ILTPC Newsletter 02

Online LTP Seminar

Because of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, most scientific conferences, workshops, and symposia have been cancelled or postponed. The unfortunate consequence of this is that the low temperature plasma (LTP) community, like many other research communities, is now isolated without the opportunity to meet, network, and learn what’s new in our field. To remedy this situation, a bi-weekly online seminar is being organized. This seminar series is meant to fill the gap left open by the lack of scientific meetings and conferences. The seminar organizing committee has selected several outstanding speakers to participate by giving a 25-30 minutes lecture followed by 10-15 minutes discussion.

Current program of Online LTP Seminars. Presentations begin at 9 am EST on Tuesdays. The seminar is delivered via Zoom and is free to access from anywhere in the world.

For more information, and to request the Zoom link and password, please contact: Prof. Mounir Laroussi Old Dominion University mlarouss@odu.edu

International Conference on the Physics of Low Temperature Plasmas (Kazan, Russia)

Postponed to November 9-13, 2020; online conference

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PLTP-2020 Organizing Committee has decided to postpone the dates of the International Conference on the Physics of Low Temperature Plasmas (PLTP 2020) which was to be held June 1-5, 2020 in Kazan (Russia).

The conference will now be held in Kazan on November 9 - 13, 2020. Submitted abstracts and paid registration fees will apply to the new dates of the conference. At the same time, we inform you that at the end of August 2020 an online conference will be held. Details will be announced and information will be presented on the conference website.

Deadline for abstracts, registration and registration fees is extended to July 30, 2020.

Contact:

• Organizing Committee pltp2020@gmail.com
• Conference Organizer plasma2020@mkcongress.ru
• Prof. Yu. Lebedev lebedev@ips.ac.ru

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Special Topic Issue of Journal of Applied Physics on the Fundamentals and Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas

Atmospheric pressure plasmas are formed in open atmosphere and result in high reactivity due to formation of multiple excited and ionized species. These plasmas play an important role in many applications, including plasma medicine, agriculture, plasma processing, catalysis, and aerospace engineering. This Special Topic Issue, which brings together researchers in all areas of experimental, computational, and theoretical study of atmospheric plasmas, provides a collection of exciting new research on the fundamental aspects of atmospheric pressure plasmas and their applications. Submission deadline is October 15, 2020.

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Michael Keidar George Washington University keidar@email.gwu.edu
• Prof. Klaus-Dieter Weltmann INP Greifswald weltmann@inp-greifswald.de
• Prof. Sergey Macheret Purdue University macheret@purdue.edu)

Special Issue of Applied Sciences on Nitrogen Fixation by Plasma: Towards Electrification of Chemical Industry

The many examples of plasma discharges for N₂ fixation range from the early Birkeland-Eyde process with oxygen to the recent advances of plasma with nitrogen and hydrogen or even simply water. In the past 5 years, the research has grown beyond the plasma field specifically, e.g., combining plasma with catalytic or electrochemical processes. This vast interest in plasma-assisted and plasma-driven methods is due to the unique properties of plasmas, such as generation of excited or atomic species, facilitating N₂ fixation. Most importantly, plasmas often operate under benign conditions, thus complying with the desired electrification of chemical industry, leading towards a more sustainable future. In this context, we are honoured to announce this Special Issue of Applied Sciences. We cordially invite authors to contribute their works, which we expect to be focused on all aspects of N₂ fixation by plasma, including experimental and computational research in areas of plasma chemistry, physics, catalysis, diagnostics, etc.

A few of the papers in the special issue will be published without any open-access fees. These will be selected by the editors and the guest editor.

Contact: Dr. Yury Gorbanev Guest Editor University of Antwerp Yury.Gorbanev@uantwerpen.be

EPJ D Topical Issue: Low Temperature Plasmas: Processes, Diagnostics and Applications

Submissions are invited for a Topical Issue of EPJD on Low Temperature Plasmas: Processes, Diagnostics and Applications. The aim of this Topical issue is to present new results in the field of low temperature plasmas with a view towards new applications and development of advanced technologies. Original research papers, review articles, and white paper/roadmap articles are all welcomed, covering the physics and chemistry of ionized gases, plasma surface interactions, and plasmas for existing and emerging technology.

