The European Physical Society wishes you a wonderful holiday season! Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year.The EPS headquarters in Mulhouse, France, will be closed between 24th December 2025 and 4th January 2025. Click here to contact us.
2025 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction: Call for nominations
Emmy Noether, with her fundamental and revolutionary work in the abstract algebra and on conservation laws in theoretical physics, is an exceptional historical figure for all generations – past, present and future – of physicists. The laureates of the Emmy Noether Distinction are chosen for their capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially encourage women to pursue a career in physics. Attribution criteria therefore focus on the candidate’s: • research achievements• endeavours to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in physics• coordination of projects and management activity• service to the scientific community and research administration Nominators are encouraged to address these four points in their proposal. Commencing 2022, the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics is to be awarded once a year, to two distinguished women in physics. Namely, the Emmy Noether Distinction will be awarded to an early- and mid–career laureate, as well as to a more advanced candidate, as a Distinction for her full career. The selection committee, appointed by the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, will consider nominations of women in physics working in Europe for the 2025 Edition of the Emmy Noether Distinction as of the nomination deadline of 31st January 2026. To make a nomination, apply via this site or submit the following documents to the EPS Secretariat: Download the distinction charterRead more about the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction
BASE experiment at CERN succeeds in transporting antimatter
On 24th March, in a world first, a team of scientists from the BASE experiment at CERN successfully transported a trap filled with antiprotons in a truck across the Laboratory’s main site. The team managed to accumulate a cloud of 92 antiprotons in an innovative portable cryogenic Penning trap, then disconnect it from the experimental facility, load it onto a truck and continue experiment operation after transport. This is a remarkable achievement, given that antimatter is very difficult to preserve, as it annihilates upon contact with matter. This world premiere is a test, the ultimate aim being to transport antiprotons to other European laboratories, such as Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), where very-high-precision measurements of the antiproton properties could be performed. Antimatter is a naturally occurring class of particles that is almost identical to ordinary matter except that the electric charge and magnetic moment are reversed. According to the laws of physics, the Big Bang should have produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter. These equal-but-opposite particles would have quickly annihilated each other, leaving an empty Universe. However, our Universe contains predominantly matter, and this imbalance has baffled scientists for decades. Physicists suspect that there are hidden differences that may explain why matter survived and antimatter all but disappeared. To deepen our understanding of antimatter, the BASE collaboration aims to precisely measure the properties of antiprotons, such as their intrinsic magnetic moment, and then compare these measurements with those taken with protons. But they now face a problem: “The machines and equipment in CERN’s ‘antimatter factory’, where BASE is located, generate magnetic field fluctuations that limit how far we can push our precision measurements,” explains Stefan Ulmer, Spokesperson of BASE. These fluctuations are minuscule, of the order of one billionth of a tesla, 20 000 times smaller than the magnetic field of the earth, and undetectable outside the building. “However, the precision of the measurements taken in BASE is such that gaining an even deeper understanding of the fundamental properties of antiprotons will require moving the experiment out of the building.”, says Stefan Ulmer. CERN’s “antimatter factory” is the only place in the world where antiprotons can be produced, stored and studied. Two successive decelerators, the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) and the Extra Low Energy Antiproton ring (ELENA), provide several experiments with low-energy antiprotons – the lower their energy, the easier they can be stored and studied. Among these experiments, BASE holds long-standing records for containing antiprotons for more than one year, and the experiment has invented this pioneering approach in order to move on to the next stage: transporting antiprotons to an offline space for more precise experiments as well as sharing them with others. That’s why they developed the BASE-STEP trap: an apparatus designed to store and transport antiprotons. “Our aim with BASE-STEP is to be able to trap antiprotons and deliver them to our precision laboratories at a dedicated space at CERN, HHU, Leibnitz University Hannover and perhaps other laboratories that are capable of performing very-high-precision antiproton measurements, which unfortunately is not possible in the antimatter factory,” explains Christian Smorra, the Leader of BASE-STEP. “We validated the feasibility of the project with protons last year, but what we achieved today with antiprotons is a huge leap forward towards our objective.” BASE-STEP is small enough to be loaded onto a truck and fit through ordinary laboratory doors, and it can withstand the bumps and vibrations of transport. The current apparatus – which includes a superconducting magnet, liquid helium cryogenic cooling, power reserves and a vacuum chamber that traps the antiparticles using magnetic and electric fields – weighs 1000 kilograms: much more compact than BASE or any other existing system used to study antimatter. “To reach our first destination – our dedicated precision laboratory at HHU in Germany – would take us at least 8 hours,” says Christian Smorra. “This means we’d have to keep the trap’s superconducting magnet at a temperature below 8.2 K for that long. So, in addition to the liquid helium , we’d need to have a generator to power a cryocooler on the truck. We are currently investigating this possibility.” Nevertheless, the greatest challenge remains on arrival at the destination: to transfer the antiprotons to the experiment without them vanishing. “Transporting antimatter is a pioneering and ambitious project, and I congratulate the BASE collaboration on this impressive milestone. We are at the beginning of an exciting scientific journey that will allow us to further deepen our understanding of antimatter,” says CERN Director for Research and Computing, Gautier Hamel de Monchenault.
