest. 

While the full project was launched in 2018, construction of the Science Gateway campus took just over two years, with the first stone of the building being laid on 21 June 2021.

This new facility would not have been possible without the generous support of the CERN Science Gateway sponsors, who share the same values and, through their contributions, want to pay tribute to education and knowledge for the benefit of society. The overall cost of Science Gateway was about 100 million Swiss francs, and this was funded exclusively through donations. In particular, the Stellantis Foundation is the largest single donor and contributed 45 million Swiss francs towards the project. John Elkann, Chairman of Stellantis, said: “CERN is an example of how we can work together in harmony, using scientific knowledge and ingenuity for the greater good. Stellantis Foundation is proud to partner with such an institution as it opens to the public the new Science Gateway, which also celebrates a great innovator like Sergio Marchionne. My family and I strongly believe in the power of education, which is the mission of the Fondazione Agnelli : a commitment we reinforce today with conviction and passion.”

As part of wider society, Stellantis takes action to advance human achievement. Stellantis, through its philanthropic activities and its Foundation, invests in individuals through education projects that spark innovation and excellence. 

The Fondation Hans Wilsdorf is also a major donor. Other donors are the LEGO foundation, the Loterie Romande, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Rolex, the Carla Fendi Foundation, the Fondation Gelbert, Solvay, the Fondation Meyrinoise du Casino and the town of Meyrin. CERN thanks the République et Canton de Genève and the CERN and Society Foundation for their support.

The ceremony took place in the new 900-seat auditorium, named after Sergio Marchionne, former CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, who recently passed away. Guests visited the education laboratories and the unique immersive exhibitions and enjoyed the Big Bang Café, the Collider Circle square and other areas of the Science Gateway campus.

Throughout the day, guided by CERN scientists and children of CERN personnel, visitors were able to experience first-hand the range of Science Gateway’s opportunities, from interactive exhibitions to laboratories for hands-on experiments and immersive spaces. They also had the opportunity to appreciate CERN’s scientific breakthroughs and technologies, learn about the history of the Universe and admire the mysteries of the quantum world. Teenagers guided guests through various enquiry-based laboratory activities throughout the afternoon. 

Eliezer Rabinovici, President of the CERN Council, speaking on behalf of CERN’s Member and Associate Member States, said: “Today we celebrate the courage and passion to innovate that CERN has always demonstrated and the commitment to share the fruits of its research with people from all countries and of all ages. May the science leaders of tomorrow come from among the curious children who will fill this wonderful place with joy in the coming years.”

The new centre is expected to host up to 500 000 visitors a year from across the world. Science Gateway will be free of charge and open 6 days a week, from Tuesday to Sunday.

The European Commission and the United Kingdom reached a political agreement on 7th September 2023 on the UK's participation in Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme, and Copernicus, the EU's world-leading Earth observation programme.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The EU and UK are key strategic partners and allies, and today's agreement proves that point. We will continue to be at the forefront of global science and research.”

This mutually agreed solution follows in-depth discussions between the EU and the UK and will be beneficial to both. It will allow the EU and UK to deepen their relationship in research, innovation and space, bringing together research and space communities.

Today's agreement remains fully in line with the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK will be required to contribute financially to the EU budget and is subject to all the safeguards of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Overall, it is estimated that the UK will contribute almost €2.6 billion per year on average for its participation to both Horizon Europe and the Copernicus component of the Space programme.

In more detail

As of 1 January 2024, researchers and organisations in the UK will be able to participate in Horizon Europe on par with their counterparts in EU Member States and will have access to Horizon Europe funding. This will reinforce the opportunity to be part of a worldwide network of researchers and innovators aimed at tackling global challenges in climate, energy, mobility, digital, industry and space, health, and more.

Association to Copernicus will enable the UK's contribution to a strategically important space programme with a state-of-the art capacity to monitor the Earth and to access its services. Copernicus makes an essential contribution in reaching our European Green Deal and net-zero objectives.

The UK will also have access to services from the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking, a component of the EU Space Programme.

Next steps

Today's political agreement must now be approved by the Council before being formally adopted in the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes.

Background

The UK association to certain EU programmes is governed by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The agreement on the Windsor Framework earlier this year allowed the EU and the UK to open a new chapter in their partnership, based on mutual trust and full cooperation.

