General information

About the International School on Low Temperature Plasma Physics

Since the 1990s, first-year doctoral students and final-year master's students connect with experts in the field to be introduced into the current state-of-the-art of low temperature plasma physics.
During a week-long course,

an introduction to the fundamentals of plasma physics is provided and
an overview of the different research areas, ranging from modeling of fluids to plasma spectroscopy or high pressure plasmas, is given.

The topical lectures offer a broadening of knowledge in plasma physics and in the interaction of plasmas with surfaces including a description of advanced diagnostics.The lectures are complemented by hands-on workshops, career/industry talks, evening lectures and several networking opportunities with teachers and students from other universities in Europe and the rest of the world.

Key Highlights

The International School on Low Temperature Plasma Physics excels on the following key highlights:

Comprehensive Learning: Engage in a dynamic curriculum that covers the fundamentals of low temperature plasma physics, giving participants a solid foundation.
Renowned Experts: Learn from the luminaries in the field through lectures, workshops, and hands-on experiments.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow enthusiasts, researchers, and experts, fostering collaborations that can drive groundbreaking discoveries.
Career Development: Gain insights into the latest advancements and career opportunities in plasma physics.
Practical Experience: Participate in lab sessions and demonstrations that provide hands-on experience in low temperature plasma physics.
Spectacular Location: possible venue Bad Honnef's natural beauty and historic charm offer a unique backdrop for scientific exploration and relaxation.

Covered topics

Topics of the lectures cover:

images/badhonnef/Topics_Plasma_school.png

Photos (top left, top centre, centre, bottom left): @ Damian Gorczany

Fundamental aspects of various plasma sources in a large range of pressures, including:

Capacitively couples discharges, inductively coupled discharges
Microwave discharges
Dielectric barrier discharges, plasma jets
High pressure, high temperature plasmas
...

Modelling approaches:

Electron kinetics
Fluid modelling
...

Basic and advanced diagnostic techniques:

Optical emission spectroscopy
Laser diagnostics
Mass spectrometry
...

Applications:

Plasma-surface interactions
Current state-of-the-art research

Venue

For more than 20 years, the International School on Low Temperature Plasma Physics: Basics and Applications, followed by the Master Class on varying topics, has been held at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, located in a village close to Bonn, Germany.

Further details on the venue can be found here:

Venue

History of the International Plasma School

Low temperature plasma physics is the driver of plasma technology which is considered as one of the key technologies of the 21^st century. Due to its central importance in many technologies, there is a large demand of excellently educated plasma scientist worldwide.

Compared to its significance the education in low temperature plasma physics in Germany and other European countries is limited to a relatively small number of universities and institutions.

In the 1990s these research groups located in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and United Kingdom have founded a fruitful cooperation and started a series of annual European summer schools with extraordinary success. These schools were mainly organized by:

Daniel C Schram (Center for Plasma Physics and Radiation Technology CPS, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands), 1996-2000;
Richard Engeln and Richard van de Sanden (Center for Plasma Physics and Radiation Technology CPS, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands), 2006-2011;
Marc Böke and Jörg Winter (CoE – Plasma Science and Technology CPST, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany) 2001-2012.

From 2013 on the concept was slightly adjusted: International chairperson were responsible for the program of the school and the master class. This led to the invention of several new ingredients (forum, more workshops, adjustments in the program and the polt of the school). The main organization stayed at the Ruhr-University Bochum (Achim von Keudell, Verena Scharf, Marina Prenzel, Marc Böke).

Organizers of the plasma school since 2013 have been:

2024 - 2025
- IC: Stephanos Konstantinidis, Rony Snyders (UMons, Mons)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Achim von Keudell, Marina Prenzel (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
2022 - 2023
- IC: Jan Benedikt, Holger Kersten (CAU, Kiel)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Volker Schulz-von der Gathen, Achim von Keudell, Marina Prenzel (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
2019 - 2021
- IC: Ana Sobota, Richard Engeln (Tu/e, Eindhoven)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Volker Schulz-von der Gathen, Achim von Keudell, Marina Prenzel (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
2017 & 2018
- IC: Olivier Guiatella, Anne Bourdon (LPP, Paris)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Volker Schulz-von der Gathen, Achim von Keudell, Marina Prenzel (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
2014 & 2016
- IC: Luís L. Alves, Vasco Guerra (IST, Lisbon)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Volker Schulz-von der Gathen, Achim von Keudell (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
- LOC: Verena M. Scharf (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
2013
- IC: Miles Turner (DCU, Dublin)
- LSC: Marc Böke, Volker Schulz-von der Gathen, Achim von Keudell (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)
- LOC: Verena M. Scharf (RD Plasma, RUB, Bochum)