The March 2026 issue of e-EPS is out!
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The European Physical Society and the German Physical Society are on Mastodon!
Authors: Mario Birkholz and Gina Gunaratnam Mastodon is a decentralised, open-source social network that operates through independent servers (instances) interconnected with one another, allowing users to control their experience, privacy, and community rules. Here are its core features: – Open to everyone: You don’t have to be registered to see the posts published on Mastodon – Federated network: Users join a specific instance but can follow and be followed by accounts on any other Mastodon server, giving them a global reach while keeping control in their own hands – No central control: Each instance sets its own rules and moderation policies, enforced locally rather than by a single corporate entity – Privacy-first: Posts can be set to public, unlisted, private, or direct, and content warnings can hide the main body until clicked – Rich media support: Text, images, audio, video, polls, animated avatars, custom emojis, and more are all possible within a single post – User-friendly timeline: Posts appear in chronological order without algorithms or ads, letting users curate what they see The European Physical Society created its own account in 2020. Since then, this network has slowly been adopted by universities and scientific institutes. In 2025, the German Physical Society was approached by its members to establish European digital sovereignty in the area of social media. You can create your own account to: If you don’t wish to have an account, you can still follow our publications as the network is open. The EPS would like to encourage members of its community to join this social media. More info about Mastodon: Sources:
Growing Through Responsibility: my EPS Young Minds adventure
Author: Antigone Marino Back in 2010, I had the chance to be one of three physicists who, together with the European Physical Society (EPS), launched the EPS Young Minds. At the time, the idea was simple but bold: give young physicists a real voice in Europe, help them connect across borders, and support professional growth beyond the usual academic track. Things really stepped up a level when I became Chair of EPS Young Minds from 2013 to 2016. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about having good ideas anymore. It was about making things happen. That meant moving outside the comfort zone of scientific research and into leadership, coordination, and long-term strategy. As Chair, I was juggling quite a few responsibilities: coordinating national Young Minds sections across Europe, acting as a bridge between early-career physicists and the EPS leadership, and helping define the overall direction of the initiative. In practice, this meant a lot of meetings, a lot of discussions with people coming from very different backgrounds, and a lot of work turning ideas into actual, concrete actions at a European level. And being honest, a lot of effort went into finding funding to keep the project growing. What made Young Minds truly special was its place inside EPS, a federation of national physical societies. Across Europe there were already many initiatives by young physicists, but YM had to speak many “languages”: not just spoken ones, but also the very different ways national societies approach youth policies. It wasn’t always easy, but it was incredibly enriching. That challenge gave me a view of European physics I’d never had before. I learned how to negotiate, how to really listen, and how to build consensus in a multicultural environment. To this day, I see this as one of the most important things YM and EPS gave me. Along the way, EPS Young Minds connected me with an amazing network: motivated young researchers, senior scientists, policymakers, and professionals working at the intersection of science, education, and society. Those connections opened doors, sparked collaborations, and helped me see that a career in physics can take many different (and unexpected) paths. So, to any young physicist wondering whether getting involved in EPS or Young Minds is worth it: yes, absolutely. Do it even if it feels demanding. Do it especially if it feels unfamiliar. These experiences expand your horizons, multiply your opportunities, and give you skills that stay with you long after a specific role ends. Seeing Young Minds continue to grow today gives me a quiet sense of pride. Leaving a project is never easy; letting go is hard. But watching others take care of something that started as your dream? That’s one of the most rewarding feelings you can have in a career.
