MSCA grant enables international research cooperation

The MSCA programme is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe framework. Through individual fellowships, researchers holding a doctoral degree and working in any European country can advance their careers by carrying out research projects in collaboration with selected foreign academic institutions. In the case of Ravindra Singh, affiliated with the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Padua, the chosen host institution is the Warsaw University of Technology and its Faculty of Physics.

Prof. Małgorzata Janik established research cooperation with the researcher through the ALICE experiment at CERN. Direct collaboration with the ALICE group at the University of Padua, related to a joint publication on correlations between heavy particles and baryons, paved the way for further cooperation. Dr Janik currently serves as the MSCA project leader on behalf of the Warsaw University of Technology.

The grant recipient will carry out the project entitled: Probing spin dynamics in the QGP via spin-dependent Λ–Λ observables.

“The aim is to investigate the behaviour of particle spin in the quark–gluon plasma – an extreme state of matter created in heavy-ion collisions within the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. For the first time, we intend to measure spin correlations of Λ hyperon pairs in order to determine whether quantum correlations arise between particles in this hot and dense medium and how spin is transferred during hadron formation," explains Prof. Janik. "The project will calculate spin-spin correlations and apply innovative spin-dependent femtoscopy, enabling us to study particle interactions at the femtometre scale and to test predictions of strong-interaction theory, including those concerning exotic states of matter."

An MSCA Individual Fellowship brings tangible benefits to both parties. The researcher receives funding for research, training, publications and conference participation, while building valuable international connections. At the same time, the host institution strengthens its scientific potential and becomes actively involved in cutting-edge research initiatives.

This marks the third collaboration under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions at the Faculty of Physics of WUT. Previously, Marcin Patecki, PhD, carried out the project The ALICE fixed-target programme layout using bent crystals at the CERN Large Hadron Collider under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Kikoła. In addition, within the MSCA4Ukraine programme, Natalia Kasian, PhD, is currently conducting the project "Photosensitive liquid-crystal composite for directional nanoparticle control using light" under the supervision of Prof. Piotr Lesiak.