The High Energy and Particle Physics Division of the EPS is proud to announce the 2025 EPS HEPP prizes. Awards will be presented at the EPS Conference on High Energy Physics taking place from 7th to 11th July 2025 in Marseille, France. Prizes will be published on the division’s website on 28th April. Stay tuned!
2025 EPS Plasma Physics Division Prizes announced
The Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society is happy to announce the 2025 EPS PPD Prizes: Visit the website of the division for all the details about the winners.
European labs lead the way: Europe’s fusion energy research in full swing
7th April 2025, press release EUROfusion In a virtually unprecedented alignment of efforts, Europe’s major fusion research experiments have simultaneously entered a high-intensity experiment phase, showcasing Europe’s strong collaboration and leadership in the global quest to develop fusion as a sustainable energy source. Recent milestones, including JET’s record-breaking fusion power output and WEST’s record-setting plasma duration, underscore Europe’s cutting-edge technology and scientific excellence. With vital contributions from Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV), ASDEX Upgrade, and Wendelstein 7-X, as well as essential technology work for ITER and the European DEMO program, EUROfusion is proud to highlight the breadth and depth of Europe’s fusion research capabilities.ictions for future machines.“ Read the complete press release on the website of EUROfusion.
The City of Göttingen is an EPS Historic Site
The European Physical Society (EPS) has named the City of Göttingen an “EPS Historic Site” in recognition of its leading role in the development of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics and so quantum physics were found in Göttingen in 1925. The new theory rapidly developed and, even to this day, continues to fundamentally shape our understanding of nature. The City and University soon became a leading centre of modern physics. In light of this, the UN General Assembly declared 2025 the “International Year of Quantum Science and Quantum Technology”. The official plaque showing the award will stand in front of the Forum Wissen – the knowledge museum of the University of Göttingen in Berliner Straße. It was unveiled in the evening on 1 April during a ceremony at the Göttingen Spring Meeting of the German Physical Society (DPG) in the Aula, Göttingen University’s Great Hall, on Wilhelmsplatz. “Research always means dynamic change,” said University President Professor Axel Schölmerich. “The new colleagues who were appointed in recent years are our promise of scientific progress and new insights, and Göttingen continues to be the ideal place for this. We are delighted with this award for the entire city, because it honours not only the scientists, but also the many people who, as technicians and other staff, have contributed significantly to knowledge at every opportunity.” “As Mayor, I am very pleased about this recognition on the occasion of the anniversary,” said Göttingen’s Mayor Petra Broistedt. “The famous Göttingen Spirit, which even 100 years ago had already led to such great accomplishments, can still be felt in Göttingen. From the University to the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) to the numerous renowned research institutes: cutting-edge research is part of our city’s DNA. Especially in times of increasing hostility towards science, academic freedom is a precious asset. It is up to all of us to protect this and continue our success story.“ On the occasion of the City of Göttingen being recognised as an “EPS Historic Site”, the EPS, together with the DPG and its other member societies from across Europe, emphasised the fundamental importance of quantum science for Europe and the future in a joint statement. The statement can be found here: www.eps.org/Europe-and-the-Future-of-Quantum-Science and www.dpg-physik.de/veroeffentlichungen/aktuell/2025/die-rolle-der-quantenwissenschaften-in-europa?set_language=en. Press release: Göttingen University – Image credit: Göttingen University / Peter Heller
The LHC experiment collaborations at CERN receive Breakthrough Prize
The Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was awarded to the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb collaborations during a ceremony held in Los Angeles on 5th April 2025 Geneva, 7 April 2025. This weekend, the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN were honoured with the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. The prize is awarded to the four collaborations, which unite thousands of researchers from more than 70 countries, and concerns the papers authored based on LHC Run-2 data up to July 2024. It was received by the spokespersons who led the collaborations during that time. The prize was awarded to the collaborations for their “detailed measurements of Higgs boson properties confirming the symmetry-breaking mechanism of mass generation, the discovery of new strongly interacting particles, the study of rare processes and matter-antimatter asymmetry, and the exploration of nature at the shortest distances and most extreme conditions at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”. “I