Loading ...
Global Do...
Science
Science
47
1
European Physical Society
EDP Sciences
Try Now
Log In
Pricing
<p>THE MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY europhysicsnews News and views from the former EPS presidents The nuclear history of the universe On the physics of high-rise building collapses We shoot a bullet vertically. Where will it land? EPS directory V olum e 47 • num b er 4 European U nion countries price: 104€ per year (VAT not included) 47/4 2016 EPN 47/4 01 CONTENTS EPS EDITORIAL 03 Large-Scale Research Infrastructures: essential framework of today’s physics research N.-V. Zamfir NEWS 04 Statement by C. Rossel, President of the EPS, after UK's decision to leave the EU 05 News and views from the former EPS presidents 07 Turning point for Young Minds HIGHLIGHTS 08 Expanding Frontiers of Cosmic-ray Muon Imaging You were right: rotational motion is relative, too, Mr Einstein! 09 Surprising qualities of insulator ring surfaces How repeated spot microdischarges damage microdevices The dynamics of compact laser pulses 10 Nuclear physics’ interdisciplinary progress Bending hot molecules 11 Nurturing rare events: discreteness effects in population dynamics Toward real-time 3D single-pixel imaging 12 Travelling wave drives magnetic particles Sweden’s 100% carbon-free emissions challenge New approach to nuclear structure, freely available 14 Unusual transport properties of the topological Dirac metal Na3Bi Catalysis goes better with plasma FEATURES 15 On the origin of the cosmic elements and the nuclear history of the universe J. Jose´, M. Asplund, C. Charbonel, I. Cherchneff, R. Diehl, A. Korn and F.-K. Thielemann 21 15 years later: on the physics of high-rise building collapses S. Jones, R. Korol, A. Szamboti and T. Walter 27 Everyday physics: we shoot a bullet vertically. Where will it land? F. Bagnoli OPINION 30 Announcing breakthroughs and "Science Etiquette" M.C.E. Huber EPS DIRECTORY 31 Summary and website THE MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY europhysicsnews News and views from the former EPS presidents The nuclear history of the universe On the physics of high-rise building collapses We shoot a bullet vertically. Where will it land? EPS directory Volum e 47 • num ber 4 European U nion countries price: 104€ per year (VAT not included) 47/4 2016 europhysicsnews Cover picture: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago. Called the Veil Nebula, the debris is one of the best-known supernova remnants, deriving its name from its delicate, draped filamentary structures. The entire nebula is 110 light-years across, covering six full moons on the sky as seen from Earth, and resides about 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. © NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team m PAGE 05 News and views from the former EPS presidents m PAGE 15 The nuclear history of the universe m PAGE 21 On the physics of high-rise building collapses EPN 47/4 EPS EDITORIAL 03 [EDITORIAL] Large-Scale Research Infrastructures: essential framework of today’s physics research Large-scale research infrastructures (LSRI) are today an essential part of the physics research landscape. The activities at such facilities are and will be centered on the frontline research in the hottest physics topics, most likely to generate breakthroughs in knowledge. T he exotic and ambitious today’s research projects inherently involve big concentration of human and financial resources and LSRI foster large multinational collab- orations between groups from many institutes and universities. LSRI are complementary to small- scale research infrastructure (SSRI), which in turn are essential in enhanc- ing the contribution of the physics community to the big European Pro- jects. SSRI are ideal places for educat- ing and training young scientists, as well as for developing instruments and measurement methods intended for specific LSRI. Europe showcases sev- eral success stories in this area. In a long tradition, the Romanian physics community, with balanced research programs at the two types of facilities, offered the country a permanent international openness with remarkable achievements. The “Horia Hulubei” National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Bucharest-Magurele, stands at the forefront of the Roma- nian science, both in terms of re- search infrastructures and personnel. It addresses a large spectrum of R&D activities in fundamental and applied research. While focusing its mission on advanced investigations in atom- ic and sub-atomic physics, the IF- IN-HH is also committed to increase the positive impact of the nuclear research on industry and the soci- ety at large. The institute has shown to be a valid interlocutor and part- ner in the Euro-Atlantic science and technology endeavour, substantively collaborating with Large-Scale Facil- ities such as GSI/FAIR-Darmstadt, GANIL/SPIRAL2-Caen, CERN-Ge- neva, JINR-Dubna. The 2012 decision of the European Commission for Romania to host the nuclear pillar of the Extreme Light Infrastructure project (ELI-NP) – the E.U.’s first investment in research infrastructure for the new member states – (along pillars in Czech Re- public and Hungary), was all possible because of the worldwide recognized research capacity of the Institute. With ELI-NP there is a unique opportunity to rise in the world hierarchy, since it will be the most advanced research facility focusing on the study of pho- tonuclear physics and its applications. Apart from creating excellent sci- entific research conditions, ELI-NP will contribute to major changes in the Romanian society, reversing the ‘brain drain’ and attracting new high- tech companies to the region. LSRI are indeed well-known to act as catalysts for connecting the research commu- nity with both academia and industry. In this respect ELI-NP will also facil- itate a variety of important applied research projects of high socio-eco- nomic value. In order to create a breeding ground for start-up com- panies around a major infrastruc- ture, an open association for research and business was created. Moreover, governmental, regional and local au- thorities together with academia and business entities will develop a Science Park to offer specialized services and logistics in various fields of engineer- ing, medicine, telecommunications and others. It is evident that co-financing this kind of projects both by the European Commission and by national Govern- ments represents the best opportuni- ty for Central and Eastern Europe to generate qualified job opportunities and to become an advanced pole for innovation. The new pan-European research in- stitute ELI-ERIC, based on the three pillars, will contribute to the strength- ening and promotion of European sci- entific research worldwide. It will also foster technology transfer and com- mercialization of public funded re- search, to the benefit of society at large. This is another proof of how excellence in science can contribute to European cohesion and development. n l Nicolae-Victor Zamfir Member of the EPS Executive Committee Another proof of how excellence in science contributes to European cohesion and development. . Artist impresion of the ELI-NP project. europhysicsnews 2016 • Volume 47 • number 4 Europhysics news is the magazine of the European physics community. It is owned by the European Physical Society and produced in cooperation with EDP Sciences. The staff of EDP Sciences are involved in the production of the magazine and are not responsible for editorial content. Most contributors to Europhysics news are volunteers and their work is greatly appreciated by the Editor and the Editorial Advisory Board. Europhysics news is also available online at: www.europhysicsnews.org General instructions to authors can be found at: www.eps.org/?page=publications Editor: Victor R. Velasco (SP) Email: vrvr@icmm.csic.es Science