EPJ Plus Highlight - Unexpected Instability in a Rapid Cycling Synchrotron
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- Published on 15 April 2025
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing have shown that simplified models of radio-frequency shielding in the CSNS synchrotron had missed the narrow-band impedance that led to loss of power in the beam.
The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), located in Guangdong, China, includes a linear accelerator, a rapid cycling synchrotron, two beamlines and a target that provide high-energy neutron, proton and muon beams for a wide variety of applications. As the power of the beams increased, scientists observed that an unexpected instability in the impedance at the synchrotron led to substantial beam loss. A group of physicists based at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing and at the synchrotron, and led by Professor Sheng Wang, have tracked down the source of the instability and discovered how to mitigate it. This work has now been published in EPJ Plus.
EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: The Magic of Glass
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- Published on 11 April 2025
Guest Editors: Giancarlo C. Righini, Luisa Cifarelli & Francesco Noferini
Glass is a magical material, one that offers a unique flexibility of design regarding its composition, which in turn allows its optical, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties to be tailored. Thanks to these qualities, it has not only made substantial contributions to the advancement of science (from astronomy and microscopy to modern photonics) but also offers artists an exceptional medium that can be creatively modelled and shaped. This Focus Point explores various aspects of glass science and technology, with contributions addressing: sustainability in industrial glass manufacture; a Raman study on the structure of volcanic glasses; glass artefact conservation; glass for photonics; medium infrared fibre lasers; a whispering gallery modes microlaser; optical and spectroscopic characterization of rare-earth-doped glasses and bioglasses; and glass for particle physics detectors. Though by no means exhaustive, the aim of this Focus Point is to give readers an idea of the various and varied areas of physics and chemistry where glass is an indispensable material.
The articles included in this Focus Point Issue are available here and are freely accessible until 10 June 2025. For further information read the Editorial.
EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Nonlinear optical systems and applications
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- Published on 19 February 2025
Guest Editors: J. Mou and Q. Zhou
Nonlinear optical systems have played a key role in modern technology. Innovations in the field of nonlinear optics have driven the development of several applications in efficient optical communications, quantum computing, and precision sensing. In this Focus Point on Nonlinear Optical Systems and Applications, cutting-edge research on nonlinear optical systems is discussed in depth, which not only focuses on the nonlinear dynamical behavior and noise effects in optical fibers but also explores the construction and application of nonlinear optical systems. These studies are crucial to further promote the performance optimization of optical networks. It is worth mentioning that the nonlinear optical system can be used as a pseudorandom number generator, and the complex pseudorandom sequences can be well applied in cryptography. In the future, research on nonlinear optics is expected to realize more stable optical communication and further increase the communication speed.
The articles included in the Topical Collection are available here and are freely accessible until 31 March 2025. For further information read the Editorial.
EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Citizen science for physics: from education to crowdsourcing fundamental research
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- Published on 17 February 2025
Guest Editor: Despina Hatzifotiadou
Citizen science is growing in popularity and is certainly encouraged by many stakeholders, as it cements that much-needed interrelation of a modern society with the scientific and technological understanding of its members, and as a powerful tool to promote public engagement in general.
This focus point aims to foster research-level citizen science in physics, with contributions from the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) project, ATLAS Open Data, Name that Neutrino (IceCube), Gravity Spy, and LHC@home, and further revisits applications to social physics and the gamification of quantum science. Additionally, extended reviews of the results from notable European initiatives (REINFORCE, ASTERICS and ESCAPE) are presented.
This collection provides further impetus for the physics community to find new ways of connecting both fundamental and applied research with the growing demand and support for citizen science.
All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 30 April 2025. For further information read the Editorial.
EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue - Radiation protection issues in the environment and workplaces
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- Published on 13 December 2024
Guest Editors: M. Magnoni, L. Garlati, G.M. Contessa, S. Grande
We are proud to announce the release of the Focus Point "Radiation Protection Issues in the Environment and Workplaces". This collection brings together cutting-edge research presented at the 2022 and 2023 Italian Radiation Protection Association (AIRP) Conferences, along with recent studies from other AIRP scientific events.