am extremely proud to see the extraordinary accomplishments of the LHC collaborations honoured with this prestigious Prize,” said Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN. “It is a beautiful recognition of the collective efforts, dedication, competence and hard work of thousands of people from all over the world who contribute daily to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.” Following consultation with the experiments’ management teams, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation will donate the $3 million Prize to the CERN & Society Foundation. The Prize money will be used to offer grants for doctoral students from the collaborations’ member institutes to spend research time at CERN, giving them experience in working at the forefront of science and new expertise to bring back to their home countries and regions. ATLAS and CMS are general-purpose experiments, which pursue the full programme of exploration offered by the LHC’s high-energy and high-intensity proton and ion beams. They jointly announced the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 and continue to investigate its properties. “This prize recognises the collective vision and monumental effort of thousands of ATLAS collaborators worldwide”, says ATLAS spokesperson Stephane Willocq. “Their talent and dedication, and the support of our public funding agencies, enabled the scientific breakthroughs that are being celebrated today. These results have transformed our understanding of the Universe at the most fundamental level.” “CMS is deeply honoured to receive this prestigious prize,” said CMS spokesperson Gautier Hamel de Monchenault. “Through continuous innovation in exploiting the data from the Large Hadron Collider over the past fifteen years, the CMS collaboration is conducting a thorough characterisation of the Higgs boson, exploring the electroweak scale and beyond and probing the hot, dense state of nuclear matter that prevailed in the early Universe.” ALICE studies quark-gluon plasma, a state of extremely hot and dense matter that existed in the first microseconds after the Big Bang, while LHCb explores minute differences between matter and antimatter, violation of fundamental symmetries and the complex spectra of composite particles (“hadrons”) made of heavy and light quarks, among other things. “The ALICE collaboration is honoured to receive the Breakthrough Prize for the investigation of the properties of the hottest and densest matter available in a laboratory, quark-gluon plasma”, says ALICE spokesperson Marco Van Leeuwen. “The new grants funded through this prize will contribute to training the next generation of ALICE scientists.” “The award of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize is a great honour for the LHCb collaboration. It underlines the importance of the many measurements made by the LHCb experiment in flavour physics and spectroscopy through the exploration of subtle differences between matter and antimatter and the discovery of several new heavy quark hadrons”, says LHCb spokesperson Vincenzo Vagnoni. By performing these extraordinarily precise and delicate tests, the LHC experiments have pushed the boundaries of knowledge of fundamental physics to unprecedented limits. They will continue to do so with the upcoming upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, the High-Luminosity LHC, which aims to ramp up the performance of the LHC, starting in 2030, in order to increase the potential for discoveries. Image, From left to right: Andreas Hoecker, former ATLAS spokesperson; Patricia McBride, former CMS spokesperson; Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE spokesperson and Vincenzo Vagnoni, LHCb spokesperson (courtesy of Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
Spring into Discovery Space – Invitation
The European Physical Society and its partners in the Discovery Space project are excited to invite teachers to take part in the “Spring into Discovery Space” Webinar Series and Implementation Contest! Discovery Space has created an online enhanced learning environment with learning scenarios to guide students on differentiated pathways through scientific investigations, and now we’re ready to try it out in classrooms across Europe! Scenarios cover a wide range of physics and non-physics topics, including simple pendulums, the photoelectric effect, the phases of the Moon, the seasons, artificial intelligence and more. Webinar Series: Until mid-May, EPS and guest hosts from across Europe will animate a series of webinars to guide teachers how to use the Discovery Space online platform and learning scenarios. Implementation Challenge: To recognise the efforts of teachers who help us pilot learning scenarios with their students, we’re thrilled to introduce the Spring into Discovery Space – Implementation Challenge, with exciting prizes including attendance at the Discovery Space Summer School in Marathon Greece, invitations to a Discovery Space workshop in Mulhouse, France, and personalized Discovery Space training events! Join the “Spring into Discovery Space” mailing list to receive registration details and reminders for the contest and webinars.
