News

January 2010
Athene Donald wins Glamour award
Athene Donald, the former editor in chief of EPJ E and current member of its advisory editorial board, has won the Science & Technology Award issued by women’s magazine Glamour.

January 2010
Daan Frenkel becomes Editor in Chief of EPJ E
EPJ E welcomes Daan Frenkel as new Editor in Chief, next to Richard Jones and Frank Jülicher. Daan Frenkel is a computational physicist who's research focuses on numerical exploration of routes to design novel, self-assembling structures and materials. Currently he is a professor at the universities of Cambridge, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Beijing. He is a foreign member of the British Royal Society and he has many received prestigious awards such as the Aneesur Rahman Prize of the APS, the Spinoza Prize of the Dutch Research Council and the Berni J. Alder CECAM Prize.

January 2010
Nigel Mason becomes Editor in Chief of EPJ D
We are pleased to announce that from January 2010 Nigel Mason, Professor of Physics at the Open University, UK, will be leading EPJ D, together with Kurt Becker and Claude Fabre. Nigel Mason brings to the journal an interdisciplinary approach to the AMOP field. His research covers a wide range of AMOP topics spanning physics and chemistry including astrochemistry, atmospheric science, surface science and spectroscopy. Since the 1990s he has studied the spectroscopy of over 100 molecules (mainly of atmospheric interest) using synchrotron radiation quantifying their photolysis rates and global warming potential. Research on the formation of molecules by irradiation of low temperature (20K) ices has led to a new research programme exploring processes on planetary systems and in the interstellar medium. Most recently his research has extended to study radiation damage processes within biomolecular systems including DNA.

December 2009
First proton–proton collisions at the LHC as observed with the ALICE detector
On 23rd November 2009, during the early commissioning of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), two counter-rotating proton bunches were circulated for the first time concurrently in the machine, at the LHC injection energy of 450 GeV per beam, allowing all LHC experiments to report first collision candidates.
284 such candidates were recorded by the ALICE experiment, allowing the events to be immediately reconstructed and analyzed. The results obtained by measuring the spatial distribution (specifically, the pseudorapidity density) of charged primary particles in the central region, were found to be consistent with previous measurements in proton-antiproton interactions at the same centre-of-mass energy at the CERN SppS collider (UA5 Collaboration, G.J. Alner et al., Z Phys. C 33 (1986), DOI 10.1007/BF01410446). To read this paper click here

Fig. 1 shows the first pp collision candidate by the event display in the ALICE counting room (3D view).
J Schukraft, the ALICE spokesman, said: This important benchmark test illustrates also the excellent functioning and rapid progress of the LHC accelerator, and of both the hardware and software of the ALICE experiment, in this early start-up phase.
The paper is published open access on SpringerLink.com and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License.
To read the full paper click here

December 2009
Atom interferometry in free flight
Philippe Bouyer and co-workers in France performed a range of impressive experiments with an atom interferometer in free flight, onboard an Airbus aircraft making "micro-gravity jumps". These experiments successfully demonstrate that when atoms are sufficiently cooled and controlled, their wave properties can be used to perform interferometry in a way analogous to standard interferometry with light. This moves the field closer to the implementation of a range of sensors for e.g. gravity, rotation and inertia with unprecedented accuracy. Such devices will be potentially very useful in satellites and in space missions.
To read the full paper by Philippe Bouyer et al. on "Light-pulse atom interferometry in microgravity" click here

November 2009
Tidal waves on liquid Helium-4
An analytical theory explains why a probe molecule such as Na₂ on the surface of a liquid ⁴He droplet creates soft vibrations which can be used to study the dynamics of the droplet surface with optical spectroscopy.
To read the full paper by Hizhnyakov, Tehver and Benedek click here

November 2009
Microscopic modeling of electronic quantum nanodevices reviewed in a Colloquium paper by D. Taj, R.C. Iotti and F. Rossi
Quantum devices represent an important topic of modern nanoscience, characterized by its multi-disciplinary flavor where condensed matter physics, quantum theory, and information technology merge into a unique body of knowledge. In this Colloquium paper Taj and co-workes review and discuss how to work out a microscopic modeling of state-of-the-art electronic quantum devices. The emphasis is on the description of energy-relaxation and decoherence phenomena. Finally, the authors propose an alternative formulation of the problem in terms of a generalized Fermi's Golden Rule. Click here to view the full text: [D. Taj et al., Eur. Phys. J. B 72 (2009)]

October 2009
The unusual electronic and transport properties of graphene-based nanostructures reviewed in a Colloqium paper by Dubois, Zanolli, Declerck, and Charlier in EPJ B
Graphene-based nanostructures are expected to display the extraordinary electronic, thermal and mechanical properties and are thus promising candidates for a wide range applications and opening alternatives to present silicon-based electronics devices. This paper reviews the electronic and quantum transport properties of these carbon nanomaterials in which confinement effects are playing a crucial role. After reviewing the transport properties of defect-free systems, doping and topological defects are also proposed as strategy to tailor quantum conductance in these materials.
For further information see [S.M.-M. Dubois et al., Eur. Phys. J. B 72/1 (2009)]

