PlasmaSurf Summer CourseWhere Physics and Summer meet
The Blended Intensive Programme that puts a plus in PlasmaSurf
PlasmaSurf+ has a complementary asyncronous course that turns it into a Blended Intensive Programme. In this asyncronous course taken in the OpenedX plaform, you will learn about plasma diagnostics and execute two remote-controlled experiments on how to measure the most important plasma parameters, namely their density and temperature, by intrusive and non-intrusive methods. Among the data analysis techniques introduced, two less common data fittings technics are used, one with a piecewise function fitting and another based on RF spectrum interpretation.
This course is unique in the sense that, to our knowledge, is the very first in the world were data from the experiment is automatic analyzed by our FREE framework and we check online the students' calculations based on actual experimental data, giving instantaneous feedback on their performance.
Course structure
The course consists of two main sections related to intrusive and non-intrusive diagnostics in plasma physics, each one anchored on a remote laboratory and has an estimated duration of 20 hours, corresponding to 1.5 ECTS. All the contents will be available from the first week, so that students can study and use the remote-controlled laboratory at their own pace.
After a brief introduction to the fundamentals of plasma physics and their diagnostics, you will be led to the FREE platform where you must conduct and analyze data from (i) a Langmuir probe and (ii) an electromagnetic resonant cavity experiments. Such experiments are fully automatized and control will belong to you through a suitable eletronic control room. Emphasis will be given later to special techniques on data analysis.
PlasmaSurf+ 4-28 July 2025
| 21 May | 4 July | 13-19 July | 28 July |
| Registration (fex:Plasmas) | Course Begins (fex:Plasmas) | Presential classes (PlasmaSurf) | Course ends (fex:Plasmas) |
Assessment
The course will be considered passed if the final score is 60% or more of the maximum possible grade. The final grade has two components: (i) some exercises that are mostly follow-up quizzes on the subjects and (ii) the data analysis of the two remote controlled plasma experiments. The experiment's assessment is done on the Framework for Remote Experiments in Education (FREE) which has the unique feature of automatically analyzing your specific data, giving a direct assessment on your submitted results as you will be asked for the plasma measurements you got.
Requirements
You should have some background in electromagnetism and fundamentals of experimental physics; knowledge of plasma physics may be useful but is not mandatory.
Partner schools
If you plan to ask for an Erasmus+ BIP Grant please contact your university International Relations Officer as soon as possible. Date for applying to BIP internships vary depending on local rules, and preregistration must take place no later than May 15 so that contracts can be signed by May 31.
 | Universidad de Sevilla |
 | KTH Royal Institute of Technology |
 | Czech Technical University |
 | Centrale Méditerranée (ECM) |
 | Ruhr-Universität Bochum |
 | Université Grenoble Alpes |
 | Ghent University |
 | Univerziteta U Beogradu |