News

Chemical chameleon loses its camouflage
March 5th 2010
5 March 2010
Researchers of the FOM Institute Rijnhuizen and German colleagues have resolved the structure of a molecule in which the atoms constantly change places. The 'chemical chameleon' CH5+ is a model system for a class of molecules which play an important role in the chemistry of hydrocarbons. Using the infrared free electron laser FELIX and advanced quantumsimulations, the researchers determined the structure of CH5+. The team published its discovery in Nature Chemistry. 
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Tony Donné appointed professor at TU/e
February 11th 2010
11 Februari 2010
Dr. Tony Donné, head of the Fusion Physics department at Rijnhuizen, has been appointed part-time professor at Eindhoven Technical University. He will investigate Diagnostics of Fusion Plasmas at the Faculty of Applied Physics, within the sub-faculty of Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion.
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SenterNovem grant for photoconversion research
December 1st 2009
1 December 2009
The FOM Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen has received a SenterNovem EOS-NEO grant ('Energie Onderzoek Subsidie - Nieuw Energie Onderzoek') of €100.000 for research on cheap metal oxide semiconductors for photoconversion. Photoconversion of sunlight in solar fuels is a promising technology to harvest and store solar energy in the form of hydrogen. Dr. Marko Sturm explains the importance of photoconversion research: "Metal oxide semiconductors, such as TiO2 or Fe2O3, are abundant and cheap; therefore their application in harvesting solar energy can potentially lead to a significant reduction in the cost of utilising solar energy."
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Tim Tsarfati wins first FOM Valorisationchapter Prize
December 1st 2009
30 November 2009
The FOM Valorisation Chapter Prize, which will be awarded for the first time in Januari 2010, will be conferred to dr. Tim Tsarfati. He receives the prize for the last chapter of his PhD thesis "Surface and interface dynamics in multilayered systems", which he successfully defended at Twente University in June 2009. With this new prize, the FOM foundation wants to stimulate its PhD students to give special attention to the questions of valorisation and possible application of their research in their thesis. The winner of the prize receives a sum of €5,000, to be spent freely.
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Stabilising fusion plasmas in new FOM programme
November 25th 2009
25 November 2009
A Dutch research programme lead by dr. Tony Donné of the FOM Institute Rijnhuizen will investigate the properties of high temperature fusion plasmas. Hot fusion plasmas of 150 million degrees Centigrade, confined by magnetic fields, can easily develop instabilities which decrease the performance of the fusion reactor. These instabilities tend to amplify themselves and the researchers have taken up the task of actively stabilising the plasma with microwaves. The expected results of the research would be a crucial contribution to the operation of ITER, the international fusion reactor currently under construction. Tony Donné: "By combining the existing knowledge and expertise in the Netherlands, we as a relatively small player in the international fusion community can make an important contribution to the development of fusion as a sustainable energy source."
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