HERAEUS-SEMINAR "PLASMA AND RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IN ASTROSPHERES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HABITABILITY OF EXTRASOLAR PLANETS"
The 527. Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Seminar "Plasma and Radiation Environment in Astrospheres and Implications for the Habitability of Extrasolar Planets", took place from March 10th-15th, 2013 in the "Physikzentrum" of the German Physical Society (DPG) in Bad Honnef.
About 60 participants from 8 nations were discussing the conditions for habitability that are defined by the astrospheres, magnetospheres, and atmospheres surrounding extrasolar planets, including the question how signatures of life, so-called biomarkers, could be observed. The workshop brought together established experts on the various topics, young scientists as well as graduate students, and contributed to activities that will go well beyond the seminar week. The latter was supplemented by a Mini-Workshop within the framework of the ongoing collaboration between the Heliophysics group of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Astroparticle Physics group at the University of Kiel, and the Centre for Space Research at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa.
09.04.2013 - QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF OH RADICALS BY CAVITY RINGDOWN SPECTROSCOPY IN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE MICRO-PLASMAS FOR BIO-MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
From March the 24rd to April 6th, 2013, the PhD-students Simon Schneider and Daniel Schröder from project C1 and A1, as well as Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jan Benedikt, all members of the DFG Research Unit FOR1123, visited the group of Prof. RNDr. Jaroslav Vlcek at the University of West Bohemia, Plzen, CZ.
During this stay, absolute densities of OH radicals in the effluent of the micro-scaled atmospheric pressure plasma jet (µ-APPJ) have been measured in dependence of different concentrations of water impurities in the feed gas. This has been achieved by using a highly sensitive laser diagnostics called Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy.
A common publication is in progress and a counter-visit is planned for next year.
KICK-OFF MEETING OF COST ACTION TD1208 “ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES WITH LIQUIDS FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS”
Kick-off meeting of COST Action TD1208 “Electrical discharges with liquids for future applications”, has been held on Aril 11th, 2013 in Brussels. Plasmas generated in liquids and gas discharges interacting with liquids are today hot research. Plasma-liquid systems can produce strongly non-equilibrium environments and plasma-liquid interactions represent a great opportunity for developing novel chemistries and related technologies. This proposed Action aims bringing together a high level of experimental, simulation and theoretical expertise available around Europe and will support a coordinated effort that will improve our knowledge of basic processes responsible for initiating and sustaining discharges in/on liquids. Potential technological impact is foreseen in a range of application fields such as water and surface treatment, synthesis of nanoparticles, catalysis, formation of new organic compounds, and biochemistry. The chair of this action is Prof. Prof Frantisek Krcma from Brno University of Technology in Czech Republic and 23 countries are up to now the members of the Management Committee. Germany is represented by Jun.-Prof. Jan. Benedikt (Ruhr-Univeristy Bochum) and Dr. Stephan Reuter (INP, Greifswald).
24.04.2013 - PROF. JÖRG WINTER AN DER BILKENT UNIVERSITY, ANKARA
Vom 17. bis zum 20. April 2013 war Prof. Jörg Winter zu Gast bei Prof. Ömer Ilday am Ultrafast Optics & Lasers Laboratory der Bilkent University in Ankara, Türkei. Dort hielt er einen Vortrag über "Exploring the 4th State of Matter" und verlängertes das Kooperationsabkommen mit der Bilkent University.