The PRISMA project encompasses a research programme of MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) that aims to significantly advance our understanding of irradiation-driven multiscale dynamics in materials. The project is based on multiscale modelling and thorough validation using advanced experimental techniques, and linking this new knowledge to the advancement of technological applications. Results will be validated through experiments by the project partners. ATOMKI will conduct experiments on ion irradiation induced dynamics of molecular thin films.

• Leader of the international consortium: MBN Research Center GGMBH (Germany)
• Project partners: University of Kent (GBR), University of Liverpool (GBR), J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry (CZE), HUN-REN ATOMKI (HUN), University of Tartu (EST), Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (LVA)
• Total budget is 931,860 EUR, from which ATOMKI received 90,180 EUR

We are focusing on low pressure non-equilibrium plasmas containing nitrogen, hydrogen and nitrogen hydrides. These plasmas can be relevant for the ammonia synthesis, which in turn is susceptible to become a liquid, green hydrogen storage cell. Our main objective is to contribute to the chemistry of the main ingredients - nitrogen, hydrogen and nitrogen hydrides, in particular by understanding the role of the elementary electron driven reactions. We plan to revise, produce and upgrade the needed molecular data sets, to perform state-of-the-art state-selective quantum scattering calculations.

The produced cross sections and rate coefficients will be used by the modelers in simulations to find the best plasma conditions to achieve ammonia synthesis.

Budget: 4,000,000 HUF

One of humanity's enduring objectives has been to comprehend the Sun, the star that provides our planet with energy. We now understand that stars generate energy through nuclear fusion reactions. Today astronomical observations have achieved unparalleled precision, however, the predictions made by the Standard Solar Model, which links the Sun's properties to observable quantities, is not precise enough.

In order to achieve the desired level of accuracy, it is essential to conduct experiments measuring the most significant nuclear reactions, such as the proton capture on nitrogen or the fusion of the two helium isotope. The objective of this project is to measure these reactions with high precision, taking advantage of the rapid development of experimental techniques and the applicability of new methods. The experiments will primarily utilise Hungary's state-of-the-art particle accelerator (the Atomki Tandetron) and, in international collaborations, unique underground accelerators.

Budget: 150 MHUF

The project aims to analyse and interpret data from cave ice to reconstruct detailed climate histories. Given the increasing vulnerability of cave ice to global warming, the project addresses the urgent need for their comprehensive study and preservation. The budget available in this project will enable Hungarian researchers to travel to Slovenian caves and collect samples together with Slovenian colleagues. The research will create a global database of cave ice chronologies, highlighting both existing knowledge and key gaps that should guide future research. The project’s results will help better predict future climate books, inform environmental policy, and contribute to the global effort to preserve these invaluable natural archives in the face of accelerating climate threats.

Budget: 3 MHUF

The SUNFLOWER collaboration has been studying the structure and reactions of exotic isotopes to uncover the origin and properties of the interaction between the constituents of atomic nuclei. Its success was based on a large array of NaI(Tl) detectors called DALI2+. The experiments have been performed at the RIKEN Nishina Center, the world-leading isotope factory. Our collaboration has decided to construct the successor of DALI2+: HYPATIA. This is a very ambitious and innovative project in which we plan to build a huge array of LaBr3 and GAGG crystals. Due to the excellent characteristics of these crystals, the new array will provide the possibility to reach untouched frontiers of the map of atomic nuclei. The development and construction of the detectors will be performed in an international collaboration, and the array will be tested at the RIKEN Nishina Center.

Budget: 800,000 HUF

Experiments on radioactive ion beams have revealed peculiar, unexpected nuclear physics phenomena in nuclei lying far from the stability line: the large energy gaps between neutron and proton orbits corresponding to closed nucleon shells disappear, new energy gaps appear, nuclei expected to be spherical become deformed, and neutron glories form around the core of the nuclei. As part of the international collaboration SUNFLOWER, ATOMKI researchers investigate the structure and reactions of exotic isotopes at the world's leading radioactive ion beam facility, the RIKEN Nishina Centre. The success of our research is based on a high-performance detector array, DALI2+. We have participated in the upgrade of this detector system in recent years. The next step will be to determine the deformation of the nuclear shapes in neutron-rich nickel and copper isotopes. The Hungarian research team is going to play a key role in carrying out the experiment.

Project budget: 800,000 HUF

The atomic nuclei of the chemical elements that make up our world are formed through nuclear processes in stars. Formation probability of different elements can be estimated using nucleosynthesis simulations. Essential input parameters for these simulations are the characteristics of nuclear beta decay, beta decay rates and half-lives. For nuclei located far from the stability, we can determine these values through experiments using radioactive beams. We conduct our experiments at the RIKEN Nishina Center in Tokyo. As part of our project, we determine the characteristics of beta decay in heavier neutron-rich nuclei as well as proton-rich nuclei located on the other side of the valley of stability. The projects have been approved by the RIKEN Program Advisory Committee with a high rating, and researchers of ATOMKI are (co-)spokespersons. These experiments are part of an international collaboration in which the Hungarian research group plays a key role.

Project budget: 1,300,000 HUF

We expect various phenomena related to the deformation of nuclear shapes to arise in some of the proton-rich nuclei. The structure of these nuclei is no fully known yet. Our goal in this project is to gather as much knowledge as possible about the excited states of these atomic nuclei. We will conduct our experiments using one of the newest European gamma-spectroscopic setup, the NEEDI at the HIL UW (Heavy Ion Laboratory, University of Warsaw). This apparatus is a high-precision, high-efficiency system consisting of the EAGLE gamma-ray spectrometer, the NEDA neutron detector, and the DIAMANT charged-particle detector, latter developed and operated by ATOMKI. The experiments will be carried out as part of an international collaboration in which the Hungarian research group plays a leading role.

Project budget: 1,300,000 HUF

The VIBREAC project is an MSCA postdoctoral fellowship that aims to develop new computational tools based on quasi-classical scattering models and full-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) descriptions to study state-to-state molecular interactions relevant to astrophysics. The new scattering model can handle collisions of polyatomic species with full resolution of their rotational-vibrational (rovibrational) levels, essential for interpreting astronomical observations of complex molecules. The project will be implemented at HUN-REN ATOMKI with new developments in molecular scattering dynamics and potential energy surface calculations. The grantee (Sandor Demes) will conduct several secondments at the University of Szeged (Hungary) to receive training in computational chemistry and PES development and at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) to expand his knowledge of the rovibrational description of molecular scattering.

The total budget is 182,744 EUR, which is granted entirely to the host institute, HUN-REN ATOMKI.

The aim of the project is the participation of the Experimental Molecular Physics Research Group of the HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI) in the scientific and organizational work of the Europlanet Society, a non-profit association which is the leading solar-system research forum in Europe. The ATOMKI joined this community in 2019 as a member of the Europlanet 2024 RI project consortium. During the project, we were one of the most popular laboratories. The research community includes 50+ research sites in Europe. As a member of the Europlanet Society, we can expand our collaborations. Our project tasks: payment of membership fees, participation in the development of the Society's infrastructure access system, membership in the infrastructure working committee, and participation in the Society's scientific events (e.g. EuroPlanet Science Congress, Helsinki, 2025).

Amount of support from the NKFI fund: 3,000,000 HUF.