An interview with Gloria Platero
Gloria Platero, research professor at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), was awarded the 2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction “in recognition of her remarkable contributions to the theoretical understanding of out-of-equilibrium (Floquet) systems and their impactful application to quantum materials, for her excellent mentorship of young researchers, and for tirelessly fostering female talent in physics.” Petra Rudolf, chair of the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, interviewed Prof. Platero. How did you decide for a career in physics? I grew up in a home where science was part of everyday life. My mother was a mathematician, and my father, an engineer with a deep love for physics. So my curiosity and appreciation for science were encouraged from a very young age. At high school, I had an exceptional chemistry teacher who truly nurtured my curiosity and always encouraged me to ask questions and dig deeper. That experience made me want to understand more about atoms and ultimately led me to choose physics. Interestingly, my physics teacher at the time didn’t think that girls should study physics – but I was determined to follow my own path. When I began my studies at university, Spain was still under the Franco regime—a period marked by conservative attitudes and traditional gender roles. Female role models in physics were virtually nonexistent. During my doctoral research at the Autonomous University of Madrid, we were only two women among all the physics PhD students. It was a lonely place to be at times, but it also made me resilient. How is it for current female physics students and starting academics? There has certainly been progress. We now see more women entering physics in Spain, and the overall atmosphere is more welcoming. However, as you move up the academic ladder, the number of women goes down. The so-called “scissor diagram” still applies, and the upper levels of academia remain male-dominated. Unfortunately, this is not unique to Spain. Even in Northern European countries, which lead in gender equality according to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, the proportion of women professors in physics is still far below where it should be. In countries like Japan, the numbers remain dramatically low. It’s not only a question of representation—visibility also matters. Women in physics are often less visible in leadership roles and high-profile events. Additionally, we’re often burdened with a heavier share of committee work, which can detract from research time. That said, I want to be clear: I do not want to complain. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had such a fulfilling career. Working as a physicist is deeply gratifying. To my younger female colleagues, I would say: Don’t stay in the shadow of a famous supervisor, even if it feels safe or convenient. Step forward and show the world what you can do. It’s essential to carve out your own space and voice in science. Start by asking questions at conferences! I would also like to emphasize how important it is to share your life with someone who supports your career. In my case, my husband — though not a scientist but an engineer — has always been a strong and unwavering source of support. What do you recommend the physics community does to foster diversity? We all need to take a more active role in mentoring and supporting the next generation. Sharing our experiences—both successes and setbacks—is crucial. As a community, we should pay close attention to the representation of women and other underrepresented groups at conferences and workshops. We must advocate for talented colleagues to be included in speaker line-ups and panel discussions. Organisers should also make conferences more inclusive by offering childcare facilities and structured networking opportunities for women in physics. These seemingly small actions can make a big difference in building confidence and fostering a sense of belonging. As PhD supervisors, we should speak honestly with our students—not just about the excitement of doing physics, but also about the realities of academic life. It’s important to highlight that the so-called “alpha personalities” in our field are not always the happiest and most fulfilled, no matter how much recognition they receive. We must encourage our students to build a career path that gives them energy and joy—to find their own resonance state, so to speak. If they’re unhappy or feel stifled, it’s perfectly valid to change supervisors or move to another institution. We should give our PhD candidates opportunities to attend schools and conferences to build their networks. In the last phase of the doctoral work they should take on responsibilities like helping with the supervision of younger students. They should feel like what they are: essential members of the team. And one more very important thing: in our working life, we should be kind to each other, celebrate our colleagues’ successes, and foster an environment where support and appreciation are the norm.
Decode The Universe-Exploring Exoplanets Through Data & Code
Authors: EPS Young Minds NKUA Section On November 3rd, Young Minds NKUA organised the event “Decode The Universe”, an interactive event that brought together astrophysics, programming, and hands-on experimentation at the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The event welcomed nearly 100 participants, reflecting the strong interest of students in computational astrophysics and modern data analysis. The event was co-organised with City Lab Robotics and supported by the Department of Physics NKUA. It combined theoretical insight with practical engagement, aiming not only to inform but also to actively involve participants in the scientific process. The programme began with a series of short talks οn robotics applications and data analysis methods used in exoplanet detection. Young Minds NKUA presented its mission and previous science communication projects, highlighting opportunities for student involvement. Dr. Kosmas Gazeas, astrophysicist and lecturer, welcomed participants and introduced the systems of the Gerostathopoulion Observatory. The core of the event was a hands-on workshop where participants analysed real astronomical-style datasets. Using code based on the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and the Lomb–Scargle method, they calculated the orbital periods of exoplanets. The event concluded with an interactive Kahoot quiz on physics and a live demonstration of the Observatory’s automated systems. Prizes were awarded to the top participants, further enhancing engagement and motivation. Decode The Universe successfully combined theory, computational tools, and experiential learning. By immersing students in scientific techniques, the event strengthened their understanding of astrophysical data analysis while fostering enthusiasm for research and collaboration within the physics community.
