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europhysicsnews THE MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY China, Europe and more 43/5 Shedding light on Energy 2012 A summer school in Statistical Physics included) not (VAT year per 90€ price: countries Union European 43 Volume The seven months that changed physics • The adventure of quasicrystals number 5 Article available at http://www.europhysicsnews.org CONTENTS europhysicsnews Cover picture: Scanning Tunnelling Microscope image of an order 5 surface in a quasicrystalline AlPdMn phase (73x73 nm2). This a multiscale metallurgy image made in Nancy, France. ©Phototèque CNRS - Fournee Vincent - UMR7198 - Institut Jean Lamour EPS EDITORIAL 03 China, Europe and more Luisa Cifarelli NEWS 04 EPS Plasma Physics Division reports m PAGE 10 06 Shedding light on Energy 09 EPS Prize for Research in Laser Science and Applications 50 years of a school 10 The 50 years of a summer school in Statistical Physics in Statistical Physics 12 Opinion: Can we close the gap? Coming EPS events HIGHLIGHTS 13 Nuclear physics in an electron-ion collider Time shift in the OPERA setup 14 Neutrons escaping to a parallel world? 2D Raman mapping of stress and strain in Si waveguides 15 Turbulent convection at the core of fluid dynamics m PAGE 20 Spurious switching points in traded stock dynamics The seven months 16 Disentangling information from photons that changed physics Attosecond control of electron correlation 17 The “inertia of heat”concept revisited Translocation of polymers through lipid bilayers 18 High intensity 6He beam production Improved quantum information motion control FEATURES 20 The seven months that changed physics: the discovery of the Higgs Boson and its implications for High Energy Physics m PAGE 26 G. Tonelli The adventure 26 The adventure of quasicrystals: a sucessful multidisciplinary effort of quasicrystals D. Gratias EPN 43/5 01 EPS EDITORIAL China, Europe and more A delegation of the European Physical Society (EPS) was invited to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese Physical Society (CPS), on August 25, 2012, at the Tsinghua University, Beijing. The official ceremony took place in the morning, in the huge University auditorium. formal greetings address cooperation, editorial policy and open ac- was delivered by former EPS cess, joint initiatives, etc. Similarities and president Maciej Kolwas, diversities were duly pointed out, and Aalong with other addresses by distin- such a wide-range comparison among guished representatives of the major societies around the world was in my physical societies in the world (fig. 1). view extremely useful, interesting and The growing role of the CPS in de- enriching. ASEPS and encompassing ini- veloping cooperation with insitutions tiatives like the International Year of Light from other countries and regions, in- were of course vigorously encouraged. cluding the EPS, was acknowledged. We all agreed that research, particularly in The first formal exchanges CPS-EPS physics, is a global undertaking. Physicists nd began in 1995, at the 2 World Con- m FIG.1: Former AAPPS to the co-organisation with know this, through their research, publi- gress of Physical Societies, which EPS President the EPS of the Asia Europe Physics cations and career development. Physical Maciej Kolwas was organised in Japan by the Physi- during the Summit (ASEPS). The ASEPS meet- societies, through occasions such as these, cal Society of Japan (PSJ), the Japan ceremony ings address issues relating to the share information, and best practice, and Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) and enhancement of cooperation and work in a very real and personal capac- the Association of Asia Pacific Physi- collaboration in physics research, ity to improve international communica- cal Societies (AAPPS). The American education and outreach. Following tions and cooperation. Physical Society (APS) had organised the success of the first two ASEPS the 1st World Congress of Physical meetings, ASEPS3 will be organised . FIG.2: The poster of the 80th anniversary of Societies in 1986 in the US. in Chiba, Japan in July 2013. the Chinese Physical Society celebration The EPS organised the rd3 World Con- In the afternoon a restricted Joint Meet- gress of Physical Societies in Berlin, ing of International Physical Societies in 2000. In addition to resolutions was held in the historical Science Build- regarding physics education, physics ing of Tsinghua, where CPS foundation communication, and the role of physi- actually occurred in 1932 (fig. 2). During cal societies, more than 45 countries the meeting, a very friendly and infor- endorsed a resolution calling for a mal presentation of