Editor: Jo Hermans (NL) Email: Hermans@Physics.LeidenUniv.nl Executive Editor: David Lee Email: david.lee@eps.org Graphic designer: Xavier de Araujo Email: xavier.dearaujo@eps.org Director of Publication: Jean-Marc Quilbé Editorial Advisory Board: Gonçalo Figueira (PT), Guillaume Fiquet (FR), Zsolt Fülöp (Hu), Adelbert Goede (NL), Agnès Henri (FR), Martin Huber (CH), Robert Klanner (DE), Peter Liljeroth (FI), Antigone Marino (IT), Stephen Price (UK), Laurence Ramos (FR), Chris Rossel (CH), Claude Sébenne (FR), Marc Türler (CH) © European Physical Society and EDP Sciences EPS Secretariat Address: EPS • 6 rue des Frères Lumière 68200 Mulhouse • France Tel: +33 389 32 94 40 • fax: +33 389 32 94 49 www.eps.org Secretariat is open 09.00–12.00 / 13.30–17.30 CET except weekends and French public holidays. EDP Sciences Chief Executive Officer: Jean-Marc Quilbé Publishing Director: Agnès Henri Email: agnes.henri@edpsciences.org Production: Thierry Coville Advertising: Jessica Ekon Email: jessica.ekon@edpsciences.org Address: EDP Sciences 17 avenue du Hoggar • BP 112 • PA de Courtabœuf F-91944 Les Ulis Cedex A • France Tel: +33 169 18 75 75 • fax: +33 169 28 84 91 www.edpsciences.org Subscriptions Individual Members of the European Physical Society receive Europhysics news free of charge. Members of EPS National Member Societies receive Europhysics news through their society, except members of the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom and the German Physical Society who have access to an e-version at www.europhysicsnews.org. The following are 2015 print version subscription prices available through EDP Sciences (Prices include postal delivery cost). Institutions - European Union countries: 100 € (VAT not included, 20 %). Rest of the world: 119 € Student - European Union countries: 47.50 € (VAT not included, 20 %). Rest of the world: 57 € Contact: Europhysics News, EDP Sciences 17 avenue du Hoggar - Parc d'activités de Courtaboeuf BP 112 - F-91944 Les Ulis CEDEX A, France subscribers@edpsciences.org or visit www.edpsciences.org ISSN 0531-7479 • ISSN 1432-1092 (electronic edition) Printer: Fabrègue • Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, France Legal deposit: September 2016 EPN 47/4 04 Statement by Christophe Rossel, President of the EPS, after UK's decision to leave the EU Mulhouse, 24 June 2016 – The European Physical Society (EPS) regrets the outcome of the vote by the British people and their decision to leave the European Union. I n spite of all possible consequences that might arise from this choice, the popular decision must be respected like in all democratic processes. The result of the UK’s referendum will certainly bring the leaders to start a wider discussion on the future of the union. Even if Europe might lose a strong and respected research partner, the scientific community must remain united and aim at further fostering the international collaboration, especially when urgent solutions to global challenges are required. Indeed, one of the strengths of scientific research is its international nature and the free exchange of people and ideas across borders, a policy and philosophy strongly supported by EPS. At a time when the EU Commission wants to develop and implement open science policy to improve the quality and impact of European science, in particular by better interconnecting research infrastructures, it would be unfortunate to see such efforts re- frained by political decisions. The withdrawal of the UK from the EU will indeed have negative con- sequences for its universities and researchers. Like Switzerland is experi- encing it with its status of partial associated country in Horizon 2020 and all the required negotiations to reach bilateral agreements, access to EU funding will become more difficult for UK scientists. In spite of yesterday’s vote, EPS will further develop and strengthen its excellent relationship with the Institute of Physics (IOP), and this with the help of all its other national member societies. It is the mission of EPS to advocate for physics research and its contribution to the economic, technological, social and cultural advancement in Europe. Its role is also to represent the European physics community in providing independent input into science policy issues. In this function EPS calls on the UK Government and the EU governing bodies to act with all respectful means to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the good integration of the UK scientists within the European landscape. n l Christophe Rossel, EPS President NEWS AND vIEWS FROm THE FORmER EPS PRESIDENTS NEWS P resent were Renato A. Ricci, Italy (1988-91), Norbert Kroo, Hungary (1993-95), Herwig Schopper, CERN, Germany (1995-97), Dennis Weaire, Ireland (1997-99), Martial Ducloy, France (2001- 03), Ove Poulsen, Denmark (2005-07), Fritz Wagner, Germany (2007-09) and John Dudley, France (2013-15). Unable to attend were Antonino Zichichi, Italy (1978-80), Arnold Wolfendale, UK (1999-01), Martin C. E. Huber, Switzerland (2003-05), Maciej Kolwas, Poland (2009-11) and Luisa Cifarelli, Italy (2011-13). Taking advantage of the presence of these former EPS presidents, a roundtable was organized to discuss the past and fu- ture of EPS from their own perspectives. To help the discussion several questions were addressed and the statements from the contributing former president are sum- marized here. How has EPS changed or stayed the same since your time as President? According to N. Kroo, EPS has played a sig- nificant role in European research and edu- cation and not only in physics. In the eighties, nineties and even after 2000 the drive has been to decrease the gap between East and West. Divisional and general conferences, the student mobility programme and many other activities resulted in European added value not only for physics research but in a more general field too. “To build the fu- ture it is useful not to forget the past” says R.A. Ricci. In answering the question if and how the EPS did change, he thinks that one has to refer primarily to the different general context thirty years ago when the East-West European relationships were difficult. EPS played a very important role in fostering cooperation between the member physical societies and scientific institutions all over Europe. An important achievement, during Ricci’s presidency in 1989, was the merging, strongly supported by EPS, of the eastern and western German Physical Societies one year before the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was also the period of the launch of the “Euro- physics Letters” founded in 1986 by merg- ing the French “Journal de Physique Lettres” and the Italian “Lettere al Nuovo Cimento”. In 1988, EPS celebrated its 20th anniversary, with the participation, even then, of past Presidents (G. Bernardini, H.B.G. Casimir, A. Zichichi, A.R. McIntosh, G.H.Stafford, and W. Buckel) already discussing the “Past and Future of the EPS”. At that time the fi- nancial problems were important enough to decide on sharing the EPS secretariat between Geneva and Budapest, thanks to the effort of the past Secretary General Gero Thomas. When H. Schopper was President in 1995- 97, EPS was in great difficulties because the secretariat in Geneva turned out to be much too expensive. A new home could be found with the help of the French Physical Soci- ety and the supportive local authorities at Mulhouse. At that time EPS could maintain its second secretariat in Budapest thanks to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which was essential to provide a bridge to the na- tional societies behind the iron curtain. This was one of the great achievements of EPS and showed how science can help to bring nations together. Although the iron curtain has disappeared the task to keep European physics together and make it more visible is still very important. The name of EPS implies that