[en] The Grenoble Subatomic Physics and Cosmology Laboratory - LPSC aims to improve our knowledge about the most elementary particles and about the forces that govern their interactions. It helps to broaden our understanding of the universe, its structure and its evolution. The LPSC is a Mixed Teaching and Research Unit, affiliated to the National Nuclear and Particle Physics Institute (IN2P3), the National Institute of Universe Sciences (INSU) and the National Institute of Engineering Sciences and Systems (INSIS) from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), as well as to the Joseph Fourier University and the Grenoble National Polytechnique Institute. The LPSC also plays a significant role at the national level and is involved in several international scientific and technical projects. Fundamental research is the driving force of LPSC activities. Among the themes studied at the LPSC, some are focused on the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe, e.g. the unification of forces, the origin of the mass of particles, the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe and the search for dark matter and energy. Research starts at the scales of the nuclei of atoms and even much smaller, where quantum and relativistic physics laws prevail. The goal here is to understand the characteristics of the most elementary building blocks of matter and their interactions, to study the limits of existence of atoms and to discover new states of nuclear matter, such as the quark-gluon plasma. Research also extends towards the infinitely large; the goal here is to understand the origin of the structures of the universe and the cosmic phenomena that take place, and to understand the characteristics of the very first stages of the universe, just after the Big Bang. The branches of physics at these two extremes are actually closely linked. Infinitely small-scale physics plays an essential role in the first moments of the universe. Particle physics and cosmology both seek answers to the existence of dark matter and dark energy in the universe. The locations of the experiments are very diverse: ground-based, underground-based or even satellite-based. LPSC also studies artificially created short-lived particles (created by accelerators which our laboratory helps to design) or cosmic particles that were produced at different epochs of the history of the universe. These activities require the development of sophisticated, state-of-the-art instrumentation. A close collaboration between physicists, engineers and technicians is required to achieve the required performance. In addition, a strong theoretical research activity supports the experiments during the preparatory stages and during the data analysis. This report presents the activities of the laboratory during the years 2008-2009: 1 - Forewords, Presentation of the laboratory; 2 - Quarks, leptons and FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS (DΦ experiment at Tevatron, ATLAS experiment at LHC, International Linear Collider (ILC) project, Ultra-cold Neutrons (UCN); 3 - Astro-particles and Observational Cosmology (ultra-high energy cosmic radiation, ultra-high energy cosmic rays: Auger and CODALEMA projects, fossil radiation study with PLANCK, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) experiment and theoretical activity, MIMAC (MIcro-tpc MAtrix of Chambers) project; 4 - Hadrons and nuclei (neutron-rich nuclei structure, nucleon structure, ALICE experiment at LHC); 5 - Reactor physics: Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR), Molten Salt physico-chemistry and technologies, nuclear data, High Conversion Water Reactors (HCWR) simulation, ADS on-line reactivity monitoring validation (GUINEVERE project); 6 - Theoretical physics (nuclei, hadrons and few-body systems, lattice QCD, perturbative QCD and supersymmetry); 7 - Interdisciplinary research (hadron-therapy, Tomography, Research centre on plasmas-materials-nano-structures - CRPMN); 8 - Accelerators (SPIRAL2 Project, GENEPI-3C accelerator, 60 GHz ECR ion source prototypes, R and D activities); 9 - Technological platforms: PEREN-Chemistry, International Platform for Advanced Plasma Processing (IAP3), plasmas and Ion Sources at the electronic cyclotronic resonance (SIRCE), Nuclear Physics Platform, IN2P3-LPSC grid node; 10 - Support to research activities: Administration and financial department, Documentation and Communication department, Health and safety, radiation protection, General services, detectors and Instrumentation, Mechanics, Electronics, Data acquisition and Computers departments; 11 - Valorisation and technology transfer (low-level counting facility, accelerators and ion sources pole, Research centre on plasmas-materials-nano-structures - CRPMN, Electronics for MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), management of resource booking); 12 - Teaching and training; 13 - Communication and dissemination of scientific knowledge; 14 - Seminars; 15 - Publications, PhDs, accreditations to supervise research; 16 - Staff