Europe and the Future of Quantum Science
In 2025 we celebrate 100 years since the formulation of quantum physics, a scientific milestone that has shaped the modern world. In the 21st century, quantum physics will continue to develop, bringing with it new and unexpected results. Technologies based on these discoveries lead to applications which will benefit humanity. The laws of quantum physics were first formulated in Europe in 1925 and describe the behaviour of the smallest constituents of matter, such as elementary particles, atoms and molecules. Quantum objects behave differently – and often counterintuitively – compared to the objects we encounter in our daily lives. Quantum physics triggered a technological revolution, and a century later a second quantum revolution is underway. We use this anniversary to highlight the transformative history of quantum science and technology and explore the immense future possibilities. The first quantum revolution, built on the wave nature of quantum particles and on the existence of energy “packets” called quanta, began in the middle of the 20th century. This revolution not only deepened our understanding of the fundamental workings of the universe – culminating in the development of the Standard Model of particle physics – but also led to devices and technologies that are now fundamental to our daily lives. Examples include computers and consumer electronics (such as mobile phones) based on semiconductors, LEDs, lasers, modern medical imaging and treatments, positioning and navigation (GPS, Galileo, etc.), the new definition of the kilogram, photovoltaics, technologies and approaches underpinning climate research, and many others. The second quantum revolution, where we can fully control the quantum behaviour of elementary constituents like atoms or photons started around the beginning of the 21st Century. This revolution changes the way we think about information, computing, measurement, and matter; leading, for example, to innovative methods for secure communication, quantum sensing, and new quantum materials. Progress in quantum science continues to accelerate. Global efforts, particularly in Europe, underscore the field’s importance, further highlighted by the United Nations’ designation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Whilst some applications of quantum physics, like atomic clocks, moved quickly from research to practice, others, such as quantum computing, are currently transitioning from research to commercial applications. Even after 100 years, quantum physics remains a field with significantly untapped potential. Many fundamental questions are still open, which impact both our understanding of the field and its practical applications. These include the search for quantum gravity, whether there is a maximum size for quantum systems, the scaling of quantum computing and the classical limit of quantum physics. Global challenges, including secure communication, efficient energy management, climate monitoring, advanced healthcare solutions, and novel drug design may be addressed using quantum science and technology. This underscores the transformative societal impact that quantum technologies could achieve, as well as our obligation to use them responsibly. Everyone can appreciate the surprising and fascinating nature of quantum physics. Public engagement and outreach initiatives should appeal to all sectors of society. Both to attract students to the field and to raise awareness of its societal impact. The EPS and national physical societies welcome and support initiatives to increase curiosity and interest in quantum science and technology, preparing our societies for the changes and opportunities to come. We also encourage the various emergent education programs on Quantum Science / Engineering / Computing in Europe to collaborate and exchange best practices. We support actions to train a new generation of students fostering scientific and industrial growth. We encourage the creation of networks of academic and industrial stakeholders from startups to large corporations to promote scientific and technological development and build upon the ongoing second quantum revolution. The disruptive nature of quantum innovation makes it a field where many actors, from small companies to large corporations, can play a decisive role. We support the creation of an inclusive environment for all actors to develop and deliver innovations. We welcome the recognition of the strategic importance of quantum technologies for the scientific and industrial competitiveness of our countries, by European policy makers. Their support to develop world-class fundamental research on quantum science and the creation of technology ecosystems across Europe is the key for the success of the field. Signatories: European Physical SocietyAustrian Physical SocietyDanish Physical SocietyFrench Physical SocietyFinnish Physical SocietyGerman Physical SocietyInstitute of Physics (UK)Italian Physical SocietyLithuanian Physical SocietySociety of Physicists of Macedonia Polish Physical SocietySpanish Royal Physical SocietySwiss Physical Society The declaration was drafted by: Claus Lämmerzahl, ZARM and GOC, University of Bremen, Germany Jean-Philippe Brantut, EPFL, Zurich, SwitzerlandChristophe Couteau, University of Technology Troyes, CNRS, France Anna Di Ciaccio, University of Roma Tor Vergata and INFN, Italy Elisa Ercolessi, University of Bologna, ItalyJuan José García-Ripoll, Institute of Fundamental Physics, IFF-CSIC, SpainMairi Sakellariadou, King’s College London, United KingdomKarol Zyczkowski, Jagiellonian University, Cracow and Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