now one of its main addressees is the European Union and the efforts of the Pres- ident and the Executive Board to strengthen its influence at Brussels deserve all support. It was under M. Ducloy’s presidency that the plans for a new building on the campus of the University of Haute Alsace were made and EPS moved into its new location in 2004. The official inauguration took place in January 2005, just in time to celebrate also the launch of the World Year of Physics, an initiative started in 2000 by the EPS and its then President-elect, M. Ducloy. In his open- ing address, M. Huber, EPS president at that time, mentioned that ”the EPS building will serve the physics community, be a warrant of international exchange among scientists, and be an active interface with the local Uni- versity and the region of Alsace”. Since he left presidency 8 years ago, F. Wagner notices that EPS became more pro- fessional and uses better tools to become more effective. There are also new activities and each of the presidents left something that makes the society more useful and in- creases its visibility. A nice example is the EPS Historic Sites programme started un- der Luisa Cifarelli. Another good sign is that the secretariat proposes actions to increase its own efficiency, demonstrating the right team spirit. This year´s Council also radi- ated a very good atmosphere between the EPS and its member societies. EPN 47/3 05 News and views from the former EPS presidents At EPS Council 2016 in Mulhouse eight of the thirteen invited former EPS presidents came and it was a great pleasure and honor to welcome them. m (Left to right) TOP: Ove Poulsen, Christophe Rossel, martial Ducloy, Dennis Weaire BOTTOM: Norbert Kroo, John Dudley, Renato A. Ricci, Herwig Schopper, Fritz Wagner EPN 47/4 06 NEWS AND vIEWS FROm THE FORmER EPS PRESIDENTS NEWS Committee could play a more active role e.g. in the opening ceremony. EPS-supported conferences should be regularly scrutinized to what extent they could become part of the standard conference portfolio of EPS. A mechanism should be present to recognize upcoming new research topics in physics or in neighboring interdisciplinary areas. Such cases should be identified and ana- lysed by the involved Divisions and Groups for their conference potential. This view on conferences is shared by D. Weaire who rec- ommends that this activity gets some fresh impetus. Perhaps a status report would be a good start. What is the size spectrum of (all) physics-related conferences, what are the charges or income they produce, who attends them (students, staff, senior staff, and physicists from industry and education)? At the same time the possibilities for new kinds of conference might be explored. In the In- ternet age, surely they will not stay the same, even if people go to them for a temporary release from punching their keyboard! What are the new challenges in science, education, outreach, etc.? There are several challenges and threats as outlined here. It is worrisome that physics as a school discipline seems to be phased out in many regions and replaced by a topic called natural sciences. Of course education is a national issue because of the language. But EPS could help to point out the societal threats, e.g., by preparing a comparative study of physics school education in Japan, Korea, and China where - in F. Wagner’s expectation - the value of physics is better understood by society. Another serious threat is that the public does not accept the freedom and independence of science any longer. There is the notion of societally accepted research. Loser of this de- velopment will be basic research. This ten- dency has to be counteracted by all means. A related threat is political correctness. We should be concerned that science could lose its major quality, namely skepticism. This trend seems to be more pronounced among natural scientists and engineers than among humanists. Other critical issues raised by several for- mer presidents are related to trends in biblio- metric and scientific assessments. Indeed the evaluation in science gets more complicated Where could EPS improve further? EPS’s experience in integrated research on European level could serve as a useful source for other fields in society, badly needed in our crisis-after-crisis time. In these activ- ities success depends on how we can find partners outside physics, advises N. Kroo. We have to build stronger partnership with EU institutions in Brussels, needing strong- er presence there with an experienced staff. EPS should try to do contract-based work for the Commission, contributing not only to our finances but implanting our experi- ence and skills into European research. The efficient use of European large facilities may also benefit from our experience and know- how. European industry should benefit more from our research experience. This has been a traditional weakness and EPS may contrib- ute to the badly needed changes in this field. ‘The ground rules for EPS have not changed‘ says F. Wagner. EPS offers services to its members which are – and this is the difficulty – rather different in their needs and expectations. For all member categories the science oriented activities – conferences, publications, EPN, eEPS and presence on internet – are of high importance. The sci- entific activities of the Divisions and Groups should get all support and should be closely monitored. In important cases of fast emerg- ing research topics, as noted by M. Ducloy, opportunities should be taken to launch new Divisions. EPS conferences could be organized in a firmer format to be better recognizable as an EPS activity. The Pres- ident, the vice-President or the Executive Where do you see lessons-learned? The past achievements serve on one hand as a good basis for present and future ac- tivities but on the other they are the driving arguments for future actions. According to H. Schopper since those old and precarious times EPS has found its significant place as an association of national physical societies and established its firm role in the Euro- pean scientific landscape. However, some problems are long-lived, for instance the fact that the size and strength of various national societies is extremely different. Some of them should open up much more to younger members and to physicists from industry and in education. During Wagner’s time the opportunity of an office in Brussels was examined but finally dropped for two basic reasons: (1) it was doubtful whether EPS could induce an identifiable benefit in the biosphere of the Commission facing the lobbying ac- tivities of scientific societies with billion Euro budgets behind them. (2) 2008 was a recession year and the level of support by the major member societies was under discussion. It was not the time to start a big investment on a questionable financial ba- sis. ‘An effective office in Brussels is equiv- alent to having an elephant in bed. You will notice when he turns around’. Nevertheless the EPS strategy plan 2010+ initiated under Maciej Kolwas’s presidency has shown the importance of a presence in Brussels and the review of this strategy presented at today’s Council con- firms that EPS is on the right path. . The EPS past-presidents at the national French museum cité de l'automobile (www.citedelautomobile.com) TURNING POINT FOR YOUNG MINDS It was in 2010 when EPS launched the Young Minds (YM) project, aimed to encourage and support professional skills of the next gener- ations of physicists in Europe. Six years have passed, and like every year we look back to see what we did and what we should do. YM provides the creation of local student groups, called YM Sections, engaged in the organization of seminars and work- shops, in outreach activities, or even in the implementation of networking collaborations. Nowadays, the project includes 400 young scientists from over 35 Sections