[en] The Grenoble Subatomic Physics and Cosmology Laboratory - LPSC aims to improve our knowledge about the most elementary particles and about the forces that govern their interactions. It helps to broaden our understanding of the universe, its structure and its evolution. The LPSC is a Mixed Teaching and Research Unit, affiliated to the National Nuclear and Particle Physics Institute (IN2P3), the National Institute of Universe Sciences (INSU) and the National Institute of Engineering Sciences and Systems (INSIS) from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), as well as to the Joseph Fourier University and the Grenoble National Polytechnique Institute. The LPSC also plays a significant role at the national level and is involved in several international scientific and technical projects. Fundamental research is the driving force of LPSC activities. Among the themes studied at the LPSC, some are focused on the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe, e.g. the unification of forces, the origin of the mass of particles, the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe and the search for dark matter and energy. Research starts at the scales of the nuclei of atoms and even much smaller, where quantum and relativistic physics laws prevail. The goal here is to understand the characteristics of the most elementary building blocks of matter and their interactions, to study the limits of existence of atoms and to discover new states of nuclear matter, such as the quark-gluon plasma. Research also extends towards the infinitely large; the goal here is to understand the origin of the structures of the universe and the cosmic phenomena that take place, and to understand the characteristics of the very first stages of the universe, just after the Big Bang. The branches of physics at these two extremes are actually closely linked. Infinitely small-scale physics plays an essential role in the first moments of the universe. Particle physics and cosmology both seek answers to the existence of dark matter and dark energy in the universe. The locations of the experiments are very diverse: ground-based, underground-based or even satellite-based. LPSC also studies artificially created short-lived particles (created by accelerators which our laboratory helps to design) or cosmic particles that were produced at different epochs of the history of the universe. These activities require the development of sophisticated, state-of-the-art instrumentation. A close collaboration between physicists, engineers and technicians is required to achieve the required performance. In addition, a strong theoretical research activity supports the experiments during the preparatory stages and during the data analysis. This report presents the activities of the laboratory during the years 2006-2007: 1 - Forewords; 2 - Quarks, leptons and FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS (ATLAS, DΦ, International Linear Collider (ILC) project, Ultra-cold Neutrons (UCN): nEDM and GRANIT projects; 3 - Astro-particles and Observational Cosmology (Cosmic radiation detection and phenomenology, dark matter detection, ultra-high energy cosmic rays); 4 - Hadrons and nuclei, reactor physics (nucleons and light nuclei structure, baryonic spectroscopy at GRAAL, Nuclear structure, Reactor physics); 5 - Theoretical physics (few-body quantum systems, high-energy physics); 6 - Interdisciplinary research (physics-medicine interface, hadron-therapy and CNAO, Research centre on plasmas-materials-nano-structures - CRPMN); 7 - Accelerators and ion sources; 8 - Technology valorisation and transfer; 9 - Teaching and training; 10 - Communication department; 11 - Technological developments and support to research activities: detectors and Instrumentation, Mechanics, Electronics, Data acquisition and Computers departments, General services, safety and radiation protection, Administration and financial department, human resources; 12 - Publications, PhDs, accreditations to supervise research; 13 - Staff

[en] In order to improve significantly the performance of fluorescent discharges in lighting applications, the concept of hybrid positive columns, which combines a direct current DC positive-column and a microwave plasma source at the cathode surface is introduced. The feasibility of such hybrid discharges, which can operate in the 10 W power range or below, is substantiated experimentally in pure argon. A first analysis of performance in terms of energy efficiency and energy savings is reported for comparison purposes with current fluorescent lamps. (paper)

[en] The objective of this exploratory study is to demonstrate that sulfur can offer an advantageous alternative to mercury for the production of UV photons in fluorescent discharges not only in terms of environment and health impacts, but also in terms of Stokes shift energy losses for the conversion of UV photons by luminophors into visible light. The experiments are performed in surface-wave plasma columns sustained at the output end of a coaxial applicator by microwaves at 2.45 GHz frequency and 10 W applied microwave power. After introducing 10 mg sulfur in argon at 1 Torr, it can be observed that most of the emission spectrum due to sulfur is maximum in the UV range between 300 and 400 nm, well above the 253.7 nm resonant peak line met with mercury in low-pressure discharges. Therefore, by comparison with mercury, the Stokes shift is considerably reduced in the case of sulfur. By surrounding the silica discharge tube with a segment of commercial fluorescent tube coated inside with luminophors, the UV spectrum of sulfur appears quite efficiently transferred into visible light. (letter)

