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 aim of the project is to improve the theoretical background on which device-independent quantum cryptography is based to a level that it becomes feasible in real-life applications. We will achieve this by investigating new Bell nonlocality tests which are the foundation of quantum cryptography, by streamlining security proofs, and by inventing new experimental setups.

ATOMKI contributes to the project by creating mathematical techniques to designing quantum communication devices that are distributed in novel network topologies.

• Project coordinator: Prof. Marcin Pawłowski (University of Gdańsk, PL)
• Consortium partners: University of Gdańsk (PL), INRIA Lyon (FR), ETH Zurich (CH), ATOMKI (HU)
• Budget of the whole project: 1.064.600 EUR
• Budget of ATOMKI: 60.706.800 HUF

RIANA unites 7 European networks of top-level research infrastructures to provide advanced techniques for nanofabrication, characterization and simulation. It offers efficient access to 69 research infrastructures through a single-entry point. RIANA aims to attract both experienced and new users from academia and industry, adapting to emerging scientific topics and needs.

• Project coordinator: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, DESY (Hamburg, Germany)
• Members: 56 consortium partners from 22 European countries

• Role of ATOMKI: Transnational Access provider, provides beamtime for external users at the Tandetron particle accelerator

• Budget of the whole project: 15 MEUR
• Of which budget of ATOMKI: 35,700 EUR

EURO-LABS is a network of 33 research and academic institutions from 18 European and non-European countries, involving 47 research infrastructures in the nuclear physics, accelerators and detectors pillars. Within this large network, EURO-LABS will ensure diversity and actively support researchers from different nationalities, gender, age, grade and variety of professional expertise.

The participation of ATOMKI in EURO-LABS is realized through the CLEAR cluster. CLEAR is a consortium of three installations:

• ATOMKI in Debrecen (support: 93,125.00 EUR),
• CNA in Seville (357,506.25 EUR) and
• IST in Lisbon (65,000.00)

offering access to stable-ion and neutron beams. The consortium has a common Program Advisory Committee. The homepage of CLEAR contains all the rules of the Transnational Access services.

Accelerators offered by ATOMKI:

• 2 MV tandetron (tandem type accelerator),
• 18 MeV cyclotron (MGC-20E),
• ECR Ion Source.

1. The project involves the applications of nuclear technology based on the data collected through the fundamental research, that's why it is indispensable to determine nuclear structure as well as nuclear reaction data by using experimental technique.
2. One of the important area of the nuclear technology is the production of radioisotopes, on the one hand as a radiation source, on the other hand as an additive, as well as in the volume of the material to be investigated. These tracers can then applied for following processes in a rapid and economic way.
3. Production of new surface layers by irradiation and investigation of those, elaboration of irradiation and measurement methods for wear measurement of materials of novel constitution and structure. Development of novel nuclear particle detectors based on nanotechnology.
4. Development of accelerator based production on therapeutic and diagnostic radionuclides, elaboration of their radiochemical separation. Development of theranostic radioisotopes and targeted radionuclide therapy.

Budget: 1.191.526.000 HUF

In our research, we deal with an important element of water cycle that is precipitation and its isotopic composition. Rainwater is formed by a number of complex atmospheric processes, in different clouds and under dynamic conditions, so it can be divided into two major groups: stratiform (drizzle, fog, rain, snowfall) and convective (shower rain, thunderstorm) precipitation. Atmospheric physical mechanisms give rainwater a characteristic isotopic composition, leaving traces of formation processes. The main goal of our research is to investigate the specific isotope composition of the two main rain types and their spatial and temporal variability. In order to achieve this, we are developing and operating a precipitation collection network in the Carpathian Basin and determine the isotope composition of the collected samples. Using the measured and observed data, we gain insight into the relationship between rainfall type and isotope composition.

Project budget: 27,748,866 HUF

The development of titanium-based orthopedic and dental implants is aimed to create coating layers that increase corrosion resistance, have antibacterial activity and promote bone tissue embedding. The goal of this work is the preparation of double coating layers and the examination of their structural and biological properties. In addition to their biocompatibility, these layered structures reduce diffusion of metal ions into the living tissue. The growth defects and pores of the bioinert TiAlN/CNx multilayer and the biotolerant TiAlSiN nanolayer will be closed with titanium- and aluminium-oxide layers, thus reducing the toxic effect caused by implants.

The project is realised in the frame of a bilateral Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation.

Cooperating partner: Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

Project budget: 1.727.112 HUF

The goal of the project is to produce novel high-sensitivity Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) based gas sensors for the detection of nitrogen-oxides and organic nitrates. Heightened sensitivity will be achieved by raising the active surface area and the number of specific receptor molecules bound to it, using porous black metal layers. The Laboratory of Materials Science of ATOMKI will perform the morphological (XRD, FIB-SEM) and depth (SNMS) characterization of the synthesized surfaces and layer structures.

The project is realised in a consortium, consisting of the following members:

• University of Chemistry and Technology (Prague, Czech Republic) - leader
• Kitami Institute of Technology (Kitami, Japan)
• Polymer Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences (Bratislava, Slovakia)
• University of Opole (Opole, Poland)
• ATOMKI - Institute for Nuclear Research (Debrecen, Hungary)

The consortium of 18 partners from 9 countries aims at development of a new portal monitor system and a 3D tomography method that will be suitable for fast and reliable screening of bulk cargo and vehicles. The system must identify hidden persons and hidden illicit and dangerous materials (nuclear materials, explosives, weapons, drugs, contrabands). The screening will be done employing mainly X-ray photons emitted by laser based radiation sources. Advanced methods will be developed for detection of the nuclear particles that leak the screened volume and for evaluation of the large amount of the data measured by the particle detectors. The project helps the efficient management of national and European Union level security, law enforcement and custom problems.

ATOMKI participates in developments of methods for detection of the neutrons emitted by the laser based radiation sources.

Net EU contribution: 6 989 608.75 EUR; part of ATOMKI: 56 062.50 EUR.

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.