News
EPJ E Highlight - Preparation, not confinement alone, needed to explain how polymer films behave
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- Published on 10 July 2026
A new review revisits Reiter and de Gennes' 20-year-old theory of conformational memory in polymer films, and asks what it will take to turn preparation into a tool for designing programmable materials
When polymers are squeezed into extremely thin films, a rich interplay between their geometry, fluctuations and interfaces, can create novel behaviour, named a ‘confinement effect’. Yet some behaviour in these films can't be fully explained by confinement alone. In 2001, physicists Günter Reiter and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes proposed an alternative explanation: that a polymer's preparation stage could imprint the material with a memory of its previous states. But despite promising experimental progress in the time since, several fundamental questions remain about the effect.
Through a new review published in EPJ E, Sivasurender Chandran at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur revisits Reiter and de Gennes' original work, tracing key experimental advances since their theory emerged. His insights could help researchers answer long-standing questions about polymer films – including the possibility of programming their mechanical responses.
EPJ Plus Highlight - Ultra-precise torsion pendulum affected by thermal lag effect
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- Published on 10 July 2026
A torsion pendulum's equilibrium position lags hours behind ambient fluctuations in temperature – correcting for the effect could help researchers to detect gravitational waves from space
If carried out in space, many physicists are confident that torsion pendulum experiments could be precise enough to detect passing gravitational waves. Yet before this can happen, it will be crucial to understand exactly how the pendulum's equilibrium position is affected by inevitable fluctuations in the surrounding temperature.
Through a new experiment detailed in EPJ Plus, researchers led by Qi Liu at Sun Yat-sen University in China have determined that the equilibrium position of a torsion pendulum significantly lags behind these temperature fluctuations. By accounting for this effect in their correction techniques, physicists could come a step closer to measuring gravitational waves using this remarkably simple setup.
EPJD : Robert Bennett
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- Published on 08 July 2026
The European Physical Journal D (EPJ D) is glad to announce that Dr Robert Bennett (University of Glasgow, United Kingdom) has been appointed as one of the Editors-in-Chief for the journal starting on June 1st, 2026.
Dr Robert Bennett’s experience and standing in the field will be invaluable to lead and develop the journal together with the other two Editors-in-Chief Prof. Holger Kersten and Prof. Paulo Limão-Vieira.
The publishers - EDP Sciences, Springer Nature, and the Italian Physical Society - wish to thank Prof. Almut Beige for the great work and effort he demonstrated in leading the journal over the past years.
EPJD Topical Collection: Physics of Cancer: Molecular Processes Underlying Radiation Therapy
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- Published on 07 July 2026
Edited by: Thomas Schlathölter, Ilko Bald, Filipe Ferreira da Silva
The Topical Collection "Physics of cancer: molecular processes underlying radiation therapy", published in EPJ D emphasizes the significance of a detailed understanding of molecular processes for cancer treatment. Radiotherapy serves as a central pillar in modern cancer treatment, but advancements necessitate a deeper comprehension of molecular processes induced by ionizing radiation at nanometer scales and ultrafast timescales. This involves tracing the effects of high-energy photons, electrons, or ions, which can ionize biomolecular species and alter their electronic structure, affecting the integrity of essential biomolecules like DNA and proteins. Secondary electron cascades triggered by these effects result in processes such as dissociative electron attachment and form reactive radicals along radiation paths, contributing to radiation damage.
EPJ E Colloquium - What is active wetting?
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- Published on 06 July 2026
Wetting describes how liquids spread, recede, or form droplets on various substrates. While classical wetting theory was developed largely for passive liquids, the term “active wetting” has recently been used in diverse nonequilibrium settings, including biomolecular condensates, cell layers and aggregates, and suspensions of self-propelled particles. This growing use makes it timely to ask what, if anything, the term should mean across such different systems.
In a new Colloquium, published in EPJ E, Uwe Thiele (University of Münster, Germany), discusses a tentative classification of wetting phenomena distinguishing equilibrium wetting, where interfacial energies determine a final static state; relaxational wetting, where a system evolves toward such a state; driven wetting, where external forcing maintains motion or deformation; reactive wetting, where chemical or material changes modify the involved interfaces; and active wetting, where internal energy-consuming processes such as motility, growth, or active stresses affect wetting behavior.
