IPFN at Técnico Open Day 2026
IPFN was present at Técnico Open Day on 18 April at its Alameda campus in Lisbon. Throughout the day, a range of activities introduced visitors to research in plasmas, lasers and nuclear fusion.
In Salão Nobre, oure team of volunteers presented their research to the public, offering a space for direct contact with scientists. The activities involved master's and PhD students as well as researchers, who guided visitors through the experiments.
In the activity “The Journey of Lasers and Plasmas,” visitors were able to interact with a toroidal plasma ball, a luminous ring formed inside a glass sphere, visually introducing the concept of plasma as the fourth state of matter. This experience was complemented by light discharge tubes, illustrating the behaviour of different ionized gases and their characteristic emissions.
On a different scale, the light diffraction experiment challenged participants to measure the thickness of a human hair, highlighting the interaction of light with very thin objects that generate patterns, allowing for microscopic measurements using a laser beam. Virtual reality glasses completed this approach with computer simulations developed by GoLP, including plasma-based particle accelerators, astrophysical plasmas, and interactions between light and matter.
In the same activity, the 3D model of the VOXEL project allowed visitors to learn about the operation of an X-ray-based imaging system, showing the beam path and the main experimental components. The project aims to develop new medical imaging solutions that combine high spatial resolution with reduced radiation doses, with potential applications in the healthcare industry.
“Can we recreate the energy of the stars on Earth?”, the theme of another activity, centered on the topic of nuclear fusion. Through an interactive quiz, attendees were challenged to test their knowledge and reflect on the role of this technology in the future of energy. The activity also included the presentation of the 3D model of the ITER reactor, allowing visitors to visualise the scale and complexity of the fusion devices currently under development.
As part of the laboratory visits, IPFN opened the doors of the ISTTOK tokamak, enabling the audience to observe a nuclear fusion machine and understand the challenges related to plasma confinement.
The Quantum Information and Quantum Optics Lab (QIQO) was likewise introduced, combining the Quantum Matter Lab (QuMatt@GoLP/IPFN) and the Quantum Photonics Lab (QuLab@IT). This occasion marked the first public unveiling of the collaboration, offering insight into its infrastructure and research directions in quantum technologies within a joint initiative with the Instituto de Telecomunicações.
Thank you to all the IPFN team of volunteers:
Hand-on activities:
- Andre Beverido
- Ankur Nath
- Bernardo Barbosa
- Bushan Thakur
- Chiara Badiali
- Daniel Hachmeister
- Gonçalo Teixeira
- Joaquim Nogueira
- Lucas Iñigo
- Marco Costa
- Mário Vaz
- Óscar Amaro
- Susana Muiños
- Zahra Chamazkoti
Lab tours:
- Carlos Silva
- Emmanuel Cruzeiro
- Horácio Fernandes