[en] The coupling modes and efficiency in terms of transmitted and absorbed powers were studied using an open-ended microwave applicator (MWA) provided with a magnet. This configuration allowed the acquirement and investigation of plasmas over four decades in pressure, from 10⁻⁴ to a few torrs, for powers up to 200 W. Plasma impedance measurements revealed different coupling modes and transitions from the capacitive to the inductive mode. These also permitted the unraveling of the conditions for which maximum power and heating efficiencies can be obtained, which were found to be primarily linked with the resistive coupling. Moreover, the MWA was seen to be effective in extending the domains of pressures (1–50 mTorr) and powers (higher than 60 W), maintaining at least 80% of the transmitted/absorbed power within the working range. However, by knowing the values of impedance for different pressures, the MWA design can be adjusted for other domains as well. (paper)

[en] This study demonstrates the feasibility of the recently proposed idea of enhancing recombinations of the hydrogen atoms from the plasma on a surface in order to produce highly vibrationally excited molecules that can be attached and dissociated by the cold electrons of the plasma, hence creating negative ions that could be used as a Cs-free negative ion source. The negative ion density was obtained for a) two distinct materials, i.e. tantalum and stainless steel, and for b) two different degrees of molecular hydrogen dissociation, the higher degree of dissociation resulting from the cooling of the walls of the source. The relative negative ion density n-/n_e was measured by laser photodetachment and the electron density was obtained from Langmuir probe measurements. The pre-sheath was studied by emissive and conventional Langmuir probes to evaluate the potential drop near the surface. Laser photodetachment measurements performed in the vicinity of the investigated material consisting of a disk inserted in the source, evidence the production of negative ions by surface mechanisms. With cooled walls a tantalum disk at floating potential increases the negative ion density by 60-100%(depending on the probe distance to the disk) compared to a stainless steel disk under the same conditions. The observations strongly suggest surface-assisted recombination processes involving H atoms such as the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (diffusion), Eley-Rideal (direct impact) and hot atom (indirect collisional) mechanisms, followed by dissociative attachment.

[en] When considering the state-of-the-art on H^- ion sources, ions can be produced either by plasma-surface interaction and/or inside the plasma volume. For the production of negative ions by surface ionization, a low work function material is required. For this purpose, cesium has been used in many cases at LBNL, JAEA, KEK, and in other facilities [M. Bacal, Nucl. Fusion 46, 250 (2006)]. Despite an enhancement in the negative ion production (by a factor of 2.5 in JAEA source), the use of cesium could lead to many drawbacks in the plasma functioning of ITER, for example. An alternative material to cesium could lead to an important improvement for negative ion source.For this purpose, both theoretical and experimental studies must be undertaken. Surface mechanisms have to be taken into account both for creation and loss mechanisms: (i) By recycling the atomic hydrogen into highly vibrationally excited molecular hydrogen via recombinative desorption on specific surfaces (fresh tantalum on surface increases the negative ion density [M. Bacal, A. A. Ivanov, Jr. et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75, 1699 (2004)] by more than 60%). It has been shown for a rigid substrate model that both the recombination cross section and the degree of vibrational excitation are highly sensitive to the nature of the surface [B. Jackson and D. Lemoine, J. Chem. Phys. 114, 474 (2001)].(ii)By surface passivation, which could lead to a substantial decrease in H₂ (X,v^'') wall losses.In order to understand the fundamental mechanisms of surface production and losses, 'Camembert III' experimental setup, recently settled in the LPSC laboratory (Grenoble, France) is used. In this experimental structure, hydrogen multidipolar plasma sustained by microwaves (2.45 GHz) presents the potential advantage to operate either in a metallic or a conductive chamber. The inner walls could be then frequently coated, by sputtering or chemical vapor deposition techniques, with no opening of the chamber with various materials. First experiments of H^- surface production will be performed on target material. Hence, perfectly knowing the target material (in terms of composition and structural and physical properties), H^- ion density production near the target surface will be monitored by laser photodetachment [M. Bacal, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 71, 3981 (2000)]. Even if this diagnostic gives no direct information on high rovibrationally excited level of the H₂ molecule, its implementation and use are far less complicated than vuv LIF