ICPE Medal Award: Call for nominations
The International Commission on Physics Education (C14) was established by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) in 1960 to promote the exchange of information and views among the members of the international scientific community in Physics Education. Today, IUPAP C14 invites physicists from all corners of the world and at all levels of education to apply for the ICPE Medal Award, which honours outstanding contributions to physics teaching that transcend national boundaries. We particularly encourage nominations from individuals and communities who are traditionally under‑represented in international awards. Eligibility Criteria:
Largest image of its kind shows hidden chemistry at the heart of the Milky Way
ESO, 25th February 2026, Press release Astronomers have captured the central region of our Milky Way in a striking new image, unveiling a complex network of filaments of cosmic gas in unprecedented detail. Obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), this rich dataset — the largest ALMA image to date — will allow astronomers to probe the lives of stars in the most extreme region of our galaxy, next to the supermassive black hole at its centre. “It’s a place of extremes, invisible to our eyes, but now revealed in extraordinary detail,” says Ashley Barnes, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Germany who is part of the team that obtained the new data. The observations provide a unique view of the cold gas — the raw material from which stars form — within the so-called Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our galaxy. It is the first time the cold gas across this whole region has been explored in such detail. The region featured in the new image spans more than 650 light-years. It harbours dense clouds of gas and dust, surrounding the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. “It is the only galactic nucleus close enough to Earth for us to study in such fine detail,” says Barnes. The dataset reveals the CMZ like never before, from gas structures dozens of light-years across all the way down to small gas clouds around individual stars. The gas that ACES — the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey — specifically explores is cold molecular gas. The survey unpacks the intricate chemistry of the CMZ, detecting dozens of different molecules, from simple ones such as silicon monoxide to more complex organic ones like methanol, acetone or ethanol. Cold molecular gas flows along filaments feeding into clumps of matter out of which stars can grow. In the outskirts of the Milky Way we know how this process happens, but within the central region the events are much more extreme. “The CMZ hosts some of the most massive stars known in our galaxy, many of which live fast and die young, ending their lives in powerful supernova explosions, and even hypernovae,” says ACES leader Steve Longmore, a professor of astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. With ACES, astronomers hope to better understand how these phenomena influence the birth of stars and whether our theories of star formation hold in extreme environments. “By studying how stars are born in the CMZ, we can also gain a clearer picture of how galaxies grew and evolved,” Longmore adds. “We believe the region shares many features with galaxies in the early Universe, where stars were forming in chaotic, extreme environments.” To collect this new dataset, astronomers used ALMA, which is operated by ESO and partners in Chile’s Atacama Desert. In fact, this is the first time such a large area has been scanned with this facility, making this the largest ALMA image ever. Seen in the sky, the mosaic — obtained by stitching together many individual observations like putting puzzle pieces together — is as long as three full Moons side-by-side. “We anticipated a high level of detail when designing the survey, but we were genuinely surprised by the complexity and richness revealed in the final mosaic,” says Katharina Immer, an ALMA astronomer at ESO who is also part of the project. The data from ACES are presented in five papers accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, with a sixth in the final review stages. “The upcoming ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, along with ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, will soon allow us to push even deeper into this region — resolving finer structures, tracing more complex chemistry, and exploring the interplay between stars, gas and black holes with unprecedented clarity,” says Barnes. “In many ways, this is just the beginning.” More information This research was presented in a series of papers presenting the ACES data, to appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: The data itself will be available from the ALMA Science Portal at https://almascience.org/alma-data/lp/aces. Links
The February issue 2026 of e-EPS is out!