EPS Diversity Statement
Statement by the Executive Committee of the European Physical Society24th March 2025 The European Physical Society (EPS) has the mission to advocate and promote physics research and its contributions to the economic, technological, social and cultural advancement in Europe. As a federation of more than 40 National Physical Societies, the EPS engages in activities that strengthen ties among the physicists in Europe, in physics research, science policy and education. The EPS designs and implements programmes to develop the European physics community. It provides a forum to share best practices to promote physics, and thus support international collaboration and physicists worldwide. Fostering diversity and inclusion in the physics community is a core component of the European Physical Society’s mission. We thus firmly believe that diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences is essential for driving innovation, creativity, and excellence in physics and all related issues. Our constitution emphasizes the importance of providing equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or socioeconomic background. By encouraging a diverse and inclusive environment, we can help to ensure that the brightest minds from all walks of life are given the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of science. We are committed to creating a supportive and respectful atmosphere where everyone feels valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. This commitment extends to our policies, programmes, and practices designed to promote equity, eliminate barriers, and support the professional growth of underrepresented groups. Because the EPS represents the whole European physics community, we stand united in our resolve to cultivate a culture of respect, collaboration, and mutual support. Diversity strengthens our society and we remain dedicated to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all members of the EPS and the wider scientific community.
EPS Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Prizes 2025: Call for nominations
EPS Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Prize 2025 OBJECT: The EPS Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Prize recognises outstanding research contributions in the area of statistical physics, nonlinear physics, complex systems, complex networks.CANDIDATES: One or two persons that have made independent or convergent ground-breaking and agenda-setting contributions for the development of the field. Prize winners can have any nationality. NOMINATIONS: Self nominations will not be considered. The nominators must send an email attaching a letter with a brief description of the most important research contributions of the candidate and a list of up to 6 key publications (maximum 2 pages) to the Chair of the board Raffaella Burioni (raffaella.burioni@unipr.it) with the subject header “EPS-SNPD award nomination”. We encourage nominations of scientists from groups currently underrepresented in Statistical and Nonlinear Physics.DEADLINE: 30th May 2025 EPS Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Early Career Prize 2025 OBJECT: The EPS Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Early Career Prize recognises outstanding research contributions in the area of statistical physics, nonlinear physics, complex systems, complex networks.CANDIDATES: One or two persons in their early career stage (defined as having obtained the PhD degree less than 6 years ago at the time of nomination) that have made independent or convergent ground-breaking contributions for the development of the field. Prize winners can have any nationality. NOMINATIONS: Self nominations will not be considered. The nominators must send an email attaching a letter with a brief description of the most important research contributions of the candidate and a list of up to 6 key publications (maximum 2 pages) to the Chair of the board Raffaella Burioni (raffaella.burioni@unipr.it) with the subject header “EPS-SNPD award nomination”. We encourage nominations of scientists from groups currently underrepresented in Statistical and Nonlinear Physics.DEADLINE: 30th May 2025 Further information is available on the website of the Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Division of the EPS.
