The National Centre for Nuclear Research has received funding for five projects under the OPUS and SONATA programmes run by the National Science Centre.

The OPUS 30 programme supports international research projects, as well as initiatives in which Polish research teams make use of major international research facilities.

The following projects have received funding under the programme:

• prof. dr hab. Jerzy Kowalski-Glikman – „Quantum Gravity at the Corner”
  
  The project will focus on corners of spacetime, i.e. the bounds of the regions studied in experiments. According to the latest research, it is precisely there that key information regarding gravity and universal symmetries can be found. The work will enable the analysis of quantum representations of corner symmetries in two, three and four dimensions. The research will also include considerations of other theories, such as tetrad gravity and supergravity. By combining advanced mathematics, theories of gravity and quantum computing, the project will forge a new link between general relativity and quantum mechanics.
   
• prof. dr hab. Michał Spaliński – „Attractors in the dynamics of quark-gluon plasma”
  
  The study of the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is one of the most important tasks in particle physics, as it concerns strong nuclear interactions. Although the theory describing these interactions, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), was introduced over 50 years ago, there are still unresolved issues concerning the QCD phase diagram and the equation of state of nuclear matter. Prof. Spaliński’s project involves the study of so-called attractors – phenomena in which certain physical quantities in quark-gluon plasma behave in a universal way even before a local equilibrium state is established. The work will incorporate theoretical models that describe the emergence and properties of attractors and will allow for the use of modern data analysis and machine learning methods. The results will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of the QGP produced in nuclear collisions in accelerators such as RHIC and LHC, but also in other research areas related to attractors – such as cosmology or the physics of cold atomic gases.
   
• dr hab. Przemysław Małkiewicz – „Multiverse-state formalism and new evidence for quantum gravity”
  
  One of the greatest challenges facing modern science is understanding the processes that took place at the very beginning of the Universe, and in particular the influence of quantum physics on these processes. Many cosmological models rely on a simplification whereby the background geometry and small fluctuations are treated as separate quantum systems. This project investigates an approach that consistently treats the equations of quantum gravity. This leads to the evolution of the quantum state of the Universe as a superposition of many branches, each describing a slightly different geometry and a corresponding set of primordial fluctuations. The work will enable the calculation of the influence of the quantum “branches” of the Universe on the power and shape of the fluctuations visible in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and an estimation of the likelihood of detecting such signals by future space missions. The project may provide the first experimental clues regarding the nature of spacetime and contribute to our understanding of how our Universe came into being and how quantum physics influenced its earliest stages.

The SONATA 21 programme is aimed at researchers who obtained their PhD between 2 and 7 years prior to submitting their application. It provides funding for basic research projects lasting up to 3 years.

In the latest round of the competition, funding was awarded to:

• dr Anna Krzyczmonik – „Radioiodine-labelled PD-L1 inhibitors for targeted radionuclide therapy”
  
  The fight against cancer involves reducing the mechanisms by which tumours hide from the body’s defences. One such mechanism is the PD-L1 molecule, which suppresses immune cells. Research is currently underway into drugs that block PD-L1 and help identify and destroy cancer cells. The project aims to develop new radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy, based on radioactive iodine combined with a molecule that binds to PD-L1. This will enable the detection and characterisation of areas within the tumour that produce PD-L1 molecules, followed by the administration of a higher dose to destroy these cells. This integrated strategy enables a personalised and effective approach to cancer therapy. The work will involve testing various compounds targeting PD-L1, investigating the efficacy of their binding to PD-L1 in cancer cells, as well as comparing other iodine isotopes and astatine-211. The project will lay the foundations for new, personalised cancer therapies that will be more precise, effective and safer for patients.
   
• dr inż. Małgorzata Frelek-Kozak – „Development of a novel Alumina-Forming ODS Alloys: A Fundamental Study of Multi Factor Degradation Mechanisms”
  
  Future Generation IV nuclear reactors will operate under extremely challenging conditions – high temperatures, intense ionising radiation and a highly corrosive environment. For this reason, the materials used to construct such reactors must meet very high strength requirements. The project concerns a specific group of advanced materials – so-called ODS steels – which contain uniformly distributed nanometre-sized oxide particles that provide exceptional resistance to high temperatures and radiation. The work will enable the design, production and testing of a new class of multifunctional steels. Of particular importance will be the optimisation of chemical composition and heat treatment, for which advanced powder metallurgy techniques and dedicated technological processes will be employed. The materials produced will be subjected to conditions simulating the actual operating conditions of a reactor, enabling a detailed analysis of the impact of each factor on degradation. The project’s results will contribute to the development of safer, more durable and more efficient materials for future nuclear reactors.

We would like to offer our congratulations to our researchers and wish them every success with these innovative projects!