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Workshop
Announcement for the 4th Workshop on FAIR Data in Plasma Science
We are happy to announce the 4th Workshop on FAIR Data in Plasma Science (FDPS-IV), which will take place online and in-person on
12-13 May, 2025 at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) in Greifswald, Germany.
This workshop is intended to provide an overview of successful solutions for collaborative research data management with the goal to make data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). It is a continuation of annual events on research data management in the low-temperature plasma (LTP) community in the past years. Open for everyone, the FDPS-IV workshop provides insights into best practice in day-to-day research work as well as infrastructure tools for handling of research data. To even broaden the discussion on future applications, a poster session will be held in-person.
Call for poster contributions
Researchers, data managers, and practitioners are invited to contribute to the discussion with a poster on their solutions on research data management. Submissions that highlight real-world experiences, best practices, and insights related to the integration of FAIR principles into research workflows are encouraged.
Registration
The workshop will be held as a hybrid meeting and participation is free of charge. Please save the date and register by following the registration link on the workshop website: https://www.plasma-mds.org/ws-fair-data-plasma-science-4.html.
Poster contributions must be submitted during the registration process. Please note that the attendance in person at INP and the number of poster spaces is limited, so early registration is encouraged to secure your spot (max. DIN A0, portrait format).
The registration will be closed on 4th May, 2025.
Contact
The workshop organization is part of the activities of the working group Experimental Plasma Physics at the Kiel University (CAU), the INF project of the CRC 1316 at the Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB) and of the department Plasma Modelling and Data Science at Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP).
Dr. Markus Becker
Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP)
Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2
17489 Greifswald
Germany
E-mail:
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
The student's project week during the fall vacations
The project week at the Ruhr University Bochum took place again this autumn break. Students could choose from three workshops. In the workshop 'From Plasma to Gold Layer', they learned exciting facts about the properties and diverse applications of plasmas. The students used the sputter coater to create thin layers of gold and examined the coatings. They investigated the best way to deposit the layers and presented their research in a poster session. The project week also provided an opportunity to learn about the working environment of scientists and current research projects and to get a taste of university life.
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Study Orientation Day
Luminous plasmas were ignited at MINTsight.BOchum
On 18th February the MINTsight.BOchum, a study orientation day took place. High school students attended a lecture, were guided through laboratories, and could participate in exciting workshops. In our plasma workshop, students gained hands-on experience with these fascinating gases and gained insight into studying electrical engineering and physics, as well as plasma research at the Ruhr University Bochum.
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Workshop
Unconcious Bias
On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, members of the SFB 1316 participated in a workshop on the topic of Unconscious Bias led by Dr. Juliane Handschuh. The workshop's objective was to understand the impact of prejudices in scientific research and general work environments and learn to recognize unconscious biases in oneself and in the workplace. After Dr. Handschuh gave an introductory talk on the topic, the group was divided into groups of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and Principal Investigators (PIs) to encourage an open exchange. In preparation for the workshop, participants had been encouraged to anonymously submit personal incidents where they experienced a bias. The group exercises were used as case studies and foundation for discussion. Together, strategies to recognize and adequately approach unconscious biases were developed as a directly affected person and as a bystander. At the end of the workshop, both groups joined again for a final discussion. The workshop provided valuable insights into the complex topic of unconscious biases and has provided the members of the SFB with practical tools to foster a more inclusive research environment.
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Plasma School Bad Honnef
Plasma School
The 27th International Plasma School on "Low Temperature Plasma Physics: Basics and Applications," took place from October 5 to October 10, 2024, in Bad Honnef, Germany. The Master Class titled “Plasmas, Liquids, and Nanomaterials,” was held from October 11th to October 12th, 2024. For more information , please visit our website: www.plasma-school.org.
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Workshop
Understanding the theory of particles in plasmas
On Monday, January 22nd, scientists meet at RUB for the yearly meeting "Plasma and Particle Theory Day" to discuss the theory of particles in plasmas. Understanding the collective behavior of ionized particles is in the focus of research. A particular challenge is to understand how physical collisions of particles and the interactions between ions and electromagnetic fields are included in the various equations to describe the systems. In astrophysics, often these equations are dominated by the interaction of particles with electromagnetic waves. This is the research focus of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1491, "Cosmic Interacting Matters - From Source to Signal", centered at RUB. The research department of Plasmas with Complex Interactions also hosts SFB1316, "Transient Atmospheric Plasmas: From Plasmas to Liquids to Solids". Here, non equilibrium processes in atmopsheric plasmas for species conversion are the topic of research. Compared to astrophysical plasmas, these atmopsheric plasmas are very dense and physical collisions dominate the equations. It is the goal of the Plasma and Particle Theory day to move toward exploring the region in which both terms play a significant role. This is for instance the case in molecular clouds in the Milky way, in which the degree of ionization is as low as ~30% and naturally, collisions become important in the description. Another example is the physics of lightning that can be tested in the plasma lab and for which a briding theory is needed to understand the physics of atmospheric lightning. Once the particle interactions become inelastic, i.e at high energies or at extreme densities like they exist in neutron stars, the classical description needs to be replaced by the quantum mechanical one. Scientists therefore discuss the different methods, how synergies can be build and what the next steps are to build a consistent framework to combine classical and quantum-mechanical interactions.
