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europhysicsnews THE MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Designing the collider of the future 48/4 PISA testing – a global educational race? 2017 EPS directory included) not (VAT year per 104€ price: countries Union European 48 Volume The NuPECC Long Range Plan 2017 • Everyday physics: ring lasers number 4 CONTENTS europhysicsnews THE MAGAZINE OF THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY europhysicsnews Designing the collider of the future 48/4 PISA testing – a global educational race? 2017 104€ per year European Union countr V EPS directory olume 48 The NuPECC Long Range Plan 2017 • number Everyday physics: ring lasers (V AT not included) 4 ies price: Cover picture: Artist impression of a particle collision and blackhole in the Large Hadron Collider, ©iStockPhoto. See p. 12 "Can we afford to wait? Designing the collider of the future" EPS EDITORIAL 03 Election day R. Voss NEWS 04 First European Physics Olympiad 05 Call for Nominations, President-elect 06 Research Ethics and Research Integrity – Why it matters m PAGE 12 07 In memoriam: Prof. em. Dr. Ernst Heer Designing the collider 07 Dieter Meschede becomes president of the German Physical Society of the future HIGHLIGHTS 08 Nuclear and Quark Matter at High Temperature Granular material conductivity increases in mysterious ways under pressure 09 Proving Einstein right using the most sensitive Earth rotation sensors ever made X mode Doppler Reflectometry k-spectral measurements in ASDEX Upgrade 10 Accurate determination of Curie temperature in helimagnet FeGe Imaging helps to spot fake ancient daggers 11 Unidirectional control of optically induced spin waves Wavy energy potential patterns from scattering nuclei reveal hidden information FEATURES m PAGE 17 12 Can we afford to wait? Designing the collider of the future PISA testing – M. Benedikt and F. Zimmermann a global 17 PISA testing – a global educational race? educational race? S. Sjøberg 21 The NuPECC Long Range Plan 2017: Perspectives in Nuclear Physics A. Bracco 25 Everyday physics: ring lasers – a brief history T. Klein OPINION 28 Trump, climate change and the EPS G. van der Steenhoven EPS DIRECTORY 29 Summary and website m PAGE 21 The NuPECC Long BOOK REVIEW Range Plan 2017 32 Vacuum Science and Technology EPN 48/4 01 EPS EDITORIAL [EDITORIAL] Election day Pre-election questionnaires can be an excellent instrument to promote the dialog between science and politics n September 24, Germany It is the first time that scientific sustainable science base requires will elect a new Federal societies team up for such an ex- When we ask sustained investment in science ed- OParliament, and in the ercise in Germany; I do not know questions to ucation, starting at high school level. German political system, the re- whether there have been prece- politicians, The grand themes where physics sult will be decisive for the choice dents in other countries, but in any we must be can help to provide the answers of the next Federal Chancellor and event, this initiative is noteworthy prepared to – energy, climate change, the future the composition of her or his gov- in several respects, and sets an ex- answer theirs. of transportation, and many others – ernment. In the run-up to the elec- ample to follow. Of course it is first are well known; other scientific dis- tions, five major scientific societies and foremost a guide for voters ciplines are poised to answer dif- – including, of course, the German who attach importance to science ferent, equally important questions. Physical Society – have submit- and education, and who wish to Last but not least, such initiatives ted to the most important parties make science policy a criterion for are opportunities for scientific socie- competing for seats in the new a well-reflected decision where to ties to take centre stage, demonstrat- parliament a comprehensive ques- cast their vote. For this reason, it is ing to governments, political parties, tionnaire of “election benchmarks”; desirable that it receives broad at- the media and the general public the the other participating societies tention from the general public, not role and the importance of learned represent mathematics, chemistry, only from the participating societies societies as voices of the scientific the biological and earth sciences. and their members. community. It’s a question of give The questions cover a broad range Equally important, the question- and take – when we ask questions to of policy subjects such as the im- naire sends a strong signal to the politicians, we must be prepared to pact of science on political decision political parties, and to the gov- answer theirs. To get the dialog start- making, mobility of researchers, the ernment that will emerge from the ed, I encourage our Member Societies importance of mathematics and elections. Science denial is gaining to team up