in 20 countries. The growth trend of the project was shown during the EPS Council in 2016 in Mulhouse: the number of national physical societies supporting YM is increasing in propor- tion to the number of sections. But the YM growth is not only in the numbers, but also in the quality of the activities carried out by its members. This became evident during the annual meeting of all the YM Sections, held at the Eöt- vös Loránd University on 15th-16th July 2016 in Budapest. Most of the sections and their activities are in the field of outreach, followed by professional development and eventually networking. The growth in the number of sections has made it indis- pensable to enlarge the YM action committee (AC), which is responsible for the project management. The YM AC is composed of senior scientists, young scientists, and people from the EPS staff, with a total of 10 members. The senior part is always composed of the EPS President and a delegate from the ExCOM. The EPS staff members ensure the best connection between the project and EPS: the Secretary General of the EPS, David Lee; and the Con- ference Manager assistant, Ophélia Fornari. The young part was enlarged in 2015 up to six members to whom EPS gave the opportunity not only to develop as physicists but also to develop their social and management skills. For the last 3 years, this AC has been led by Antigone Marino from Naples (Italy). Now, after the last YM AC meeting, where the mem- bers elected a new chair, Eva Salvador from Castellón (Spain) will have to manage the new challenges for YM and EPS, and it will be a new turning point for the YM project history. n Eva Salvador Balaguer (YM chair) Antigone Marino (YM past chair) 07 EPN 47/4 and decision makers tend to avoid personal responsibility by us- ing instead all kinds of indices or factors. However, when applied without deeper understanding of their meaning, these indices can lead to completely wrong and unjust decisions for employment, promotions or prizes. A special problem arises in domains with large collaborations, like particle and nuclear physics, astrophys- ics and others. Publications are signed usually by hundreds or even thousands of authors and an evaluator outside the field is completely lost. Peer review should have a significant weight in the evaluation of the performance first of all of individuals and groups. A solution to these problems is not obvious, but EPS could use its influence to find improvements, both by changing the practices of publications and evaluation. Another concern raised by H. Schopper is the evaluation of large scientific infrastructures such as LHC at CERN that are getting more costly, and hence funding agencies ask for their net social value. The new tendency is to apply economics cost/benefit analysis, developed for industrial projects, also to basic science infrastructures, ignoring other benefits in basic knowledge, technology transfer and education. The evaluation of research performance on formal basis is thus far from satisfactory. EPS could and should find those gaps of a healthy process where we could contribute and N. Kroo suggested that the downscaled activity of ESF could be the op- portunity to fill up such gaps. One of the tools that EPS possesses to address challenges in science, research, education and outreach is its Forum Physics and Society initiated by former president O. Poulsen. Based on the output of such workshops, EPS can produce relevant and timely statements and position papers. EPS in a global world and alongside Social Media? F. Wagner always felt that EPS is honoured outside Europe even more than inside. Therefore, EPS can benefit from globalisation. Nowadays, the large European research organisations see the need to open institutions outside their original territory. Often, they do not export research areas rather than research struc- tures. In a similar way, EPS could combine topical conferences with other countries changing venue from case to case. In this global world, EPS has a role to play in providing scien- tific evidence to EU initiatives and recommendations on grand challenges such as energy strategies, environmental issues, etc. It should also continue fostering research cooperation among the various European countries in spite of different political and social contexts, and different size and structure of their Physical Societies. Finally the position and the visibility of EPS world- wide is of extreme importance, today more than in the past, and the improvement of the relationships with APS and other overseas representative Institutions will be of great value for the future perspectives of the scientific community as a whole. The International Year of Light IYL2015, cosponsored by EPS and chaired by our past president John Dudley is the perfect example of what our Society can achieve to impact our world. n l Summarized by C. Rossel, EPS President, 3 May 2016 m The Ym action committee meeting in Konstanz, autumn 2015 EPN 47/4 08 HIGHLIGHTS NUCLEAR PHYSICS Expanding Frontiers of Cosmic-ray Muon Imaging There are lots of imaging devices which use large doses of ioniz- ing radiation or strong magnetic fields for image production. The idea to use natural omnipresent radiation like the cosmic muons for imaging is not new. The imaging by cosmic-origin muons has now a several decades old tradition. The cosmic-ray muons can be used for imaging of large structures, or high-density objects with high atomic number. The first task can be performed by meas- urement of muon absorption within very thick material layer, while the second approach is based on muon multiple scattering. However, the additional use of muon created secondaries (not used at all in previous muon imaging methods) might significantly widen the perspectives of this harmless, non-de- structive analytical technique. In the presented novel approach, the images are produced by tracking the incident muons and detecting in coincidence the radiation from the muon induced secondaries (mostly bremsstrahlung from the electrons). For the first time, small-dimension objects with low atomic number can be visualized precisely. Thus the list of elements, as well as range of dimensions of objects which can be imaged is signif- icantly expanded. n l I. Bikit, D. Mrdja, K. Bikit, J. Slivka, N. Jovancevic, L.Oláh, G. Hamar and D. Varga, 'Novel approach to imaging by cosmic-ray muons', EPL 113, 58001 (2016) RELATIVITY You were right: rotational motion is relative, too, Mr Einstein! Extension of the relativity theory to rotational motion, one hundred years after Einstein first published the gen- eral theory of relativity. It has been one hundred years since the publication of Einstein’s general theory of relativity in May 1916. In a paper recently published, the authors demonstrate that the rotational motion in the universe is also subject to the theory of relativity. Until now, no-one has considered a possible connection between the general principle of relativity and the amount of dark energy in Highlights from European journals . The principles of novel cosmic-ray muon imaging technique. m Einstein's relativity theory also applies to rotational motion. © sakkmesterke / Fotolia EPN 47/4 09 FROm EUROPEAN JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTS PLASMA PHYSICS How repeated spot microdischarges damage microdevices New study blames temperature increase on locally reoc- curring discharges in microelectronic devices. In microelectronics, devices made up of two electrodes sepa- rated by an insulating barrier are subject to multiple of micro- discharges—referred to as microfilaments—at the same spot. These stem from residual excited atoms and ions from within the material, the surface charge deposited on the insulating part of the device, and local temperature build-up. These reoc- currences can lead to the creation of pin-holes in the material of the