October 2009
Time stamping in Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiments
Using the time of detection of each single photon, the authors falsify a class of non-ergodic local models that have not been tested in previous experiments on the Bell inequality.
To read the full paper by M.B. Agüero, A.A. Hnilo, M.G. Kovalsky and M.A. Larotonda click here

July 2009
Kurt Becker to lead the plasma physics sections of EPJ D
As of July 2009 The European Physical Journal D - Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics has a third Editor-in-Chief. Kurt H. Becker (NYU-Poly) has been appointed and will work alongside Franco Gianturco and Claude Fabre, toward strengthening EPJ D. His particular emphasis will be on low-temperature plasma physics.
Kurt H. Becker is a Professor of Physics and the Associate Provost for Research and Technology Initiatives at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) in Brooklyn, NY. His background is in experimental atomic, chemical, and plasma/discharge physics. He has worked extensively on experimental and theoretical studies of electron-driven processes and on low-temperature plasma science and technology. Prior to joining NYU-Poly in 2007, he held faculty positions at Lehigh University, the City College of CUNY, and at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he was the Head of the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics and also Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Systems. Kurt Becker is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and holds an Honorary Degree from the Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria.
For further information read the Editorial of the EPJD topical issue on Plasma Science and Technology (August 2009) edited by Kurt Becker.

May 2009
EPJ launches EPJ Web of Conferences an open-access publishing service dedicated to the publication of conference proceedings and the related archiving of conference web pages. Maximum speed of publication and visibility are combined with a maximum of flexibility regarding formats. For further information have a look at the website of
EPJ Web of Conferences

December 2008
As of January 2009 the subtitle of The European Physical Journal E will be Soft Matter and Biological Physics
The publishers of The European Physical Journal (EPJ) and the Editors-in-Chief are pleased to announce that the scope of the journal has substantially extended to include all aspects of the study of biological systems by physical approaches. The opening of EPJ E to cover the full spectrum of biological physics reflects the growing importance of this field, its strong conceptual and methodological links with soft matter physics, and gives biological physics a true home in the EPJ series.
With the appointment of Frank Jülicher as Editor-in-Chief, alongside Richard A.L. Jones and Georg Maret, the aims and scope of EPJ E have been expanded to include:

- Nucleic acids, membranes and proteins
- Single molecules and nanoscale molecular machines
- Cellular processes and multicellular systems
- Biomimetic systems
- Biological networks

November 2008
Athene Donald to receive a 2009 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO award
Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, has been nominated for her contribution to unravelling the mysteries of the physics of messy materials, ranging from cement to starch. Some of this work was published in the EPJ E. The former editor in chief of EPJ E (and current member of its advisory editorial board) will receive her prize on 5 March 2009, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Since 1998, the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards have distinguished 57 women from around the globe. Through their individual contributions to scientific research the Laureates have been agents for change and progress. We have no doubt that Athene Donald will take this award as a new opportunity to promote the work and dedication of female scientists and inspire them to excel.

November 2008
EPJ celebrates its 10th anniversary
Begun as a merger of Journal de Physique, Il Nuovo Cimento and Zeitschrift für Physik in 1998, EPJ presents itself today as a yet broader coalition and continuation of these founding journals plus Acta Physica Hungarica, Anales de Fisica, Czechoslovak Journal of Physics, and Portugaliae Physica. Consequently, EPJ is characterized by a rapidly growing author- and readership. Read the full article published in Europhysics News.

October 2008
EPJC further extends OA publishing scheme
Following the completion of the first period (2007-2008) of its OA publishing scheme, and in anticipation of successful negotiations with interested Open Access funding agencies in the future, the "open access" publishing fees for all experimental papers submitted to and accepted for publication by The European Physical Journal C - Particles and Fields will continue to be waived. The paper categories concerned are both regular articles and scientific notes, on experimental physics. Independently, all Letters continue to be published "open access" by default, without any fees being incurred by the authors. (see the complete EPJ Open Access Statement for more details)

September 2008
EPJ C appoints new theory Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Georg Weiglein (University of Durham, UK) has been appointed the new Editor-in-Chief for theoretical particle and high-energy physics of The European Physical Journal (EPJ) C. He leads the journal into the hot phase of LHC physics and works together with Prof. Siegfried Bethke (MPI Munich, Germany), Editor-in-Chief for experimental physics. Georg Weiglein succeeds Jochen Bartels (University of Hamburg, Germany), who had been the journal's theory Editor-in-Chief since 1999. Jochen Bartels and Dieter Haidt (DESY, Hamburg) together successfully shaped the profile of EPJC, after the merger of the famous journals Zeitschrift für Physik C and Il Nuovo Cimento A, back in 1998.