with partner organisations science education, gender equality, ground even in the most civilised in their home countries whenever sustainable development, and – last societies, and political decisions important elections are coming up, but not least – support for science of massive impact on the future to submit similar questionnaires in Germany, and for Germany as of mankind are more often than to the candidates, and to publicise science location. The six parties not driven by the short-winded questions and answers as widely contacted represent most of Ger- imperatives and opportunities of as possible. The EPS stands ready many’s present-day political spec- the current legislative period than to assist its Member Societies with trum, and an encouraging outcome by long-term visions based on such actions, and should consider is that all of them responded to the facts and solid scientific evidence. launching a similar one on the occa- questionnaire – including some Against this background, such sion of the next elections for the Eu- which have not earned a reputation initiatives are excellent opportu- ropean Parliament due in 2019. The for placing science and education nities to remind political parties “Grand Challenges” document, which prominently on their agenda. To that good science is universal and the EPS is preparing, is designed ensure that the initiative is not mis- non-partisan; to remind political to answer many of the questions understood as a recommendation decision makers of the importance that we may be – and want to be – for a particular political party, all of science-based, science-informed asked in return. n answers have been published “as is”, answers to the great societal chal- without comments from the partic- lenges which we are facing together; l Rüdiger Voss, ipating societies. and to remind them that a solid and EPS President EPN 48/4 03 europhysicsnews 2017 • Volume 48 • number 4 First European 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 Physics Olympiad production of the magazine and are not responsible for editorial content. Most contributors to Europhysics news are volunteers and their work is greatly appreciated by the Editor and the Editorial Advisory Board. The first European Physics Olympiad was held Europhysics news is also available online at: www.europhysicsnews.org on 20-24 May 2017 at the University of Tartu, General instructions to authors can be found at: Estonia, with the participation of 91 high school www.eps.org/?page=publications Editor: Victor R. Velasco (SP) students and 40 team leaders from 20 countries. Email: [email protected] Science Editor: Ferenc Igloi (HU) Email: [email protected] hysics competitions have a long history dating back to the first Executive Editor: David Lee Eötvös physics competition in 1916 in Hungary. The first Inter- Email: [email protected] Pnational Physics Olympiad (IPhO) was held in 1967 in Poland. Graphic designer: Xavier de Araujo Email: [email protected] While the first IPhO was attended only by five countries, the number of Director of Publication: Jean-Marc Quilbé teams grew persistently, and has reached 84 by 2016. In addition to IPhO, Editorial Advisory Board: there are also several regional physics competitions, the largest ones being Tracey Clarke (UK), Gonçalo Figueira (PT), Guillaume Fiquet (FR), Zsolt Fülöp (HU), Agnès Henri (FR), Asian Physics Olympiad (founded in 2000) and Ibero-American Physics Jo Hermans (NL), Christoph Keller (NL), Robert Klanner (DE), Olympiad (founded in 1991), both of which are very similar to the IPhO. Peter Liljeroth (FI), Antigone Marino (IT), Laurence Ramos (FR), Chris Rossel (CH), Around 2000, the long-time President of IPhO, Waldemar Gorzkowski, Claude Sébenne (FR), Marc Türler (CH) tried to initiate European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO); however, there © European Physical Society and EDP Sciences were no countries willing to organize it. One of the reasons was certainly EPS Secretariat that the organizational efforts and costs were expected to be not small. Address: EPS • 6 rue des Frères Lumière However, the main reason was that there was no clear need for EuPhO: 68200 Mulhouse • France European countries were satisfied with what was being offered by IPhO. Tel: +33 389 32 94 40 • fax: +33 389 32 94 49 www.eps.org Keeping all this in mind, one may wonder, what is different now, 17 years Secretariat is open 09.00–12.00 / 13.30–17.30 CET later. A short answer is that the character of the problems has changed. except weekends and French public holidays. During the first IPhO-s, the problems were similar to the problems of Eöt- EDP Sciences vös competitions – short in formulation, aimed to test the creativity of the Chief Executive Officer: Jean-Marc Quilbé contestants. However, with the ever increasing number of teams and lan- Publishing Director: Agnès Henri guages, grading of such problems became increasingly difficult.