microelectronic devices where they occur, and are due to local reductions in the electric field. Now, the authors have elucidated the mechanism of microdischarge reoccurrence, by attributing it to the temperature increase in a single microdis- charge. These results were recently published. n l J. Ráhel, Z. Szalay, J. Čech and T. Morávek, 'On spatial stabilization of dielectric barrier discharge microfilaments by residual heat build-up in air', Eur. Phys. J. D 70, 92 (2016) QUANTUM PHYSICS The dynamics of compact laser pulses Current experimental activity exploring electromagnetic properties of single-cycle laser pulses with nanoscale objects requires efficient modelling tools that accommodate the spa- tial compactness of such pulses. Such tools will eventually re- quire incorporation of quantum effects associated with these the universe, which is associated with the acceleration of the expansion of the universe, discovered in 1998. This connection can be established, they argue, by using the phenomenon of inertial dragging. When formalised in mathematical terms, the condition for inertial dragging yields an equation for calculating the amount of dark energy. The solution of that equation is that 73.7 % of the present content of the universe is in the form of dark energy. This prediction, derived from the theory of general relativity, is remarkably close to the values arrived at by different types of observations. n l Ø. Grøn and T. Jemterud, 'An interesting consequence of the general principle of relativity', Eur. Phys. J. Plus 131, 91 (2016) CONDENSED MATTER Surprising qualities of insulator ring surfaces Surface phenomena in ring-shaped topological insula- tors are just as controllable as those in spheres made of the same material Topological insulators behave like insulators at their core and allow good conductivity on their surface. They owe their characteristics to a new quantum state within the material dis- covered in 2007 and 2009 for 2D and 3D materials, respectively. Scientists studying the surface of ring-shaped, or toric, topological in- sulators, have just discovered some characteristics that had only previously been confirmed in spheres. The authors describe their findings in a paper published recently. These results could hold considerable potential for applications in electronics. In- deed, this discovery means that the curved surface induces internal fields, called gauge fields, in the electrons carrying the electric charge located at the surface. By contrast, in graphene, similar fields have been induced by mechanical tensions or defects in the way the carbon atoms are arranged in the one- atom-thick honeycomb lattice. n l J. M. Fonseca, V. L. Carvalho-Santos, W. A. Moura-Melo and A. R. Pereira, 'Berry phases and zero-modes in toroidal topological insulator', Eur. Phys. J. B 89, 153 (2016) m A ring torus embedded in 3D-space. m Simulated velocity field of the microfilament in the vicinity of the dielectric wall after the train of 150 localised breakdowns. EPN 47/4 10 FROm EUROPEAN JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTS other fields of research. Conversely, they also need to rise to the challenge of using new insights and techniques from other disciplines to question the validity of their own theories and make nuclear physics research more powerful. n l P. F. Bortignon and R. A. Broglia, 'Challenges in the description of the atomic nucleus: Unifi- cation and interdisciplinarity', Eur. Phys. J. A 52, 64 (2016) ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS Bending hot molecules New model for controlling hot molecules reactions, which are relevant to fusion, space exploration and planetary science. Hot molecules, which are found in extreme environments such as the edges of fusion reactors, are much more reactive than those used to understand reaction studies at ambient temperature. Detailed knowledge of their reactions is not only relevant to modelling nuclear fusion devices; it is also crucial in simulating the reaction that takes place on a spacecraft’s heat interactions in order to properly describe observations and yield practical applications. By analogy with the model of a vibrating-rotating diatomic molecule, we have constructed an effective Hamiltonian for the general non-stationary quantum states of a laser pulse in vacuo. Interactions with a classical fabricated meta-material with specified inhomogeneous and anisotropic characteristics are motivated by the magnetic moment interaction of qubit states of an electron with a classical (inhomogeneous) static magnetic field in the Stern–Gerlach experiment. An important practical distinction arises since the laser states, unlike electrons, are electrically and magnetically neutral, offering new possibilities for controlling pairs of non-stationary entangled 3-level (qutrit) states using appropriately fabricated meta-materials. Our effective Hamiltonian may have utility for the novel transfer of quantum information and for constructing new theo- retical models of rapid single-cycle laser pulses interacting with quantum matter and classical fabricated nano-scale materials. n l S. Goto, R.W. Tucker and T.J. Walton, 'The dynamics of compact laser pulses', J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 49, 265203 (2016) NUCLEAR PHYSICS Nuclear physics’ interdisciplinary progress Theoretical nuclear physics could yield unique insights by extending methods and observations from other research fields. The theoretical view of the structure of the atom nucleus is not carved in stone. Particularly, nuclear physics research could benefit from approaches found in other fields of physics. Reflec- tions on these aspects were just released in a new type of rapid publications which provides a forum for the concise expression of more personal opinions on important scientific matters in the field. In this work the authors use, among others, the example of superconductivity to explain how nuclear physics can extend physical concepts originally developed in solid state physics. Based on this example, they believe young nuclear physicists have the opportunity to bring their results to practitioners in m Japanese scientists have developed a method to study hot carbon dioxide molecules by controlling the likelihood that reactions occur between electrons and hot molecules. © vector_master / Fotolia . Qutrit states are motivated by trajectories (red) of point charged particles (black) interacting with a classical single-cycle laser pulse (blue). m Nuclear physics’ interpretations could benefit from approaches found in other fields of physics. © Christoph Burgstedt / Fotolia EPN 47/4 11 FROm EUROPEAN JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTS m Improvement of the numerical estimation of a large deviation function after the time delay correction (blue), as a function of the cut CN in the final population size. discrete population effects are important, (b) performing over independent population runs an individual time delay, allowing globally reduction in numerical noise induced by the smallness of population. n l E. Guevara Hidalgo and V. Lecomte, 'Discreteness effects in population dynamics', J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 49, 205002 (2016) OPTICS Toward real-time 3D single-pixel imaging Photometric stereo is an extensively utilized 3D imaging tech- nique, which estimates depth and surface orientation from mul- tiple images of an object taken from the same viewpoint under different illumination directions. This approach demands the scene to remain completely static whilst changing the lighting condition in order to prevent pixel matching errors, which limits its scope in real-time applications. The authors have been working on eliminating the underlying problems associated with sequential acquisitions. Recently, they have demonstrated a modified photometric stereo system with