the various societies World Year of Physics. The CPS was and a round table discussion took place. active in this world wide outreach ac- The participants, warmly welcomed by tivity demonstrating the contributions . FIG.3: The Joint CPS president Zhan Wen-Long, in- of physics to cultural, economic and Meeting of the cluded, in addition to Maciej Kolwas International societal development. Physical Societies and myself for the EPS, presidents and More recently, the CPS has made im- representatives representatives from the American portant contributions through the (see text) Physical Society (APS), the Institute of Physics (IOP), the German Physical Society (DPG), the Physical Society of Hong Kong (PSHK), the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP), the Physical So thanks to the CPS for the pleasure Society of Japan (PSJ), the Association of of having been with them in Beijing, Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS), and our best wishes for continued and a number of CPS delegates. (fig. 3) success, strength and vitality. n Various matters were discussed, ranging from education, membership and recruit- l Luisa Cifarelli ment, equal opportunities, international President of the EPS EPN 43/5 03 europhysicsnews 2012 • Volume 43 • number 5 EPS Plasma Physics 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 Division reports production of the magazine and are not responsible for editorial content. Most contributors to Europhysics news are volunteers and their work is greatly appreciated Outstanding scientists were honoured for their by the Editor and the Editorial Advisory Board. Europhysics news is also available online remarkable scientific or technological results at the at: www.europhysicsnews.org. EPS / ICPP Conference 2012 (Stockholm, July 2-6, General instructions to authors can be found at: www.eps.org/publications http://epsicpp2012.spp.ee.kth.se/) at which the new Editor: Claude Sébenne (FR) EPS Plasma Physics Division Board was elected. Email: [email protected] Science Editor: Jo Hermans (NL) Email: [email protected] Executive Editor: David Lee The EPS-PPD Hannes Alfvén The EPS-PPD Plasma Physics Email: [email protected] Prize 2012 Innovation Prize 2012 Graphic designer: Xavier de Araujo Email: [email protected] It is awarded to Eugene N. Parker It is awarded to Eugen Stamate Director of Publication: Jean-Marc Quilbé (University of Chicago, United States (Technical University of Den- Editorial Advisory Board: of America) mark; Denmark) Guillaume Fiquet (FR), Adelbert Goede (NL), Agnès Henri (FR), Martin Huber (CH), Peter Liljeroth (FI), “for his theoretical discovery of the “for the discovery of the modal and George Morrison (UK), Charles de Novion (FR), transonically expanding atmosphere discrete focusing effects associated with Malgorzata Nowina Konopka (PL), Teresa Peña (PT), Mirjana Popović-Božić (RS), in cool stars as a basic phenomenon three-dimensional plasma-sheath-lens- Stephen Price (UK), Christophe Rossel (CH), in the magnetic astrophysical cosmos”. es that contributed to ion beam extrac- Markus Schwoerer (DE), Marc Türler (CH). © European Physical Society and EDP Sciences Professor Eugene N. Parker reported tion, mass spectrometry, control of the his theoretical discovery of the tran- ion flux on substrates and the develop- EPS Secretariat sonic expansion as the natural state of a ment of new sensors for plasma and Address: EPS • 6 rue des Frères Lumière 68200 Mulhouse • France magneto-hydrodynamic atmosphere in sheath parameters”. Tel: +33 389 32 94 40 • fax: +33 389 32 94 49 two fundamental papers on the 'Dynam- The plasma sheath, concept first in- www.eps.org ics of Interplanetary Gas and Magnetic troduced by Langmuir in the 1920´s, Secretariat is open 09.00–12.00 / 13.30–17.30 CET except weekends and French public holidays. Fields' and 'The Hydrodynamic Theory of is generated by the interaction of the Solar Corpuscular Radiation and Stellar plasma with the boundary material. EDP Sciences Winds' published in 1958 and 1960. This The research work led by E. Stamate Chief Executive Officer: Jean-Marc Quilbé theory led him to predict the existence has revealed discrete and modal fo- Publishing Director: Agnès Henri Email: [email protected] of the solar and stellar winds. cussing effects in a three-dimensional Production: Sophie Hosotte A hydrodynamic model is used in plasma sheath lens with applications Advertising: Jessica Ekon these papers to establish the inevita- to sheath diagnostics, negative and Email: [email protected] bility of the transonic expansion when positive ion extraction, mass spec- Address: EDP Sciences 17 avenue du Hoggar • BP 112 • PA de Courtabœuf a corona is maintained at a million-de- troscopy and