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Project week during the autumn holidays
During the autumn holidays, highschool students in classes 8 and 9 enjoyed an eventful week full of physics, experiments and research at the Alfried Krupp Schülerlabor at the Ruhr University Bochum. In the workshop ‘From Plasma to Gold Coating,’ the students discovered the exciting characteristics of luminous gases and their numerous applications, such as in surface coating. They visited laboratories, observed researchers at work and learned that plasmas can also be ignited in liquids. In Prof. Scherer's lecture ‘From Diamonds, Pencil Tips and Symmetries,’ they learned how to (theoretically) turn a pencil tip into a diamond. Other highlights included a visit to the planetarium, meals together in the mensa and a physics duel followed by pizza. We would like to thank all participants for their curiosity and fascination for physics and are already looking forward to the next project week!
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10th anniversary of the RAPP Center
We were delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the RAPP Center with some special events!
The celebrations began with a festive ceremony attended by representatives from all participating universities, including Prof. Albert (Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen), Prof von Keudell(Prorector of Ruhr University Bochum), and Prof. McElvany (Prorector of TU Dortmund ) .
A true highlight of the evening was the premiere of our planetarium show „Unser exotisches Universum“ (“Our Exotic Universe”), which captivated the audience with fascinating insights into the science of our CRC.
The evening concluded with a reception and refreshments, providing a wonderful opportunity for conversation and connection.
The celebrations continued with a scientific conference featuring international invited speakers, held in the unique atmosphere of the German Mining Museum „Deutsches Bergbaumuseum“.
Over two days, participants engaged in stimulating discussions covering the wide range of topics represented within the RAPP Center. The event fostered lively scientific exchange and helped to strengthen the sense of community within our research network.
We are proud of what the RAPP Center has achieved over the past decade and look forward to many more years of exciting collaboration and discovery!
Picture: Some impressions from our premiere celebration.
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Premiere of the SFB1491 Planetarium Show
We are pleased to announce that the SFB1491 planetarium show Unser exotisches Universum will premiere on October 8, 2025, as part of the 10th anniversary ceremony of the RAPP Center.
The production offers audiences a unique glimpse into the wide-ranging research conducted within our CRC:
Combining cutting-edge scientific insights with visually stunning projections, the show takes viewers on a journey through the exciting world of modern physics and astrophysics — from experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and cosmic rays in the Milky Way and other galaxies to stellar explosions and active galactic nuclei (AGNs).
Please note that the show is currently available in German only. An English version is in preparation.
Beginning October 12, the show will be presented regularly at the Planetarium Bochum and at other venues, including the LWL-Museum für Naturkunde mit Planetarium and Planetarium Mannheim .
Further information on the detailed schedule at the Planetarium Bochum can be found here.
Please also have a look at the RUB's News article on our show here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmYDtF8V4OM?si=qsycfGYqsZnERfWR
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Plasma experiments with the mouse
On 3th October, we celebrated the nationwide Mouse Day.
The Faculty of Physics at Ruhr-University Bochum invited children to discover the exciting world of physics and try their hand at lots of experiments.
In our workshop, the children were able to explore the glow of plasma and its applications. As a souvenir, the Mouse fans coated small ducks with gold using plasma.
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Exciting News in Plasma Physics and Dark Matter Research
A recent study by the scientist Kevin Schoeffler, together with his colleagues Nitin Shukla (CINECA High-Performance Computing Department, Italy), and Luis Silva (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal), has set a strong upper bound on long-range dark matter interactions through plasma physics. The research explores the intriguing possibility that dark matter could be charged under a unique “dark electromagnetism” (dark-EM), causing it to behave like a cold collisionless plasma.
Using advanced simulations, the team discovered that plasma instabilities could lead to significant slowdowns in dark matter dynamics.
Interestingly, astronomical observations of colliding galaxy clusters like the so-called „Bullet Cluster“ only fits to their findings if the interaction strength is extremely weak. As a result, they established a strong upper bound on the dark electromagnetic self-interaction constant.
This new constraint is much stronger than previous limits, suggesting that dark electromagnetic interactions are highly restricted.
This research not only advances our understanding of dark matter but also opens new avenues for further exploration and verification through observational measurements.
Read the full article here:
Can plasma physics establish a significant bound on long-range dark matter interactions?
K. Schoeffler N. Shukla and L. O. Silva, Phys. Rev. D 111, L071701
And please have a look at the popular science article here:
Intergalactic Collision Constrains Dark Electromagnetism
Physics 18, s48
Picture: Counterstreaming slabs of dark matter plasma, shown in blue, are slowed down while interacting with dark magnetic fields, shown in red, which are generated by kinetic plasma instabilities.
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Public lecture „Die Geburt stellarer Monster - Über die Entstehung der massereichsten Sterne im Universum“
We are pleased to invite you to the public lecture “Die Geburt stellarer Monster - Über die Entstehung der massereichsten Sterne im Universum " (in German).
In his talk, Rolf Kuiper will explore how the most massive stars in the cosmos are formed, which are rare in number, but extremely bright. He will connect the latest insights from astrophysical simulations with brand-new observations of young, massive star-forming regions that have only recently become accessible.
When 25.6.25 at 20:00
Where Planetarium Bochum
For registration and further information, please have a look at the Planetarium’s homepage.
Picture:
In the S 106 region, about 2,000 light-years from Earth, a particularly massive star is being born.
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Plasma Science for the 21st century - CRC1316 presents its goal to the National Teachers Congress
The 115th MNU congress took place in Bochum 1st-4th of May 2025. Judith Golda and Achim von Keudell presented a lecture on plasma science of the CRC1316 in combination with a few experiments from the plasma truck portfolio. A large audience was impressed and inspired by the enormous range of applications of plasmas.