perfect pixel-registration, capable of reconstructing 3D images of scenes exhibiting dynamic behaviour in real-time. The authors used four single-pixel detectors in different spatial locations to reconstruct images of a scene with differ- ent shading profiles simultaneously, exhibiting perfect pixel registration even for moving objects. To speed-up the frame rates, the authors employed a compressive strategy, known as evolutionary compressed sensing, which utilizes a particular ordered subset of Hadamard patterns instead of a complete pattern set to form images. This method provides an alternative solution for real-time photometric stereo imaging and can be readily extended to other wavelengths, such as the infrared, where traditional cam- era technology is expensive. n l Y. Zhang, M.P. Edgar, B. Sun, N. Radwell, G.M. Gibson and M.J. Padgett, '3D single-pixel video', J. Opt. 18, 035203 (2016) shield at the moment when it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. Further, it can help us understand the physics and chemistry of planetary atmospheres. In a novel and comprehensive work published recently, the authors reveal a method for controlling the likelihood that these reactions between electrons and hot molecules occur, by altering the degree of bending the linear molecules, modulated by reaching precisely defined temperatures. n l M. Hoshino, Y. Ishijima, H. Kato, D. Mogi, Y. Takahashi, K. Fukae, P. Limão-Vieira, H. Tanaka and I. Shimamura, 'Change in resonance parameters of a linear molecule as it bends: Evidence in electron-impact vibrational transitions of hot COS and CO2 molecules', Eur. Phys. J. D 70, 100 (2016) MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS Nurturing rare events: discreteness effects in population dynamics The occurrence of rare events can vastly contribute to the evo- lution of physical systems, because of their potential dramatic effects. Their understanding has gathered a strong interest and, focusing on stochastic dynamics, a variety of numerical methods have been developed to study their properties. Math- ematicians have called ‘large deviation function’ (LDF) the main analytical tool. ‘Cloning algorithms’ allow their numerical eval- uation and are based on population dynamics. The idea is to study rare trajectories by evolving several copies of the original dynamics, with a local-in-time selection process rendering the occurrence of rare trajectories typical in the evolved population. The simulation cost can be large and one is often restricted to small population sizes. We found a way to improve the de- termination of LDFs by: (a) getting rid of time intervals where . modified photometric stereo system with photodetectors. EPN 47/4 12 FROm EUROPEAN JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTS study, this, in turn, would finally lead to a reduction in the use of hydroelectricity if the annual consumption remained constant. The authors of the study conclude that a backup system, based on fossil fuel, namely gas, would be required in combination with wind power. In such a scenario, the CO2 emissions would double. The authors therefore conclude that it would not be a viable option. n l F. Wagner and E. Rachlew, 'Study on a hypothetical replacement of nuclear electricity by wind power in Sweden', Eur. Phys. J. Plus 131, 173 (2016) NUCLEAR PHYSICS New approach to nuclear structure, freely available Use of relative coordinates in nuclear structure calculations helps reduce the amount of computational power required. The atomic nucleus is highly complex. This complexity partly stems from the nuclear interactions in atomic nuclei, which induce strong correlations between the elementary particles, or nucleons, that constitute the heart of the atom. The trouble is that understanding this complexity often requires a tremen- dous amount of computational power. In a new study published recently, the authors propose a new approach to nuclear struc- ture calculations. The results are freely available to the nuclear physicists’ community so that other groups can perform their own nuclear structure calculations, even if they have only limit- ed computational resources. In the new work, the authors gen- erate sets of basis states for nucleons in complex nuclei, which CONDENSED MATTER Travelling wave drives magnetic particles New method for selectively controlling the motion of multiple sized microspheres suspended in water. As our technology downsizes, scientists often operate in mi- croscopic-scale jungles, where modern-day explorers develop new methods for transporting microscopic objects of different sizes across non uniform environments, without losing them. Now, the authors, have developed a new method for selectively controlling, via a change in magnetic field, the aggregation or disaggregation of magnetically interacting particles of two distinct sizes in suspension in a liquid. Previous studies only focused on one particle size. These results, just published, show that it is possible to build long chains of large particles suspend- ed in a liquid, forming channels that drive the small particles to move along. This could be helpful, for example, when sorting magnetic beads by size, separating biological or chemical enti- ties in lab-on-a-chip devices or transporting biological species to analyse them. n l P. Tierno and A.V. Straube, 'Transport and selective chaining of bidisperse particles in a travelling wave potential', Eur. Phys. J. E 39, 54 (2016) ENERGY PHYSICS Sweden’s 100% carbon-free emissions challenge Replacing nuclear power with wind power doesn't make sense in Sweden, study shows. The Swedish power supply is largely free of carbon emissions. Indeed, it is mainly based on a combination of hydroelectric and nuclear power combined with power exchange with neigh- bouring Scandinavian countries. A study, published recently, investigates the possibility of replacing nuclear power with wind power, which is by nature intermittent. According to the b Optical microscope images separated by 6.63 s showing the formation of chains between only the large particles starting from an initially random mixture of two particles sizes. m The figure shows the reduced load along with the original nuclear power, the contribution of which is halved. It also shows the increased contribution from wind necessary and that from a backup system. EPN 47/4 14 FROm EUROPEAN JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTS As such, the states are massless fermions, and hence a super- position of Weyl states with distinct handedness or chirality. Breaking of the chiral symmetry in parallel magnetic and elec- tric fields is predicted to lead to the appearance of an axial (nonpolar) current. Recently, this chiral anomaly was observed in Na3Bi as a 6-fold increase in conductance when a magnetic field B is aligned parallel to the current density. Here we report that, in crystals of Na3Bi with larger Fermi energy (EF~400 vs. 30 meV), the chiral anomaly is unresolved. Instead, we observe an unusual linear magnetoresistance (MR) that persists to 34 Tesla. The linear MR arises because the Hall conductivity σxy and longitudinal conductivity σxx share the same field depend- ence 1/B at large B. The inferred Hall angle has a striking non- Drude step-like profile (Figure). We discuss the possibility that the transport lifetime is strongly reduced by B. n l J. Xiong, S. Kushwaha, J. Krizan, T. Liang, R. J. Cava and N. P. Ong, 'Anomalous conductivity tensor in the Dirac semimetal Na3Bi', EPL 114, 27002 (2016) PLASMA PHYSICS Catalysis goes better with plasma Plasma created by an electrical discharge in a gas is an effective tool for removing pollutants from waste gases and converting them into clean fuels such as hydrogen. Plasma contains a soup of species: energetic electrons, ions, excited states and free radicals. In non-thermal plasma, the electrons have a very