CERN releases report on the feasibility of a possible Future Circular Collider
Image: Artistic representation of the tunnel for the FCC-hh (proton-proton collider) / PIXELRISE Released today, a report of a study investigating the project’s feasibility will serve as input for the European Strategy for Particle Physics and be assessed by the CERN Council in the coming months Geneva, 31 March 2025. After several years of intense work, CERN and international partners have completed a study to assess the feasibility of a possible Future Circular Collider (FCC). Reflecting the expertise of over a thousand physicists and engineers across the globe, the report presents an overview of the different aspects related to the potential implementation of such a project. The FCC is a proposed particle collider with a circumference of about 91 km that could succeed CERN’s current flagship instrument – the 27-km Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – in the 2040s. Its scientific motivation stems from the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, along with other crucial outstanding questions in fundamental physics. The Higgs boson is the simplest yet most perplexing particle discovered so far, with properties that have far-reaching implications for our existence. It is related to the mechanism that enabled elementary particles such as electrons to gain mass a fraction of a nanosecond after the Big Bang, allowing atoms and thus structures to form. It may also be connected to the fate of the Universe and could potentially shed light on the many unsolved mysteries of modern physics. As described in Feasibility Study Report, the FCC research programme outlines two possible stages: an electron–positron collider serving as a Higgs, electroweak and top-quark factory running at different centre-of-mass energies, followed at a later stage by a proton–proton collider operating at an unprecedented collision energy of around 100 TeV. The complementary physics programmes of each stage match the highest priorities set out in the 2020 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics. The report covers wide-ranging aspects related to the potential implementation of such a project. These include physics objectives, geology, civil engineering, technical infrastructure, territorial and environmental dimensions, R&D needs for the accelerators and detectors, socioeconomic benefits, and cost. The estimated cost of construction of the FCC electron–positron stage, including the tunnel and all the infrastructure, is 15 billion Swiss francs. This investment, which would be distributed over a period of about 12 years starting from the early 2030s, includes the civil engineering, technical infrastructure, electron and positron accelerators and four detectors for operation. As was the case for the construction of the LHC, the majority of the funding would come from CERN’s current annual budget. CERN has made a commitment that any new project at the Laboratory would be an exemplar of a sustainable research infrastructure, integrating ecodesign principles into every phase of the project, from design to construction, operations and dismantling. The report details the concepts and paths to keep the FCC’s environmental footprint low while boosting new technologies to benefit society and developing territorial synergies such as energy reuse. A major component of the FCC Feasibility Study has been the layout and placement of the collider ring and related infrastructure, which have been diligently studied to maximise the scientific benefit while taking into account territorial compatibility, environmental and construction constraints and cost. No fewer than 100 scenarios were developed and analysed before settling on the preferred option: a ring circumference of 90.7 km at an average depth of 200 m, with eight surface sites and four experiments. Throughout the Feasibility Study process, CERN has been accompanied by its two Host States, France and Switzerland, working with entities at the local, regional and national levels. Engagement processes with the public are being prepared in line with the Host States’ respective frameworks to ensure a constructive dialogue with territorial stakeholders. The report, which does not imply any commitments by the CERN Member and Associate Member States to build the FCC, will be reviewed by various independent expert bodies before being examined by the CERN Council at a dedicated meeting in November 2025. The Council may take a decision on whether or not to proceed with the FCC project around 2028. Particle colliders play a unique role in physics exploration. They also enable the development of unprecedented technologies in many fields of relevance for society, ranging from superconducting materials for medical applications, fusion energy research and electricity transmission to advanced accelerators and detectors for medical and many other applications. The FCC Feasibility Study was launched following the recommendations of the 2020 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics and will serve as input for the ongoing update of the Strategy, along with studies of alternative projects proposed by the scientific community. Further information: Future Circular Collider Feasibility Study Report Volume 1: Physics and Experiments is here Future Circular Collider Feasibility Study Report Volume 2: Accelerators, technical infrastructure and safety is here Future Circular Collider Feasibility Study Report Volume 3: Civil Engineering, Implementation and Sustainability is here.