May 2008
EPJ B appoints new Editors-in-Chief
The publishers of The European Physical Journal B - Condensed Matter and Complex Systems are pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Alois Loidl (U of Augsburg) and Prof. Luciano Colombo (U of Cagliari) as new Editors-in-Chief for experimental resp. theoretical condensed matter physics. At this occasion, EPJ B opens a new main section on computational methods which will publish papers on the theoretical development and numerical benchmarking of existing and new tools in scientific computing of relevance for computational solid state and materials physics. In particular, ab initio techniques, atomistic simulations, quantum monte carlo, and multiscale modelling will be in the new focus.

EPJ B, D, and E extend the publication of topical reviews (colloquium papers)
Colloquia describe the development of new areas of research or the impact of new and promising experimental, theoretical or computational methods in the fields that are within the spectrum of topics covered by the journal. While not as extensive and complete as reviews in the usual sense, they are intended to suitably introduce new research directions and techniques in their early stages of development, and to a wider audience. There is no explicit constraint regarding the length of such manuscripts, although 20 printed pages would be the most usual length. All invited/submitted manuscripts will undergo the same refereeing procedure as all other contributions submitted to the journal. For accepted colloquium papers, authors will receive a honorarium of EUR 200,-- and colour figures will be free of charge. For more details on this new section in EPJD see the Editorial written by the Editors-in-Chief Claude Fabre and Franco A. Gianturco.

November 2007
EPJ C extends OA publishing scheme
In anticipation of successful negotiations with interested Open Access funding agencies, as of today and until such negotiations have taken place before or by the end of 2008, all experimental papers submitted to and accepted by The European Physical Journal C - Particles and Fields will be published with full, online open access without any fees being incurred by the authors. The paper categories concerned are letters, regular articles as well as scientific notes and tools articles on experimental physics. (see the Aims & Scopes for a definition of these categories)

This extends the scope of the present default scheme for publishing with online open access in any of the EPJ journals at the strongly discounted price of EUR 1,000.-- per article, with letter articles already being free of charge and open access by default for EPJ A and EPJ C since November 2006 (see the Open Access Statement for more details)

September 2006
The publishing consortium of The European Physical Journal (EPJ) and the Editors-in-Chief are pleased to announce that The European Physical Journal B - Condensed Matter and Complex Systems has substantially extended its existing publishing activities in the fields of Statistical Physics and Nonlinear Dynamics to encompass all aspects of the emerging field of Complex Systems. With the appointment of Prof. Frank Schweitzer (Z&rich) as section editor for the newly created section Complex Systems within the Editorial Board of EPJ B, the aims and scopes of EPJ B have recently been enlarged to include:

Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Methods
Fluctuation phenomena and stochastic processes
Phase transitions and critical phenomena
Discrete dynamics, chaos and adaptive control
Time series analysis
Non-equilibrium dynamics, pattern formation
Physics of networks


Interdisciplinary Physics
Information theory, combinatorial optimization
Multi-agent systems, selforganization and emergence
Multicellular phenomena, systems biology
Ecological and population dynamics
Environmental systems, hazards and risks
Traffic, infrastructures and urban dynamics
Dynamics of groups and organizations
Economic models, evolutionary game theory
Financial markets, econophysics
Information, social and economic networks

The Editors-in-Chief of EPJ B
Prof. Hans-Rudolf Ott (Z&rich), Prof. Petra Rudolf (Groningen)
The EPJ publishing consortium

August 2006
EPJ A broadens its scope in heavy ion physics by merging with the Acta Physica Hungarica A - Heavy Ion Physics (APH A) as of January 1st, 2007. APH A, a well respected journal in the field has emerged from the Acta Physics Hungarica, initially covering all areas of physics, in the 1990s. See also the Letter of the Editor of APH

August 2006
EPJ D broadens its scope in plasma physics by merging with the Czechoslovak Journal of Physics (CJoP) as of January 1st, 2007. CJoP is presently published by the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and distributed by Springer. Publishing in all areas of physics CJoP is particularly active in the field of plasma physics. To reflect this new emphasis in scope, EPJ D has recently changed its subtitle from "Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics" to "Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics". Acta Physica Hungarica B - Quantum Electronics is also merging. See also the Letter of the Editors of EPJ D

October 2005
EPJ D supports and endorses the European Commission's new Quantum Information Classification Scheme (QICS) which, in the field of quantum information sciences, both extends and complements the well-known PACS scheme. For accepted EPJ D articles relevant to the subject matter, the Editorial Office of EPJ D will kindly invite authors to provide appropriate QICS codes in addition to the usual PACS codes. See also the Press Release. The HTML version of the QICS codes can be found here.

March 2005
Dr Dominique Langevin, University of Paris-Sud, Orsay, France Associate Editor EPJ E-Soft Matter, has been awarded the L'ORAL-UNESCO Award 2005 Materials Sciences for her fundamental investigations of detergents, emulsions and foams.
Press Release