high temperature (> 10,000K) whilst the gas remains cold. Catalysts are used widely to make chemical processes more efficient by lowering barriers to reaction, improving yields. However, many catalytic processes work at high temperatures and pressures with high energy costs and reduced catalyst lifetime. It was discovered that placing a catalyst in a discharge, could synergistically improve the overall performance at lower temperatures and pressures with better energy effi- ciency and increased catalyst durability. But questions remain about the mechanism. How does the plasma affect the cata- lyst and how is the discharge affected by the catalyst? Which effect dominates? This article reviews the current state of knowledge in the field (the known knowns and the known unknowns), identifies the gaps in our knowledge and suggests techniques from other fields to study plasma catalysis to generate new insight and questions (the unknown unknowns). n l J.C. Whitehead, 'Plasma–catalysis: the known knowns, the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns', J. Phys. D : Appl. Phys. 49, 243001 (2016) feature anti-symmetrical relative coordinates. The study focuses on several p-shell nuclei and examines their dependence on the harmonic oscillator frequency. Subsequently, the authors extract the binding and excitation energies of these nuclei. n l S. Liebig, U.-G. Meißner and A. Nogga, 'Jacobi no-core shell model for p-shell nuclei', Eur. Phys. J. A 52,103 (2016) CONDENSED MATTER Unusual transport properties of the topological Dirac metal Na3Bi The three-dimensional (3D) topological Dirac semimetals are of strong topical interest. They display two bulk Dirac nodes that are rigorously protected against gap formation by symmetry. . The Hall-angle field profile observed in the Dirac metal Na3Bi. m Extraction of the excitation energy of the ½- state of lithium ( 7Li ) using the dependence on the harmonic oscillator frequency ω. 15 FEATURES EPN 47/4 ON THE ORIGIN OF THE COSMIC ELEMENTS AND THE NUCLEAR HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE l Jordi Jose´1, Martin Asplund2, Corinne Charbonel3, Isabelle Cherchneff4, Roland Diehl5, Andreas Korn6 and Friedrich-Karl Thielemann4 l 1 Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain – 2 Australian National University, Canberra, Australia – 3 University of Geneva, Switzerland – 4 University of Basel, Switzerland – 5 Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, Germany – 6 Uppsala University, Sweden – DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/epn/2016401 The quest for the energy source of stars, capable of maintaining their long-lasting brightness, has puzzled physicists during centuries. Early suggestions, due to Julius R. von Mayer, John James Waterson, Hermann von Helmholtz, and William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), among others, relied on the conversion of gravitational potential energy into heat. However, the age of the Sun inferred in this framework was only a few million years, a value clearly at odds with estimates based on geological records. EPN 47/4 NUCLEAR HISTORY OF THE UNIvERSE FEATURES 16 A fter the serendipitous discovery of radioac- tivity by Antoine H. Becquerel in 1896, the focus shifted toward nuclear energy. Follow- ing a series of atomic mass measurements, Francis W. Aston concluded in 1920 that four individual hydrogen nuclei are heavier than a helium nucleus [1]. This result led Arthur S. Eddington [2] to suggest that the energy source of the Sun lies in the conversion of hydrogen into helium, thus releasing this extra ‘binding energy’ deep inside the star. A major step forward in un- derstanding the fusion of atomic nuclei was provided by experiments on Coulomb barrier penetration, per- formed by George Gamow [3] and Ronald W. Gurney and Edward U. Condon [4], which led Robert Atkinson and Fritz Houtermans [5] to conclude that quantum tun- neling plays a key role in the energy generation in stars through nuclear fusion. The earliest stage in the nuclear history of a star is (central) hydrogen fusion with helium as final product. Soon, two different pathways for hydrogen fusion were identified: the so-called proton-proton chains [6,7] and the CNO cycle [8,9]. This pioneering work paved the road for the first self-consistent studies of element production in stars, the so-called nucleosynthesis theory, by Fred Hoyle [10,11]. Equally influential was the compilation of Solar System abundances by Hans Suess and Harold Urey [12]: Plotted as a function of mass number, A, the distribution of abundances shows a complex pattern across ten orders of magnitude of abundances, with hydrogen and helium being by far the most abundant species, with a second- ary peak towards iron at ~1/10000 of their abundance, and again much lower abundances for heavier elements beyond. The presence of several maxima were soon at- tributed to a number of nuclear physics effects, such as the existence of tightly bound nuclei (e.g., 56Fe), or the role played by closed-shell configurations with magic numbers at 50, 82, and 126 nucleons. Stars appeared as the likely sites where most of the cosmic elements were actually being cooked, but ob- servational evidence was as yet missing. In this regard, the detection of technetium in the spectra of several giant stars by Paul W. Merrill, in 1952, provided smok- ing-gun evidence to this conjecture [13]. Technetium is, in fact, the lightest element with no stable isotopes. Since its longest-lived form has a rather short half-life, t1/2[98Tc] ~ 4.2 Myr, it was likely produced in situ, in the observed stars. Compared with the age of the Galaxy of more than 10 Gyrs, this proves that nucleosynthesis is still ongoing in the Universe. Two seminal papers, that provided the theoretical framework for the origin of the chemical species, were published shortly after, in 1957, almost exactly a century since Darwin’s treatise on the origin of biological species: the first, by Margaret Bur- bidge, Geoffrey Burbidge, William A. Fowler and Fred Hoyle, in Reviews of Modern Physics [14], and the second, a compilation of lecture notes known as the Chalk River report CRL-41, by Al G.W. Cameron [15]. More than half a century later, nuclear astrophysics has flourished as a truly multidisciplinary field, aimed at understanding energy production in stars and the origin of the chemical elements in the Universe (Figure 1). New tools and developments, at the crossroads of the- oretical and computational astrophysics, observation- al astronomy, astro- and cosmochemistry, and nuclear physics, have revolutionized our understanding of the nuclear history of the universe. The use of space-borne observatories, for instance, has opened new windows, so that we can study the cosmos through multifrequen- cy observations. Indeed, since the last decades, UV, X- and γ-ray satellites have been used simultaneously to ground-based optical and radiotelescopes to analyze the behaviour of stars and their explosions at different wave- lengths. In parallel to the elemental stellar abundanc- es inferred spectroscopically, cosmochemists are now providing isotopic abundance ratios from micron-sized presolar grains extracted from meteorites. Encapsulat- ed in those grains, there is pristine information about the suite of nuclear processes that took place near their condensation sites in stellar outskirts, which translate into huge isotopic anomalies with respect to bulk so- lar-system material. The dawn of supercomputing has also provided astrophysicists with the appropriate tools b P. 15: SN 1994D, a type Ia (or thermonuclear) supernova explosion spotted at the outskirts of the spiral galaxy NGC 4526. Such thermonuclear events are considered the main iron factories in the universe. Credit: NASA/ESA, The Hubble Key Project Team and The High-Z Supernova Search Team. . FIG. 1: Composite image of a historical supernova remnant (SN 1006), likely a type Ia supernova, located at 7100 light-years from Earth. Type Ia supernovae are prominent Fe factories in the universe. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Rutgers/G. Cassam-Chenai, J. Hughes et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/GBT/vLA/ Dyer, maddalena, and Cornwell; Optical: middlebury College/F. Winkler, NOAO/AURA/NSF/CTIO Schmidt and DSS. Source: Wikipedia. EPN 47/4 17 NUCLEAR HISTORY OF THE UNIvERSE FEATURES Among the most relevant results achieved by the differ- ent researchers of this collaboration, one could mention: • Discovery of the most iron-deficient halo star known using the SkyMapper telescope; • Discovery of extremely metal-poor stars in the Milky Way bulge, predicted to be the oldest stars known in the Universe; • Work on metal-poor globular clusters showing that the surface compositions of little-evolved stars are system- atically affected by atomic diffusion, lowering individual chemical abundances by up to 60%; • Improved modelling of the 6Li/7Li ratio in met- al-poor stars; • A 300-night spectroscopic survey of the Milky Way at the Very Large Telescope; • Study of the effects of internal gravity waves, rotation-in- duced mixing, and atomic diffusion on the evolution and chemical properties of metal-poor low-mass stars; to study the complex physical phenomena of nucleosyn- thesis that require a truly multidimensional approach (e.g., convective and radiative energy transport by pho- tons and neutrinos, mixing of matter through flows by convection or stimulated by stellar rotation, and flame propagation in stars). Also, nuclear physicists have de- veloped new experimental (and theoretical) techniques to determine nuclear interactions at or close to stellar energies, at the so-called Gamow window, thus reducing the problems associated with extrapolation of measure- ments from the higher energies that are accessible in the laboratory down to stellar energies. Moreover, they have also explored the properties of nuclei far from stability and of matter at and beyond nuclear densities. The EuroGENESIS Program: One Step Forward Understanding of the progress achieved in those various sub-fields of nuclear astrophysics and assessment of its current challenges require the combination of efforts in observational astronomy, cosmochemistry, computation- al astrophysics, and experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. In this framework, the EuroGENESIS Program (ESF, 2010-2013) successfully assembled about 200 spe- cialists in these fields (from 30 research institutions and universities from 15 European countries, plus the US and Canada), into a coordinated, interdisciplinary effort aimed at understanding how matter evolved in the Uni- verse, from the ashes of the Big Bang to its current form. With an overall Budget estimated in 2.5 M€, Euro- GENESIS was thematically arranged around four, inter- twined research topics: 1. Nucleosynthetic fingerprints of the first stars The oldest stars of the Milky Way represent a unique window to the early Universe. Searches for ever more metal-poor stars have been conducted since the 1950s (more metal-poor meaning less chemical enrichment, meaning closer to the metal-free Big Bang) and since the 2000s we know stars with 10 million times less iron than the Sun. The chemical fingerprints in the spectra of these stars trace the nucleosynthesis and physics of the very first supernovae which likely exploded a few hun- dred million years after the Big Bang (corresponding to a mere 1-2% of the present age of the Universe). Within this collaboration, a diverse team of experts looked at the whole chain of steps needed to understand early Galactic chemical evolution: from finding the most metal-poor and oldest stars and refining the analysis using state-of- the-art simulations of the light-emitting regions of these stars (in terms of hydrodynamic and diffusive processes), to properly interpreting the chemical make-up of these objects and of the galaxy and its substructures (in par- ticular halo and globular clusters) by means of models of rotating stars. m FIG. 2: SN 1987A, the closest supernova detected since the invention of the telescope. The object corresponds to the very bright, massive star in the middle right of the Tarantula Nebula, in the Large magellanic Cloud. At the time of this picture, SN 1987A was visible with the naked eye. Credit: ESO. Source: http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0708a/, released into public domain by ESO. EPN 47/4 NUCLEAR HISTORY OF THE UNIvERSE FEATURES 18 diffuse interstellar gas and individual objects as well as their imprint in galactic evolution. Among the large number of achievements reached in this Collaboration, a few are worth emphasising: • A highly improved nuclear input basis has been set, from low-energy fusion reactions, n-captures, charged-par- ticle reactions for explosive conditions (from exper- iment and theory), nuclear masses far from stability, fission barriers and fission fragment distributions, elec- tron-captures and neutrino induced reactions; • Improved understanding was obtained of uncertain- ties in stellar evolution, comparing different evolution codes, strong progress in modelling stellar evolution with rotation, including the effect on hydrostatic nu- cleosynthesis ejecta and wind composition; • Major progress in supernova modelling and successful explosions emerged, and now we are close to being able to perform nucleosynthesis calculations in multi-D models, which – together with other observational features – can test these models and the utilized physics ingredients; • Intermediate approaches in 1D, with the aim to mimic multi-D modelling, permitted to perform large-scale and extensive nucleosynthesis predictions which can test the effect of weak interactions on the abundance features of the innermost ejected zones; • Understanding the r-process site (i.e., the stellar fac- tories of half of the neutron-rich nuclei heavier than iron, created through rapid neutron captures) remains a challenge, but our understanding was strongly ad- vanced, addressing in great detail neutrino winds, jets from fast rotating, highly magnetized core collapse su- pernovae, and neutron star mergers, and performing also tests of these sites with their impact on galactic chemical evolution. 3. Cosmic dust grains as diagnostic for massive stars This was a multidisciplinary collaboration, whose ob- jectives were to advance knowledge of the formation of cosmic dust in supernovae, the reprocessing of dust in supernova remnants, and the chemical seeding with iso- topes and dust of the interstellar medium and the solar nebula by supernovae. The collaboration uniquely gath- ered several research groups from four different fields of astrophysics (astrochemistry, astronomy, experimental physics of meteorites and nuclear physics) and delivered several important outcomes on the production of dust by core-collapse supernovae. The collaboration successfully delivered the following results: • Core-collapse supernovae are significant producers of several dust components (silicates, alumina, carbon, sil- icon carbide, pure metals and iron grains) locally and in the early universe. The formation of dust goes along with the synthesis of simple molecules in the ejected ma- terial, such as CO, SiO, SO and SiS. The recent detection of molecules with the Atacama Large Millimetre Array, • Study of the nucleosynthetic signatures of the first ro- tating massive stars on the long-lived low-mass stars in globular clusters; • Improved spectroscopic analysis techniques for met- al-poor stars to determine their chemical compositions. 2. Massive stars as agents of chemical evolution This collaboration consisted of groups with expertise in experimental and theoretical nuclear physics, stellar evolution and explosion (e.g., supernovae; se</p>