Topics to be covered include but are not limited to:

• Plasma diagnostics and characterization
• Modeling and diagnostics of plasmas during nanomaterial growth or etching
• Plasmas formed at the surface of or inside liquids
• New vacuum or atmospheric plasma sources for plasma nanotechnology
• New plasma processes for green nanofabrication, sustainable lifecycles of natural resources
• Applications of plasma nanotechnology in the life sciences and chemistry
• Fabrication of inorganic or organic nanomaterials and nanostructures
• Applications of plasma nanotechnology in photonics and plasmonics, and energy harvesting devices
• Plasmas at new spatiotemporal scales: micro and nanoplasmas, nanosecond pulsing

Submission deadline: September 30, 2020.

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Eva Kovacevic CNRS/Université d'Orléans, France eva.kovacevic@univ-orleans.fr
• Prof. Steven Shannon North Carolina State University, USA scshannon@ncsu.edu
• Prof. Jeon G. Han Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea hanjg5445@gmail.com

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Position in Computational Science and/or Plasma Physics, Plasma Matters B.V., The Netherlands

Plasma Matters B.V. is a software company that specializes in plasma modeling and numerical simulation, offering scientific expertise and the industry-strength plasma simulation software PLASIMO to academic and industrial customers. We help our customers to optimize their plasma production processes, solve short-term issues, and develop innovative plasma technologies. We are now looking for an expert in computational science or/and plasma physics to strengthen our team of experts and to help Plasma Matters B.V. keep growing. Candidate should have at least a Master's degree in computational plasma physics or related field; a PhD is preferred.

Job description:

• Setup numerical models for various types of plasmas and applications
• Validate modeling results against available experimental data or literature
• Initiate and formulate theoretical test cases
• Conduct research for solving customers’ issues or answer technology questions
• Share your knowledge effectively with the team
• Report findings into reports and presentations, and technical research papers

Personal skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Enthusiastic and passionate about plasma physics and computational methods
• Great analytical and problem-solving, research, and data gathering skills
• Critical and pragmatic attitude, able to work in a multidisciplinary team

To submit your application, please send an email with your CV to careers@plasma-matters.nl.

Contact: Dr. Diana Mihailova CEO Plasma Matters B.V. diana@plasma-matters.nl

PhD position in Modelling Non-equilibrium Plasmas for Nitrogen Fixation, Maastricht University

This 4-year PhD project aims at accurate modelling of non-equilibrium plasmas for nitrogen fixation. The work is performed in synergy with experiments at DIFFER and Maastricht University on the conversion of molecules into valuable chemicals like fertilizers by means of plasmas. The conventional way to produce fertilizers is the so called Haber-Bosch process, where nitrogen and hydrogen are converted into ammonia, which in turn is converted into nitrates. A novel and hopefully cheaper approach to produce nitrates would be to use a plasma, but there are a lot of fundamental questions to be answered first. The PhD student will develop a model to simulate this process and to identify the key mechanisms that drive it.

Responsibilities and tasks:

• Develop a code for the accurate calculation of non-equilibrium population of vibrationally excited state
• Coupling with a model for the plasma neutral/charged particles kinetics
• Validation and characterization with respect to numerical and physical parameters

We seek motivated and highly talented candidates with a Master's degree (or an equivalent diploma giving access to doctoral studies) in Physics or Chemistry. The applicant should have:

• General knowledge of low temperature plasmas and of computational modelling
• Good programming skills (e.g. Fortran, C, C++) are essential
• Good communication skills in English (both written and spoken)

Contact:

• Dr. Paola Diomede DIFFER and Maastricht University p.diomede@differ.nl
• Further information

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