Latest press releases
How long and sharp are the proton ‘needles’ used in radiotherapy treatments?
30 April 2026
Proton beams are not only used in sophisticated nuclear physics experiments. Today, they are becoming increasingly popular in radiotherapy, where they are an irreplaceable tool for destroying cancer cells. Doctors and physicists can enhance their precision thanks to two solutions developed at the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Better understanding of the unknown leads to more accurate collision simulations
5 March 2026
Estimating things that exist is generally easy, but when it comes to estimating things that do not exist, it’s more difficult. This is something physicists from Poland and the UK are well aware of. To improve current simulations of high-energy particle collisions, they have developed a more accurate method for estimating the impact of calculations that are... not performed.
From biocidal coatings to medicines: A nanocomposite sting for microorganisms
28 January 2026
A surface capable of responding to chemical signals generated by microorganisms and automatically producing biocidal substances – this is not a futuristic vision, but a description of how the B-STING silica nanocomposite works. The new material, developed at the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow, acts as a nanofactory of reactive oxygen species, activating itself only when necessary.
‘The Colors of Science’ by the Institute of Nuclear Physics, PAS – on the 70th anniversary of its founding
17 December 2025
Anniversary publications are often associated with dry lists of dates and facts. ‘The Colors of Science,’ an e-book prepared to mark the 70th anniversary of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN), breaks with this convention. Rather than focusing on chronology, the freely available publication seeks above all to convey the passion for discovery that drives Cracow-based scientists to uncover new secrets of nature.
LHC data confirm validity of a new model of hadron production – and test the foundations of quantum mechanics
3 December 2025
Boiling sea of quarks and gluons, including virtual ones – this is how we can imagine the main phase of high-energy proton collisions. It would seem that particles here have significantly more opportunities to evolve than when less numerous and much ‘better-behaved’ secondary particles spread out from the collision point. However, data from the LHC accelerator prove that reality works differently, in a manner that is better described by an improved model of proton collisions.