EPS Conference on Plasma Physics

EPS Conference on Plasma Physics
Name	EPS Conference on Plasma Physics
Status	Active
Genre	Scientific conference
Frequency	Annual
Country	Various
First	1970s
Organizer	European Physical Society Plasma Physics Division

EPS Conference on Plasma Physics is an annual meeting dedicated to research in plasma physics and related areas, convened by the European Physical Society Plasma Physics Division and attracting international researchers from laboratories, universities, and industry. The conference provides a forum for presentation of experimental, theoretical, and computational advances across topics including magnetic confinement, inertial fusion, space plasmas, and high-energy-density physics. It frequently features plenary lectures, oral sessions, poster sessions, and award ceremonies that connect delegates from institutions such as Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

History

The conference traces roots to specialized meetings in the 1960s and 1970s when groups associated with Royal Society, Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, and Comité Consultatif pour la Recherche Scientifique began coordinating plasma research symposia. Early editions featured contributors from CERN, Imperial College London, École Polytechnique, and Moscow State University, reflecting European and global collaborations with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Kurchatov Institute. Over decades the meeting has intersected with milestones at JET, ITER, Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, and Large Hadron Collider-adjacent initiatives, while speakers from École Normale Supérieure, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, University of Oxford, and Sorbonne University shaped its scientific agenda. Notable historical contributors include researchers associated with Niels Bohr Institute, Institut Jean Lamour, Max Planck Society, and Russian Academy of Sciences.

Organization and Format

The conference is organized by the EPS Plasma Physics Division in cooperation with national societies like Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Fédération Française de Physique, and Società Italiana di Fisica, and hosted by universities or laboratories such as University of Barcelona, Technical University of Munich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, or Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Typical formats include plenary talks, parallel topical sessions, poster sessions, tutorial workshops, and dedicated industrial exhibitions featuring partners from General Atomics, Tokamak Energy, Thales Group, and Siemens. Program committees often include members from European Commission research programs, Horizon Europe initiatives, and advisory panels linked to ITER Organization and national funding agencies like UK Research and Innovation and Agence Nationale de la Recherche. Proceedings and abstracts are curated by editorial groups from IOP Publishing, Springer Nature, and institutional repositories at CERN Document Server.

Themes and Topics

Core themes span magnetic confinement fusion research on devices including tokamak and stellarator experiments exemplified by Wendelstein 7-X, ASDEX Upgrade, and DIII-D, and inertial confinement research linked to National Ignition Facility and OMEGA Laser Facility. Sessions cover plasma diagnostics developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, computational plasma physics with codes from Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, turbulence theory influenced by work at Princeton University and MIT, and space and astrophysical plasmas studied by teams at European Space Agency and NASA. Additional topics include laser-plasma interactions investigated at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, high-energy-density physics associated with Z Pulsed Power Facility, plasma-material interactions relevant to ITER Organization divertor studies, and low-temperature plasma applications from groups at Fraunhofer Institute.

Notable Sessions and Awards

The meeting regularly features plenary lectures honoring contributions linked to prizes such as the EPS Edison-Volta Prize, institutionally related honors from Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and memorial lectures recalling figures tied to Lev Landau and Igor Tamm. Specialized sessions highlight breakthroughs like demonstration runs at JET and diagnostic innovations from Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, while award sessions celebrate early career researchers, doctoral thesis prizes, and industrial innovation awards sponsored by entities including European Commission and Fusion for Energy. Invited speaker rosters have included scientists associated with Niels Bohr Institute, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and University of California, San Diego.

Impact and Contributions to Plasma Physics

The conference has accelerated dissemination of results that influenced projects at ITER, informed design choices at Wendelstein 7-X, and shaped computational frameworks originating from collaborations with European Grid Infrastructure and PRACE. It has fostered cross-pollination between research centers such as Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, contributing to advances in turbulence modeling, confinement optimization, and diagnostic methods. Many experimental milestones, policy white papers, and collaborative grants announced at the conference involved partners like Horizon 2020, Euratom, and national laboratories including Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.

Participation and Attendance

Attendees range from principal investigators at École Polytechnique, University of Milan, University of Tokyo, and Seoul National University to doctoral candidates and engineers from CEA Saclay, Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, Institute of Plasma Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences, and industrial teams from General Atomics and Siemens. Typical registration lists include representatives from international agencies such as European Space Agency, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and bilateral research programs between entities like CNRS and Max Planck Society. The meeting supports student travel grants administered by societies including European Physical Society and national physical societies such as Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.

Related Meetings and Collaborations

The conference is part of a network of meetings that includes International Conference on Plasma Physics, American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics meeting, Symposium on Fusion Engineering, ICOPS, and workshops run by Institute of Physics. It collaborates with projects and consortia such as ITER Organization, EUROfusion, Europe–US fusion collaborations and engages with satellite meetings at venues like CERN and COSPAR symposia. Cross-disciplinary linkages extend to Astrophysical Plasmas Conference series, International Astronomical Union working groups, and technology transfer events involving European Innovation Council and industry partners.

Category:Physics conferences