Prof. Julia Tjus' long-standing connection to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg has been recognized by the Swedish university with a special award: from 1 March 2025, she will be an affiliated professor at the Department of Space, Earth and Environment. From March 1, 2025, she will be an affiliated professor at the Department of Space, Earth and Environment.
In her research, Tjus combines particle and plasma physics to better understand our universe. Her aim is to get to the bottom of the high-energy particles that hit the earth from space, known as cosmic rays. Her work has been closely linked to Chalmers since her postdoctoral period in Gothenburg. In 2023, the Swedish university awarded her an anniversary professorship to strengthen the joint global research network. In this role, Tjus organized international conferences and initiated joint research projects. The aim of the affiliated professorship is now to further intensify existing collaborations and initiate new joint projects.
Deeper insights into space through international cooperation
What makes the German-Swedish collaboration so fruitful is that the researchers' expertise complements each other perfectly. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology have a lot of experience in measuring and analyzing radiation from space, which has relatively low energies, especially radio waves, infrared, X-rays and optical radiation. Tjus also benefits from this knowledge in its own field of expertise, high energy astronomy. Findings from the investigation of low-energy radiation, for example, provide her with important information for the interpretation of gamma rays and neutrinos.
Their investigations provide an insight into the conditions and mechanisms that prevail in supernova explosions, active galactic nuclei and other high-energy astrophysical sources. Gamma rays penetrate matter due to their high energy. Neutrinos are tiny, almost massless particles that hardly interact with matter. They can fly almost unhindered through entire planets or stars without being deflected or absorbed. Both are therefore ideal messengers from the deepest and densest regions of extreme cosmic events. They teach us a lot about the processes that generate cosmic rays.
By pooling their expertise as part of the international collaboration, the aim is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the origins and properties of cosmic rays. Through the affiliated professorship, Tjus and Chalmers will further intensify their collaboration over the next few years. In particular, there are plans to further strengthen the links between the Swedish university and the IceCube neutrino observatory, the world's largest neutrino detector, and also to initiate joint projects in public relations work.
Photo: Prof. Susanne Aalto, Professor of Astronomy and Plasma Physics, Deputy President and Deputy CEO of Chalmers University of Technology and Prof. Julia Tjus (right) at Chalmers Campus. Vera Novak
Learn more about the IceCube neutrino observatory