With contributions from over 200 radiation protection professionals from universities, research institutions, and public agencies, the issue provides a comprehensive overview of the most important topics in radiation protection. The papers cover critical areas such as Medical and Health Physics, Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning, Dosimetry, Environmental and Natural Radioactivity, and Non-Ionizing Radiation.
EPJ Plus Highlight - Painting materials in San Salvatore crypt, Italy, confirmed to be from the Lombard Period
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- Published on 11 December 2024
Complemeting PIXE spectroscopy with two further techniques, electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, plus infrared photography has allowed a full characterisation of the pigments making up these important medieval paintings.
The eighth-century church and crypt of San Salvatore in Brescia, Italy is one of the most important pieces of Early Medieval religious architecture in that country, if not in Europe as a whole. The crypt is known for its remarkable wall paintings. The pigments used in these were analysed about twenty years ago using a non-destructive technique, PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission Spectroscopy), but the results were largely inconclusive. An international group of scientists led by Alessandro Zucchiatti of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and the University of Genoa, Italy has now performed a much more detailed analysis of these pigments, leading to important insights into their nature. This work is now published in EPJ Plus.
EPJ Plus Highlight - Modelling antineutrinos emitted from nuclear reactors during fission
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- Published on 10 December 2024
Nuclear fission is the most reliable source of antineutrinos, but they are difficult to characterise. A new study suggests how their emission can be simulated most effectively.
Antineutrinos are mysterious fundamental anti-particles with no charge and an exceptionally small but non-zero mass. The JUNO project (Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory) in China is a large scintillation detector designed to detect them and to characterise their properties, particularly in precise measurements of that tiny mass. Anti-particles are hard to measure and even harder to control, even when they come from a strong and reliable source.
A group of Italian physicists, led by Monica Sisti of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) in Milan and Antonio Cammi of the Politecnico di Milano and part of the JUNO collaboration of over 700 scientists from 17 countries, has now modelled parameters that determine the ‘antineutrino spectrum’ emitted by a source. Their results are published in the journal EPJ Plus.
EPJ Plus Highlight - Assessing the place of citizen science in modern research
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- Published on 24 June 2024
New analysis presents recommendations for EU-funded research projects on how citizen science can be deployed to ensure the best possible outcomes for both research and public engagement.
In recent years, numerous fields of research have seen an explosion in the volume and complexity of their scientific data. To keep pace with these changes, EU-funded research projects are increasingly crowdsourcing their data through citizen science projects, which allow the public to engage directly with their research.
Through a detailed analysis published in EPJ Plus, Stephen Serjeant and colleagues at The Open University present new recommendations for how citizen science should be deployed to ensure the best possible outcome for research. The team’s insights could help researchers to better understand the potential impacts of this new way of doing science.
EPJ Plus expands and refines scope of geophysics section to become Earth System Physics
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- Published on 07 June 2024
EPJ Plus has both expanded and refined the scope of its geophysics section to become Earth System Physics, which is encompassing all topics and methodologies that view the rapidly growing field of Earth System Science through the lens of physics. The aim is to offer a platform for discussing fresh perspectives and understanding of the dynamics and scales connecting geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere and the forming of environments and climates. At the same time the new scope wishes to recognize and foster the transformative potential of deep learning in the field - the connections between data scientists and geoscientist are still developing, and physically-informed AI represents not just an evolution in methodology but a paradigm shift in how to conceptualize and engage with Earth System Science.
For more information please read the Editorial by Antonio Navarra, the Managing Editor of this section.
EPJ Plus Highlight - A guide for early-career researchers in computational science
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- Published on 03 May 2024
A new article offers a valuable guide for new graduate students starting out their careers in computational science.
In recent years, a growing number of students have embraced scientific computation as an integral component of their graduate research. Yet since many of them are new to the field, they often have little to no coding experience, or any prior knowledge of computational tools. For many students starting out in the field, this can seem daunting, and leaves them unsure of where to start.
In a new article published in EPJ Plus, a team led by Idil Ismail, a current graduate student at the University of Warwick, UK, present an introductory guide to the field for researchers embarking on new careers. The team's work will help new graduate students to navigate the complexities of scientific computation science as they begin their journey in computational science research and could ultimately help the wider field to become more transparent and inclusive.