For more information

• Joint statement by the European Commission and UK Government
  
• Questions and Answers
  
• Horizon Europe
  
• Copernicus
  
• EU SST – EU Space Surveillance and Tracking
  

University of Mainz, 7th September 2023. Important milestone reached in "Project 8" experiment to measure neutrino mass

Neutrinos are ubiquitous elementary particles that interact only very weakly with normal matter. Therefore, they usually penetrate it unhindered and are therefore also called ghost particles. Nevertheless, neutrinos play a predominant role in the early universe. In order to fully explain how our universe evolved, we need above all to know their mass. But so far, it has not been possible to determine this mass.

The international Project 8 collaboration wants to change this with its new experiment. For the first time, Project 8 is using a completely new technology to determine the neutrino mass, the so-called "Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy" - CRES for short. In a recent publication in the renowned journal Physical Review Letters, the Project 8 collaboration has now been able to show that the CRES method is indeed suitable for determining the neutrino mass and has already set an upper limit for this fundamental quantity in a first measurement – an important milestone has thus been reached. From Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the research groups of Prof. Dr. Martin Fertl and Prof. Dr. Sebastian Böser are involved, both researchers at the Cluster of Excellence PRISMA⁺. Dr. Christine Claessens, former PhD student of Sebastian Böser and now postdoc at the University of Washington in Seattle (USA), made a crucial contribution to the current publication as part of her PhD thesis.

Electrons as the key to neutrino mass

The Project 8 experiment uses the beta decay of radioactive tritium to track neutrino mass. Tritium is a heavy relative of hydrogen – a so-called isotope. It is unstable and consists of one proton and two neutrons. By converting one of these neutrons into a proton, tritium decays to helium while emitting an electron and an antineutrino. "And here's the kicker," says Martin Fertl. "Since neutrinos and their antiparticles have no electric charge, they are very difficult to detect. Therefore, we don't even try to detect them. Instead, we measure the energy of the resulting electrons via their orbital frequency in a magnetic field. Based on the shape of the energy spectrum of the electrons, we then determine the neutrino mass, or set an upper limit on that mass in this way."

Very precise measurement of electron energy is necessary

To obtain reliable results, the energy of the electrons must be measured extremely precisely. This is because the resulting (anti)neutrino is incredibly light, at least 500,000 times lighter than an electron. "When neutrinos and electrons are produced simultaneously, the neutrino mass has only a tiny effect on the electron's motion. And we want to see this small effect," explains Sebastian Böser. The method that makes this possible is called "Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy" (CRES). It registers the microwave radiation emitted by the nascent electrons when they are forced into a circular path in a magnetic field. The frequency of the emitted radiation can be determined extremely precisely and then the mass of the neutrino can be inferred from the electron energy.

To make this work, Christine Claessens has made a decisive experimental contribution: "As part of my doctoral thesis, I developed, among other things, an event detection system consisting of a real-time trigger and an offline event reconstruction. This system searches for the characteristic CRES features in the continuously digitized and processed radio frequency signal. Reconstruction of the start frequency of each electron event enables high-precision recording of a tritium decay spectrum." On this basis, Christine Claessens succeeded in analyzing the first tritium spectrum recorded with CRES with respect to systematic uncertainties – and thus in calculating a first upper limit for the neutrino mass with this new technology, which has now found its way into the latest publication.

There, the Project 8 collaboration specifically reports 3,770 tritium-beta decay events that were registered over a period of 82 days in a sample cell the size of a single pea. The sample cell is cooled to very low temperatures and placed in a magnetic field that causes the escaping electrons to travel in a circular path long enough for the detectors to register a microwave signal. Crucially, no false signals or background events are registered that could be mistaken for or mask the "real signal". "The resulting first-time determination of the upper limit for the neutrino mass with a purely frequency-based measurement technique is a very promising result, since we can measure frequencies very accurately nowadays," Sebastian Böser and Martin Fertl conclude.

Next steps are already underway

After the successful proof of principle, the next step is ready: For the final experiment, the researchers need individual tritium atoms, which they create from the fission of tritium molecules. This is tricky because tritium, like hydrogen, prefers to form molecules. Developing such a source – first for atomic hydrogen and later for atomic tritium – is an important contribution of the Mainz team.

At the moment the Project 8 collaboration, which includes members from ten research institutions worldwide, is working on testing designs for scaling up the experiment from a pea-sized sample chamber to one a thousand times larger. This will allow far more beta decay events to be registered. At the end of a multi-year research and development program, the Project 8 experiment should eventually surpass the sensitivity of previous experiments – such as the current KATRIN experiment – to provide a value for neutrino mass for the first time.