From molecules to networks — highlights from the EPJB–EPJE mini-symposium at the Enrico Fermi Research Center, Rome
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- Published on 01 July 2026
On June 11th, 2026, the editorial boards of The European Physical Journal B and The European Physical Journal E met in person at the Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi (CREF) in Rome, for a joint mini-symposium and editorial board meetings — a first for the two journals.
The mini-symposium — "From Molecules to Networks: Fluctuations, Scaling, and Collective Dynamics across Soft and Complex Matter" — brought together five invited speakers working at the frontier of statistical physics, soft matter, and complex systems: the shared scientific territory of EPJB and EPJE (mini-symposium minutes here).
EPJ D Highlight - Generating powerful BEUV light with a next-gen free-electron laser
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- Published on 08 June 2026
Using the SHINE facility, researchers show that undulator tapering can unlock kilowatt-level beyond extreme ultraviolet free-electron laser radiation with controllable polarisation
Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce extremely short, bright pulses of light by passing bunches of electrons through an undulator: a periodic array of alternating magnets which force electrons to wiggle back and forth. This generates light which re-interacts with the electrons, causing their vibrations to resonate and vastly boosting the laser's intensity.
Through new research published in EPJ D, Hanxiang Yang, Haixiao Deng, and colleagues at the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, show how SHINE, a next-generation FEL facility under development, could be used to produce controllably polarised light in the beyond extreme ultraviolet (BEUV) range. These wavelengths are valuable across numerous fields of research and industry, and they are especially useful for optical lithography: a cutting-edge technique which uses light to transfer patterns onto light-sensitive layers. With tight levels of control over the light's polarisation, they could also be used to manufacture the integrated circuits demanded by many emerging technologies.
EPJ RI Highlight - Identifying origins of anti-science sentiments for large-scale research projects
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- Published on 08 June 2026
An extensive international survey reveals that only a small portion of the public has a negative perception relating to a new particle collider that could eventually be constructed at CERN. The analysis shows that their views are rooted in a mistrust in science and publicly funded projects.
Research infrastructures (RIs) are large-scale facilities that provide resources for research communities – including equipment, data archives, and communications networks. As they aim to tackle global challenges including climate change, sustainable energy, and public health, RIs are attracting increasing attention from scientists and policymakers alike.
Among the public, however, understanding of RI activities and subsequent support for public funding is often limited. So far, the factors driving these sentiments haven’t been systematically investigated, and it was unclear whether they stem from similar anti-science sentiments to those found among people who deny climate change, or in anti-vaccine movements.
Through a new study published in EPJ Research Infrastructures, Francesco Giffoni and colleagues at CSIL (Milan, Italy) and CERN (Switzerland and France), carried out a contingent value analysis, including a study of public attitudes towards a new particle collider, currently being conceived by an international collaboration hosted by CERN. The results yield valuable insights into why some members of the public would oppose such a project.
Irena Drevenšek Olenik joins the EPJ Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)
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- Published on 01 June 2026
The Steering Committee of EPJ is delighted to welcome Irena Drevenšek Olenik, as the new representative of the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia.
Professor Irena DREVENŠEK OLENIK is a Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana and a Senior Research Fellow at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Her research focuses on the experimental investigations of soft materials using advanced optical techniques. In recent years, her work has centered on the nonlinear optical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals and the development of optical sensing methods for magnetically actuated soft robotic systems.
Alongside her research and teaching, she is actively engaged in science communication and in promoting science to the broader public. She is the recipient of the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia award for outstanding work with young people.
EPJ Plus Highlight - New instrument probes how complex molecules form on cosmic dust
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- Published on 29 May 2026
Researchers have designed a non-destructive mass spectrometer that traps and measures individual nanoparticles, which could contribute to our understanding of how complex organic molecules form in interstellar space
Throughout interstellar space, molecules attached to the surfaces of dust grains are constantly being transformed through a combination of chemical reactions and physical forces. How these physicochemical processes play out is strongly tied to the sizes of dust grains – underpinning the formation of complex organic molecules. To study these processes, experiments so far have reproduced them on thick multilayer ice layers, but these surfaces can't fully capture the intrinsic properties of cosmic dust grains.
Through new research published in EPJ Plus, Stefano Bovino and colleagues at the University of Concepción, Chile, introduce a more advanced experimental approach, involving a non-destructive mass spectrometer for charged nanoparticles. Their setup could help researchers to deepen their understanding of how complex molecules can form in the harsh environment of outer space.