Figure: Lukas Merten, TP4, RUB
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Nuclear Fusion
Navigating New Frontiers in Fusion: ITER's Material Evolution
Boronization: A Three-Decade Journey Professor Jörg Winter's pioneering technique, "boronization," takes center stage as a key player in this evolution. Developed over three decades, this plasma-chemical process involves coating surfaces with a thin boron layer. Professor Winter's recent insights shared at ITER shed light on the principles and challenges of this technique, adding depth to the ongoing fusion discourse.
Discover more about this Fusion Evolution: Link to the full article
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Conference
Radio2023 Conference: Advancements and Challenges in German Radio Astronomy
The "Radio2023" conference recently convened at Ruhr University Bochum, offering insights into the progress and challenges within German radio astronomy. One hundred astronomers attended the event which facilitated collaborative discussions focusing on exciting new scientific results as well as innovative strategies for managing complex data sets from telescopes like LOFAR, MeerKAT, SKAO, DSA2000, and ngVLA.
Highlighting the importance of existing telescopes, including LOFAR and MeerKAT, as foundation to future instruments, the conference emphasized the need for novel approaches for data processing and storage.
The conference served as a crucial platform for operators of national data centers to discuss technical requirements and assess the feasibility of upcoming projects.
In summary, "Radio2023" provided a forum for fruitfully discussing current achievements, future opportunities, and challenges within German radio astronomy, ensuring a collaborative and informed approach to advancing the field.
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Conference
Judith Golda joins AVS 69th International Symposium
Judith Golda, representing CRC 1316, captivated audiences at the AVS 69th International Symposium in Portland, Oregon, from November 5-10, 2023. Her invited talk, "Fundamentals of atmospheric pressure discharges for plasma catalytic applications," highlighted the critical role of atmospheric pressure discharges in plasma catalysis. Her presentation presented theory and application, emphasizing the transformative potential of understanding these discharges for catalytic processes in industries, environmental remediation, and energy production.
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Outreach
Plasma Physics for high school students
The project week for high school students is an educational program of the CRC 1316, the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the RUB and of zdi (Zukunft durch Innovation; Future through innovation). Which takes place twice a year.
From April 3-6 , the project week was hosted for 60 female students in grades 8 to 10. The girls chose be- between four workshops: plasma physics, astronomy, physics in medicine and sustainable house design. The project “From Plasma to Gold Layers” allows the students to gain an insight into the generation and applications of plasmas. Using the sputter coater and professional laboratory equipment, the students could deposit and examine gold layers themselves. During the project week, the students attended a lecture by Prof. Dr Judith Golda on “hands-on plas- mas – between material science and medicine“, and visited laboratories and the Planetarium Bochum. On the closing day, the results of the students’ research were presented in a poster session, followed by a quiz and lunch. The next project week in Autumn for female and male students in grades 8 and 9 will take place from October 9-13 .
The Faculty of Physics enables students to complete a school internship in Physics. From March 27-31, we welcomed two interns from grade 9. After a short introduction to plasma physics, the students worked on the sputter coater. They examined the coated samples. For this purpose, they determined the transmission with a spectrometer, the layer thickness with the profilometer and the conductivity. The interns also gained experience in handling data and in data evaluation. The goal of the internship is also to give an impression of laboratory work and current research. Therefore, doctoral students, bachelor’s and master’s students guided the interns through the labs and presented their experiments. The interns also visited the NRW state competition “Jugend forscht”, which took place at the Ruhr University Bochum March 27-29 .
The “mobile plasma workshop” took place for the first time on June 5, and visited an 11th-grade physics class in Essen. In the beginning, the students watched a short movie and received basic knowledge about plasmas and their applications. After a short quiz, they worked on the experiments in smaller groups. The students examined the light emitted by plasmas with an optical spectrometer and observed how electric and magnetic fields can influence plasmas. Information on the experiments on the students' tablets guided the workshop. The workshop was a success, and the students showed great interest. Through the students’ feedback, we have gained insights on how to improve our workshop going forward. 
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DAAD Exchange
Scientific results of DAAD exchange presented at ISPC 25
Prof. Judith Golda from RUB and Prof. Claire Douat from GREMI in Orléans have arranged several exchange visits between the groups with measurement cam- paigns in the respective laboratories within the frame- work of a DAAD exchange program (part of a PROCOPE project) and have already partially carried them out. The focus of the exchange is on the investigation of the role of CO in the treatment of biological substrates.
At the end of April, the French delegation consisting of Prof. Claire Douat, Eloise Mestre and Dr. Inna Orel was again in Bochum to measure rotational temperatures on the kHz-jet from Orléans. Here, with the support of Dr. Laura Chauvet as well as Daniel Henze in the labora- tory of Prof. Judith Golda, experimental results could again be obtained. In the end, several successful meas- urement campaigns were carried out over the last few visits. Therefore, the revisit was used to lay the foundation for a cooperative publication of the two groups, which will be submitted soon. Finally, Eloïse Mestre presented their results at the ISPC 25 conference in Kyoto, Japan.
Dr. Laura Chauvet, Daniel Henze, Prof. Dr. Judith Golda (all from RUB), Prof. Dr. Claire Douat, Eloïse Mestre, Dr. Inna Orel (all from GREMI); from left to right