The aim of the project is the participation of the Experimental Molecular Physics Research Group of the HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI) in the scientific and organizational work of the Europlanet Society, a non-profit association which is the leading solar-system research forum in Europe. The ATOMKI joined this community in 2019 as a member of the Europlanet 2024 RI project consortium. During the project, we were one of the most popular laboratories. The research community includes 50+ research sites in Europe. As a member of the Europlanet Society, we can expand our collaborations. Our project tasks: payment of membership fees, participation in the development of the Society's infrastructure access system, membership in the infrastructure working committee, and participation in the Society's scientific events (e.g. EuroPlanet Science Congress, Helsinki, 2025).

Amount of support from the NKFI fund: 3,000,000 HUF.

The aim of the project is to explore the physical properties of materials in the range of environmental conditions encountered in space. In particular, we study the properties of condensed molecular films (ices) and their gas-phase components as well as materials proposed for utilisation in space. The experiments will be performed under (i) ultrahigh-vacuum conditions, (ii) across the range of temperatures typically encountered in space, and (iii) during exposure to space radiation encompassing ions with energies over the keV and MeV range, thus mimicking the solar wind.

The project can be divided into two distinct but complementary work-packages, focusing on (1) the physical structure of ices in space, and (2) the irradiation of materials (including astrophysically relevant ices and gases that show potential for applications in space exploration) under conditions analogous to those encountered in space.

Project budget: 119 880 000 HUF.

The non-equilibrium plasmas are weakly ionized gases containing electrons, neutral and charged molecular species, large clusters and nanoparticles. They are of key importance for advanced materials and nanostructures, for astrophysics and planetary atmospheres. They are governed by phenomena of highly diverse nature and take place on scales ranging from atomic size to that of plasma, including collisional processes between electrons and atoms/molecules leading to dissociations, excitations and ionizations, collisions of radicals and plasma-surface interactions. We are curious on how small secondary radicals produced through the interaction of the hydrocarbon plasma feed gas with electrons contribute, via ionization/recombination/dissociation processes, to the plasma properties. Quantum chemistry and scattering calculations will be carried out to investigate the reaction dynamics, to identify the reaction routes and to calculate the corresponding cross sections and rate coefficients.

Europlanet links research institutions and companies active in planetary research in Europe and around the world. Planetary science is an interdisciplinary field of research that covers astronomy and geophysics, robotic and human exploration of other planets, as well as the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Coordinated by: University of Kent, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.europlanet-society.org/europlanet-2024-ri/

Atomki budget: 399 500 EUR

In the two experimental end-stations, the Ice Chamber for Astrophysics/Astrochemistry (ICA) and the Atomki - Queens University Ice chamber for Laboratory Astrochemistry (AQUILA), by means of Atomki’s particle accelerators, the ice analogues of Solar System and interstellar medium are modelled. The chemical and physical changes due to the charged particle radiation are studied in the frozen solid materials, ice analogues.

Website: https://europlanet.atomki.hu/

Research institutes and SMEs (small and medium enterpises) are joining forces in the RADIATE project exchanging experience and best practice examples in order to structure the European Research Area of ion technology application. Besides further developing ion beam technology and strengthening the cooperation between European ion beam infrastructures, RADIATE is committed to providing easy, flexible and efficient access for researchers from academia and industry to the participating ion beam facilities. Joint research activities (JRA) and workshops aim to strengthen Europe’s leading role in ion beam science and technology. Atomki takes part in JRA work packages and tasks as follows:

• WP20 Ion sources and beams, T20.1. Microbeam optics
• WP21 Detectors and electronics, T21.1. Single ion detection

Participants: 15 research institutes and 4 SMEs from 13 European countries

Budget of the whole project: 9.9 MEUR,
from which budget of Atomki: 180 kEUR

The aim of the project is to enhance the Hungarian research opportunities related to the ELI-ALPS Laser Institute, while also trying to establish new research topics (e.g. time resolved atomic processes). The University of Pécs who is the leader of the consortium, together with the Centre for Energy Research is developing a new kind of electron acceleration method that could be adapted for usage at the ELI-ALPS. The Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki) develops an experimental tool and wants to realize a scientific program based on it using the available infrastructure at Szeged. The scientific goals include studying the effects of few-cycle laser pulses in ionization and investigating the timescale dynamics of complex processes of atomic electrons.

• Total financial support: 297.096.952 Ft
• University of Pécs (leader of consortium): 134.185.137 Ft
• Institute for Nuclear Research: 118.906.383 Ft
• Centre for Energy Research: 44.005.432 Ft

In the frame of this project, research infrastructure units of Atomki are set into a control software framework thus establishing a remotely controllable virtual laboratory. The aim of the system integration is to create a complex infrastructure suitable to make radiobiological and radiation hardening measurements. The subsystems involved in the integration: cyclotron accelerator - neutron source and vertical beam-end for isotope production, tandetron accelerator, Van de Graaff accelerator, Co-60 source, MiniPET-3 small animal Positron Emission Tomograph and radiochemical laboratory, ESCA (Electron Spectrometer for Chemical Applications), MGGL (Matra Gravitational and Geophysical Laboratory), ECR ion source, PEM (Physical Environment Monitoring) system.

Leader of consortium:

• Evopro NPA Kft, former Evopro Systems Engineering Kft (support: 398.725.723 Ft, 57%)

Members of consortium:

• Atomki (support: 185.500.010 Ft, 100%)
• Biological Research Centre (support: 145.561.008 Ft, 100%)
• University of Szeged (support: 239.834.823 Ft, 100%)

The H2020 IPERION CH project aims to establish a unique pan-European infrastructure in Heritage Science by integrating facilities at research centres, universities and museums. The consortium offers access to instruments, methodologies and data for advancing knowledge and innovation in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage through three complementary platforms, ARCHLAB, MOLAB, FIXLAB. Calls are published twice a year.

FIXLAB B1: MTA Atomki – Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications

Through determining the concentration and distribution of elements, ion beam analytical techniques can give information on provenance, authenticity, production technology, and degradation due to environmental effects of art and archaeological objects. They also contribute to the elaboration of conservation technologies. Besides in-vacuum measurements with high lateral resolution, an external micro-beam set-up is also available for artefacts of bigger sizes or sensitive nature.

Next deadline: 28 February 2018

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In the frame of this project, MTA Atomki improves PET (Positron Emission Tomography) methods for medical and research purpose, based on the self-developed small animal PET camera.

Tasks:

• Data aquisition protocols for cell culture and plant labelling, for functional food studies, for various samples and for small animal studies with the small animal PET camera.
• Synthesis protocols for compounds labelled with C-11 and F-18 positron emitter radioisotopes.
• Cell cultures and functional food studies using radioactive isotopes.
• Application of physics, nuclear physics and biophysics in the development of modern biotechnological methods.
• Modelling of vascular system with flow network, studies of cell protein synthesis using Boolean network model.
• Test measurements with the small animal PET camera and Monte-Carlo simulation.

The aim of the project is dissemination which means throwing seeds around, in other words distribution of knowledge. The project has six major and some minor activities:

• traveling physics and
• interdisciplinary workshop

both with different topics in the four terms: water, protection systems of the Earth, cold - warm and energy,

• interactive multimedia (Miasma - or Devil's Stone, interactive film),
• international school before the conference Nuclei in the Cosmos,
• Atomki brochures,
• Atomki webpage.