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EPJ D Highlight - Generating powerful BEUV light with a next-gen free-electron laser
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- Published on 08 June 2026
Using the SHINE facility, researchers show that undulator tapering can unlock kilowatt-level beyond extreme ultraviolet free-electron laser radiation with controllable polarisation
Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce extremely short, bright pulses of light by passing bunches of electrons through an undulator: a periodic array of alternating magnets which force electrons to wiggle back and forth. This generates light which re-interacts with the electrons, causing their vibrations to resonate and vastly boosting the laser's intensity.
Through new research published in EPJ D, Hanxiang Yang, Haixiao Deng, and colleagues at the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, show how SHINE, a next-generation FEL facility under development, could be used to produce controllably polarised light in the beyond extreme ultraviolet (BEUV) range. These wavelengths are valuable across numerous fields of research and industry, and they are especially useful for optical lithography: a cutting-edge technique which uses light to transfer patterns onto light-sensitive layers. With tight levels of control over the light's polarisation, they could also be used to manufacture the integrated circuits demanded by many emerging technologies.
EPJ RI Highlight - Identifying origins of anti-science sentiments for large-scale research projects
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- Published on 08 June 2026
An extensive international survey reveals that only a small portion of the public has a negative perception relating to a new particle collider that could eventually be constructed at CERN. The analysis shows that their views are rooted in a mistrust in science and publicly funded projects.
Research infrastructures (RIs) are large-scale facilities that provide resources for research communities – including equipment, data archives, and communications networks. As they aim to tackle global challenges including climate change, sustainable energy, and public health, RIs are attracting increasing attention from scientists and policymakers alike.
Among the public, however, understanding of RI activities and subsequent support for public funding is often limited. So far, the factors driving these sentiments haven’t been systematically investigated, and it was unclear whether they stem from similar anti-science sentiments to those found among people who deny climate change, or in anti-vaccine movements.
Through a new study published in EPJ Research Infrastructures, Francesco Giffoni and colleagues at CSIL (Milan, Italy) and CERN (Switzerland and France), carried out a contingent value analysis, including a study of public attitudes towards a new particle collider, currently being conceived by an international collaboration hosted by CERN. The results yield valuable insights into why some members of the public would oppose such a project.
Irena Drevenšek Olenik joins the EPJ Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)
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- Published on 01 June 2026
The Steering Committee of EPJ is delighted to welcome Irena Drevenšek Olenik, as the new representative of the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia.
Professor Irena DREVENŠEK OLENIK is a Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana and a Senior Research Fellow at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Her research focuses on the experimental investigations of soft materials using advanced optical techniques. In recent years, her work has centered on the nonlinear optical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals and the development of optical sensing methods for magnetically actuated soft robotic systems.
Alongside her research and teaching, she is actively engaged in science communication and in promoting science to the broader public. She is the recipient of the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia award for outstanding work with young people.
EPJ Plus Highlight - New instrument probes how complex molecules form on cosmic dust
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- Published on 29 May 2026
Researchers have designed a non-destructive mass spectrometer that traps and measures individual nanoparticles, which could contribute to our understanding of how complex organic molecules form in interstellar space
Throughout interstellar space, molecules attached to the surfaces of dust grains are constantly being transformed through a combination of chemical reactions and physical forces. How these physicochemical processes play out is strongly tied to the sizes of dust grains – underpinning the formation of complex organic molecules. To study these processes, experiments so far have reproduced them on thick multilayer ice layers, but these surfaces can't fully capture the intrinsic properties of cosmic dust grains.
Through new research published in EPJ Plus, Stefano Bovino and colleagues at the University of Concepción, Chile, introduce a more advanced experimental approach, involving a non-destructive mass spectrometer for charged nanoparticles. Their setup could help researchers to deepen their understanding of how complex molecules can form in the harsh environment of outer space.
EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Mathematics and Physics at the Quantum-Classical Interface
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- Published on 29 May 2026
Guest Editors: Denys I. Bondar, Ilon Joseph, Giuseppe Marmo, Cesare Tronci
The study of the quantum-classical interface has been leading to new horizons in the fundamental understanding of many-body quantum systems as well as the control of quantum systems through the steering of classical components. The study of this area requires a combination of different approaches in both mathematics and physics, thereby forming an ideal platform for the rise of new concepts and methods in both fields and beyond. Given the intrinsic interdisciplinary aspects accompanying the study of the quantum-classical divide, this focus point brings together communities with different expertise in order to approach and advance problems lying across this interface. It is clear that standard methods in quantum mechanics are not sufficient to tackle this kind of problems, nor can classical mechanics alone resolve the underlying issues. There must be a synergy between different fields and this focus point has been seeking to accelerate new approaches and new collaborations along these lines. Achieving this synergy requires breaking language barriers and considering concepts that may be far from standard viewpoints. This focus point signifies the fact that the community is ready to embark on such a challenge by bringing together – once again – both mathematics and physics.
All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 31 July 2026. For further information, read the Editorial.
EPJ A Topical Collection: Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics
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- Published on 28 May 2026
Guest Editors: Daniel Bemmerer, David Blaschke, Oleksii Ivanytskyi, Eliana Masha, Marie Pichotta, Konrad Schmidt and Matthias Steffen
Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics studies the production of the chemical elements in astrophysical scenarios ranging from primordial nucleosynthesis to stellar explosions and mergers. This field has seen impressive progress in recent years, both in theory and experiment, as evidenced by the Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics conference series. This Topical Collection assembles invited contributions drawn from the Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics XI (NPA-XI) conference in Dresden in September 2024, as well as additional papers invited by the Guest Editors. They cover the following four thematic areas: cosmic nucleosynthesis, element synthesis processes in stars, latest stages of stellar evolution, and special topics. A short review of new European facilities for nuclear astrophysics is given, from the FAIR facility in Darmstadt to underground ion accelerators to accelerator mass spectrometers.
All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 20 July 2026. For further information, read the Editorial.
EPJ Plus Highlight - Speeding up radioactive decay in ultra-cold metallic environments
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- Published on 21 May 2026
A new framework aims to test whether embedding radioactive nuclei in ultra-cold metal matrices could accelerate their decay, and could offer a new route to managing nuclear waste
When cooled to ultra-cold temperatures and embedded in metallic surroundings, radioactive nuclei may decay at faster rates. So far, however, the mechanisms underlying this possibility have remained poorly understood.
Through new research published in EPJ Plus, a team from the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the Tor Vergata University of Rome, in collaboration with the Institute for Nuclear Research of (NASU) in Kyiv, has developed a comprehensive new framework for assessing the effect, and how it can best be investigated in real experiments. Their results could lead to new answers in fundamental nuclear physics and may even pave the way for new methods for accelerating the decay of radioactive waste into less harmful materials.
EPJ Web of Conferences Highlight - XXXI International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions “Quark Matter 2025”
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- Published on 20 May 2026
The Quark Matter 2025, held in Frankfurt from April 6–12, 2025, is the largest global conference in the field of high-energy heavy-ion physics. It brings together leading experimentalists and theorists to explore the properties of matter under extreme conditions, such as those that existed just after the Big Bang.
The 2025 edition attracted around 1000 participants from across the world, making it the largest meeting in the conference series to date. The scientific program featured a very large number of contributions, including hundreds of talks and poster presentations spanning topics such as quark–gluon plasma, particle correlations, jets, and new detector technologies.
Olle Björneholm joins the EPJ Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)
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- Published on 20 May 2026
The Steering Committee of EPJ is delighted to welcome Olle Björneholm, as the new representative of the Swedish Physical Society.
Professor Olle Björneholm is professor in Molecular and Cluster Physics in the Chemical and Bio-molecular Physics research program within the Division for X-ray Photon Science at the Department of Physics and Astronomy (Uppsala University). His personal research interests are primarily concerned with phenomena and processes connected to the electronic and geometric structure of liquids and clusters/nanoparticles including X-ray-induced dynamics as described here. His main tools to study this are various synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopic techniques. He studies systems and processes that are relevant for issues like ultra-fast dynamics radiation damage nanoscience and environmental molecular science.
EPJ E Colloquium - Human lungs fluid mechanics: an overview of current modelling techniques
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- Published on 13 May 2026
Human breathing is governed by fluid mechanics across several regimes that span over a wide range of length and time scales: from turbulent airflow in the upper airways to slow interfacial motion in the smallest bronchioles and alveoli. At the same time, air motion is coupled to deformable tissue, mucus transport, surfactant dynamics, gas exchange, and, in disease, airway narrowing or liquid plugging. This makes the lung a demanding test case for modern multiphysics modelling.