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The IceCube experiment is ready to uncover more secrets of the universe
GSI Press release, 12th February 2026 The world’s largest neutrino detector has been successfully upgraded The name “IceCube” not only serves as the title of the experiment, but also describes its appearance. Embedded in the transparent ice of the South Pole, a three-dimensional grid of more than 5,000 extremely sensitive light sensors forms a giant cube with a volume of one cubic kilometer. This unique arrangement serves as an observatory for detecting neutrinos, the most difficult elementary particles to detect. In order to detect neutrinos, they must interact with matter, creating charged particles whose light can be measured. These light measurements can be used to determine information about the properties of neutrinos. However, the probability of neutrinos interacting with matter is extremely low, so they usually pass through it without leaving a trace, which makes their detection considerably more difficult. For this reason, a large detector volume is required to increase the probability of interaction, and state-of-the-art technology is crucial for detecting such rare interactions. The basic operating principle of IceCube is to detect the light that is produced when a neutrino interacts with the ice. IceCube acts like a telescope that “sees” neutrinos. This characteristic blue Cherenkov light travels through the ice and is detected by sensors called digital optical modules (DOMs). Using these measurements, researchers can then reconstruct the energy and direction of the original neutrino. Since 2010, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has been searching for high-energy neutrinos from space. In recent years, it has already provided important insights into the nature of these particles and the sources of these high-energy neutrinos in the universe. For example, it offered a first glimpse into the interior of an active galaxy. The recently completed upgrade of the observatory will ensure that the experiment will provide even more information about the properties of neutrinos and the cosmos. Scientists from the working group of Professor Dr. Sebastian Böser from the Institute of Physics and the PRISMA++ Cluster of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are part of the IceCube Collaboration. The collaboration has been represented at JGU since 1999, initially under the leadership of Professor Dr. Lutz Köpke. “In Mainz, we are primarily researching neutrinos at the lower end of the energy spectrum detectable by IceCube, such as those produced in the atmosphere or in supernova explosions. These are difficult to detect, but they can also provide us with new insights into the properties of neutrinos themselves,” explains Böser. More sensors improve the telescope The main array of IceCube consists of 86 sensor strings embedded in the ice at intervals of 125 meters. As part of the IceCube upgrade, six new strings were installed between December 2025 and January 2026. This added over 650 modern photodetectors and calibration devices to the existing IceCube detector. The new instruments will improve our understanding of how light emitted by neutrino interactions in the ice propagates through the detector. Thanks to the higher instrument density, the experiment can now measure signals at lower energies that were previously unattainable. This increases the “sharpness” of the telescope, making it more sensitive to the properties of neutrinos. In addition, the higher resolution achieved by the upgrade can also be applied retroactively to data already collected and stored during the first ten years of IceCube operation, resulting in an immediate and significant improvement. An innovative type of module The new components of the upgrade also include nine wavelength-shifting optical modules (WOMs): innovative detectors specialized for UV light. “With IceCube, we want to measure Cherenkov light. This light has a large UV component that the DOMs cannot measure. This means that a large part of the light produced during neutrino interactions is lost because the sensors are not sensitive enough for it,” explains Lea Schlickmann, a PhD student in Böser’s group and the person primarily responsible for building these modules. “The WOMs have a tube coated with a special wavelength-shifting paint. When UV photons hit this tube, their wavelength is shifted into the visible range and they are then directed to the so-called photomultipliers, where they are detected.” The WOMs were developed, produced, and tested in Mainz in collaboration with research groups from Wuppertal and Madison, with additional support from Uppsala and Berlin. These first modules serve as proof of principle for their performance and their measurements of UV Cherenkov light in ice. “In the future, WOMs will be able to provide extremely important information about neutrinos and their origin in the universe. They would be particularly suitable for detecting neutrinos produced in a supernova, which would be extremely interesting to observe,” says Schlickmann. In addition to her contribution to the hardware development of the detector, Schlickmann was also part of the first group of researchers allowed to travel to the South Pole to work on the IceCube upgrade. There, she not only tested the WOMs one last time before they were installed in the ice, but also helped with all kinds of tasks necessary for the success of the mission – from shoveling snow to clear equipment to testing and loading the first 300 modules. The IceCube collaboration consists of over 450 physicists from 58 institutions in 14 countries. This international team is leading the scientific program, and many of its members contributed to designing and constructing the detector. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is mainly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, with significant support from partner organizations worldwide. Germany is the second-largest contributor, with eleven institutions, and makes a significant and visible contribution to IceCube through funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). In addition to JGU, the collaboration includes Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Humboldt University Berlin, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Ruhr University Bochum, RWTH Aachen University, Technical University Dortmund, Technical University Munich, University of Münster, University of Wuppertal, and the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY).