A discussion on electron sticking coefficient of dielectrics and some potential applications of dusty plasmas It was a great learning experience for me to hear from researchers Franko Greiner and Franz Xaver Bronold of Kiel University and University of Greifswald respectively about the new model they have developed to measure the sticking coefficient of low energy electrons. When an insulating material is placed in a stream of electrons it acquires surface charge. For low energy electrons this charge is negative as they lack energy to cause electron emission from the dielectric surface. In this presentation researchers Franko and Franz demonstrated a highly creative method of measuring the number of electrons that remain trapped on the dielectric surface. Their method was to suspend dust particles inside the plasma sheath causing them to levitate as they acquire charge. On these charged particles when an oscillating electric field was applied it resulted in the oscillation of the particle itself. The resulting oscillation of the particle was captured by high speed cameras. Through the oscillation frequency of the particle its charge to mass ratio was extracted and since the mass of the single dust particle was known its charge was calculated. This method of determining charge on the dielectric gives exceptionally clean results because the measurement is done without any direct contact with the particle — that is its non-invasiveness. What's more appealing though is that it provides a method to directly probe individual dust particles floating within a plasma. Dusty plasmas have become a highly researched topic in plasma nano-synthesis as well as in fundamental sciences to model behaviour of solid particles in charged fluids and this technique could help further our understanding. That is not to say that more traditional methods of measuring time averaged current behind the dielectric wall to infer sticking coefficients have become any less useful. They are still good enough especially where a low tech measurement may be desired or in situ measurement may be irrelevant. The technique presented uses highly sophisticated experimental equipment to provide accuracy. Other techniques still remain relevant where such accuracy may not be needed. However the real prize remains novel application of dusty plasmas. The theory that is built for insulating particles could be applied to unique dusty plasma devices that land somewhere between vacuum tubes , dielectric barrier discharge and arc plasmas when those insulating particles are substituted with conductive particles. In this presentation the speakers used gold coated particles as a ‘perfect absorbing material’ but other conductive particles could provide similar behaviour—at the very least offer a recombination and charge quenching mechanism. Because these conductive dusty particles provide recombination centers that quench charges inside a plasma , they could allow the use of a dbd to create continuous non fluctuating plasma even as electrodes remain confined behind the dielectric. This is significant because it protects the electrodes and enables the use of air as a plasma, potentially unlocking creation of plasma based rectifiers and diodes using conductive dust particles instead of toxic and difficult to manage mercury or other metals like Na or Cs. Of course conductivity could still be tuned using a triode-like setup. By using conductive dust particles within the dbd we can overcome the limitations of vacuum tubes— namely low pressure requirement and electrode degradation while gaining tunable conductivity and continuous operation. This could have significant applications in electronics and communication systems. I thank the American institute of Physics for continuing to organise such thought provoking discussions on plasma science. I look forward to more such meetings in the future. REFERENCES Evidence of Different Charging Behavior of Conductive and Dielectric Materials in Low-Temperature Plasmas and a New Diagnostic for Low-Energy Electron Absorption https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.185301 https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-discussion-on-electron-sticking.html #stickingcoefficient #dustyplasmas #kieluniversity #xaverbronold #frankogreiner #franzxaver #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Combustion Science: Adapting to a Changing Energy Landscape Yesterday at the biennial meeting of the Combustion Institute President Hai Wang outlined some of the achievements and challenges facing the organisation. As a non profit initiative the CI has been highly successful in organising the scientists working in the field of combustion giving them a platform to publish their findings as well as exchange ideas during in person meets and symposiums. Even as the focus shifts towards electrification, combustion science remains important and this was reflected in the membership of CI which grew to 10 thousand and the number of papers published which crossed the 1.2 thousand figure mark indicating healthy activity. CI has managed to remain cash flow positive which enabled it to function as an independent organisation. This is a significant achievement for a non profit as it generally has to depend upon donations for its financial health. Being cash flow positive has allowed the CI to maintain its research integrity. As President Wang noted, combustion science is undergoing a period of rapid transition. The pivot towards green fuels and condensed phase combustion means that traditional fossil based research could slow down but it also presents an opportunity to expand CI’s footprint into fluid dynamics, phase transformation and chemistry. The CI through its journal Combustion and Flame :Condensed Phase is seeking to capture this unique multi disciplinary intersection. This new journal will complilement the already popular Combustion and Flame as well as Proceedings of the combustion institute. Organisationally speaking CI has sprouted several local institutions in nations around the world. Notably limited however was its presence in Africa and given how Africa is rapidly expanding its oil and gas output I would not be surprised if it becomes a more active member of the combustion community. Having said that, it is undeniable that combustion science will face significant competition from growing electrification which has already proven itself in land propulsion and may even find success in air and sea propulsion. By making smart choices, the combustion science community can secure their future. Combustion would remain relevant in industrial manufacturing , by shifting focus from direct chemical processes to fluid based heat transfer , combustion scientists can expand into plasmas & long duration thermal energy storage and transformation via fluids. More importantly it has now become necessary to conceptualise and develop engines with built in heat recovery for higher fuel exergy. Fuel burning is no longer enough. Exhaust heat recovery is important especially in cases where fuels generated from renewable energy are used. Creation of hydrocarbon fuels from hydrogen that could bypass limitations of low volumetric density and of extreme material requirements necessary for NH3 combustion presents another important and highly relevant area for research. While electrification is gaining all the attention for being green there is no scientific or economical reason why power couldn't instead be transported as green fuel and electricity be generated right where it's needed. In fact such an approach could be more beneficial for developing nations as mechanical transmission is simpler and more efficient. This is possibly combustion science’s greatest strength. Its mechanical simplicity makes it accessible without requiring massive investment giving almost infinite flexibility to develop industrial applications around it. In fact electricity to chemicals is a rapidly advancing field of Long Duration Energy Storage that could keep combustion relevant even with electrification. The work that the combustion institute is doing as a non profit is admirable. I wish it success in the future and hope it collaborates more with research institutions and organisations working in the same space. https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/combustion-science-adapting-to-changing.html #energylandscape #changingenergy #combustionscience #adapting #haiwang #condensedphase #flame #africa #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Congratulatory note to Mr. Lorne Doerkson on being elected as the next Premier of British Columbia After nearly 100 years British Columbia will form a conservative government. To say that this is a historic moment would be an understatement. As premier Eby exits the administration , BC finds itself at crossroads. Its relations with its neighbour and biggest trading partner are at an all time low. Its strategy for economic growth seems to be too heavily reliant on raw material export (natural gas and minerals including rare earths) putting it in direct competition with nations who can offer the same exports at a lower price. Despite being a province that generates 98% of clean electrical energy, BC has remained a service based economy which not only limits its potential but also creates severe problems with differentiation especially in an era where service sectors are going to be impacted by AI. A massive 29% of BC population is made up of immigrants that has caused the cost of living to go up. This was reflected in the elections as nearly 52% of the people didn't even bother to vote. Not helping the matters are concerns regarding law and order including Premier Eby’s ill planned tactic of legalising hard drugs that was given validation by the BC supreme court. Even more concerning is the existence of terrorist organisations that seem to have gained a greater hold following unchecked immigration. Premier Doerkson has resonated with the people of BC and his victory is nothing short of extraordinary given how the party was facing an internal split a few months prior to elections. The real challenge facing him would be balancing his election promises with the long term vision that may require some tough decisions. While the NDP remains the leading opposition party this election has recognised the green party as a political force. Could the green party take up issues that neither the conservative nor NDP find appealing? International and provincial level cooperation between universities and researchers. Collaborative technological advancement and creation of a new economic bloc with nations in Africa and LATAM may be some very risky ventures. But if successful it could make the Green party a force to be reckoned with and position BC as a major geopolitical power. https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/congratulatory-note-to-mr-lorne.html #britishcolumbia #lornedoerkson #premierdoerkson #premiereby #ndp #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Hydrogen At Scale Hydrogen remains one of the most exciting applications of clean , renewable energy. Its production has been demonstrated on an industrial scale. Today the price of hydrogen is at an all time low of about $5/kg. That's a kilogram of fuel for about the price of a cold brew coffee. Yet green hydrogen has not been as successful as other fuels or alternative clean energy technologies like batteries. This was among the main points of discussion at the conferences I attended in New Delhi and those organised online by Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the USA. One of the most important reasons for slow adoption of green hydrogen is simply the fierce competition it faces from Non Renewable fuels that are so cheap that it makes even a small price of $5/Kg look expensive. One solution was proposed during the presentation of GenH2 where they suggested using decommissioned oil wells to produce H2 in situ using gasification (a combination of water gas reforming and steam reforming) making hydrogen as cheap as $1/kg. But even with these solutions there are a few technical challenges. One is the inherent low volumetric energy density of hydrogen leaving a few options to make it viable as a fuel. One is liquefaction. It works but requires extremely specialised insulation to keep H2 liquified at -259 C. Hitting that low temp is not easy — either during the liquefaction process or during its use. It works where the fuel is used continuously like in aviation or in shipment but it's a fight against heat. At these low temps even the ambient black body radiation is enough to vaporise the gas. The other alternative is more practical where h2 is compressed to ~70Mpa. There are no “boil off” issues and compressed h2 can remain stored for many days. But such high pressures require extremely sturdy cylinders, often composites and powerful compression equipment. We can see that simply producing hydrogen is not enough. To make it useful it needs supporting infrastructure that is technically very demanding. Presentation by South West Research Institute showcased their work on adapting a diesel Internal Combustion Engine for hydrogen combustion demonstrating that existing technology could work — though it's likely that some specialised coating for continued high temp use will have to be developed. Despite that, this is definitely a strong demonstration in favor of H2 adoption. Assuming an abundant renewable electricity supply, H2 electrolysers rely on small gaps to minimize resistive losses and an expensive material stack to make it happen. Electrodes are made up of Iridium,Platinum,Ni, Molybdenum and other alloys. Specialised membranes are built with technical polymers that require extreme precision, leaving absolutely no room for error. Modern electrolyser stack is reliant on these membranes because electrodes are tightly spaced ,due to the need to minimise resistance , and hence membranes are essential to keep the generated gasses separate. A presentation by the University of Cincinnati addressed the issue of energy and water. For entire transportation needs of USA an area the size of Connecticut could provide enough power to generate all the hydrogen needed. On the other hand the freshwater requirement would only be .08% of the total water usage. These numbers prove that desalination is not a strict requirement for the hydrogen economy. But the truth is that not every region has equal access to water. Some are severely resource starved and desal essentially removes all constraints on water while giving access to 2 more industrially important chemicals NaOH and HCl. So many policy makers are actively investigating sea water as a platform for building 3 industrially important chemical streams. Not to mention the potential of geoengineering if we are able to desalinate on a large scale.Think more secure food supply and carbon fixation in woody biomass — all of this with abundant water supply. On paper the prospects of H2 look very good. There are genuine reasons to be excited about its future. But small bottlenecks like reliance on rare materials or complex manufacturing techniques could become a problem when production is scaled to billions of tonnes. Ni based AEM stacks are built on more abundant materials but Ni is not exactly evenly distributed. It's geographically concentrated in a few spots. Imagine having to replace electrodes and membranes every 10 years or so. This essentially recreates the global electrolyser infrastructure every decade. Is that possible? Anything is possible. The ingenuity that engineers and scientists have shown so far is spectacular. But it wouldn't hurt to continue to search for cheaper, more straightforward solutions that are fault tolerant. That way real industrial decentralisation would be possible and lead to a far greater opportunity for wealth creation. The same goes for hydrogen as a fuel. Yes it's possible via liquefaction or compression but there are also developments in the area of Sustainable aviation fuels that builds kerosene like molecules from captured carbon and green hydrogen. This makes kerosene fully green and something that is instantly compatible with the technological stack that we have today. While with fuels we have several options - H2 NH3, Ch4 and so on , hydrocarbons remain indispensable for polymers. To be fully renewable it is important to look at both energy and materials renewability. This has been an incredible year for me when it comes to interacting with engineers and scientists working on hydrogen technologies. I look forward to continuing this engagement in the future and witnessing hydrogen science pushing boundaries of what's possible. https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/hydrogen-at-scale.html https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG3xa4YJYsyLvAqLFaIbFeCgldegMQJSbk-nSCF1YJjVDYp6UNi0I3KxmaiVLbEGBzKbrT_amRnBLkX4am5zIuJXaXtn_veWLujCq62nQuapsoABmekGE-xolQZQmvhVDPCza44n0lrac4M4eKFhDRHtnLZnUc-XHGJAtdpR5EM96H6VK2l7iB-KcoJBs https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG3xa4YJYsyLvAqLFaIbFeCgldegMQJSbk-nSCF1YJjVDYp6UNi0I3KxmaiVLbEGBzKbrT_amRnBLkX4am5zIuJXaXtn_veWLujCq62nQuapsoABmekGE-xolQZQmvhVDPCza44n0lrac4M4eKFhDRHtnLZnUc-XHGJAtdpR5EM96H6VK2l7iB-KcoJBs=s72-c #hydrogen #scale #renewable #automotiveengineers #newdelhi #specialised #combustion #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Thoughts on Streets of Rage 4 One of the reasons that I love beat ‘em ups is because of their over-the-top action packaged in a comic book type story. They are short but highly replayable, and despite their linear progression, they offer a surprising amount of depth in terms of movesets, character positioning, and destructible environments that players can experiment with while reaching for high scores. Streets of Rage 4 gave me everything that I expected and continued to surprise me even after I had beaten it as I learned more tricks. The story in the game is reminiscent of 80s and 90s action movies where a group of vigilantes have to take down an evil syndicate. This is basically the plot of 90% of beat ‘em ups, but what really separates them are character, enemy, and stage designs. SoR4 is set in an urban environment, so most of the time you're fighting in the city, but occasionally the game puts you in special thematic zones like in Chinatown where you have to take down baddies expert in martial arts. There is a section designed around a music concert, another one takes place in an art gallery, and yet another in a police station. So not only do you get to visit all these different locales, but you get to test your skill against opponents that are specific to that environment. One of my favorite areas was the airplane section where you have to defeat the main villain as the plane comes crashing down. It is one of the most exhilarating levels I’ve played in a side-scroller. SoR is a very technical game. You need to learn how to position yourself to avoid enemy attacks while timing your own moves perfectly. The game rewards perfection, allowing you to chain together combos to insanely high numbers, multiplying the points you get which gives you additional lives and a ranking at the end of the level. Initially, I struggled with the fighting mechanic because the last beat ‘em up I played, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, was very swift. This one was slower. But as I learned to use my specials effectively, the gameplay became smoother. The trick is that while your special drains your health, it offers you temporary invincibility and throws all surrounding enemies to the ground where they remain helpless. It takes a while to get the timing right, but once you do, the game makes you feel really powerful. The bosses are all great but more difficult to build combos on because they get those invincible moves too where you can't stagger them at all. I beat the game once as Blaze then again as Cherry. Blaze’s movesets were of a typical heavy fighter while Cherry moved swiftly across the screen and could even run. Better yet, she smashed the villains with her guitar. So, of course, I liked Cherry better. But there are 4 main characters to choose from, then 3 more from the DLC, plus all the retro characters you unlock as you accumulate points. The game definitely expects you to beat the levels multiple times. Some players have posted videos online where they have demonstrated exceptional skill on the hardest difficulty. But even on normal difficulty, the game is quite challenging. Be prepared to retry stages a couple of times until you memorize spawn points and animations of your opponents. How much enjoyment you get out of it depends upon whether or not you are into this kind of side-scrolling action. These games were all the rage in the 90s as they drew inspiration from iconic action movies of that time. If you liked that era of entertainment, you are absolutely going to love the setting of SoR 4. Environmental storytelling is rare because that era of action is gone. Occasionally you get good movies like John Wick that stay true to that spirit, but not much else. It's the same for beat ‘em ups. There have been a few classics like Muramasa, Dragon's Crown, and of course Shredder's Revenge, but they are not as popular as they used to be. Personally, I find them very entertaining and I like how interactive they are. You can destroy background objects or visually take in the ambience of a level, whether it's a kitchen, a bar, or a building corridor. There is not much story here, but you definitely feel as if you are moving through a living, breathing world. It's funny how these retro games absolutely nailed this aspect using an art style that is highly exaggerated. If you liked to play these arcade beat ‘em ups back when they were popular, you'll love SoR 4. Discuss on reddit Like RPGs? KOTOR is an amazing experience on Android and one of the best star wars stories ever told The twisted fairy tales of blasphemous https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/thoughts-on-streets-of-rage-4.html

The vision of universal access to space This summer I had the opportunity to meet Candace Johnson, a pioneer in space communication systems. She co-founded and grew SES (Société Européenne des Satellites) into one of the largest satellite fleets in the world. SES is significant because it represents one of the early attempts at privitisation of the space sector along with Intelsat. Prior to this space was exclusively controlled by the government and was confined to mostly research and military operations. Led By Candace SES provided Direct To Home satellite and radio broadcast services that democratised information access to millions of citizens in Europe and in the rest of the world. Listening to her speak about how this sector evolved and broke free from the control of the government I was able to connect the dots on how telecommunication became the primary business model of the space industry. Historically speaking the evolution of satellites from the initial Low earth orbits to medium earth and geoseationary earth orbits had a tremendous impact on ground communication systems. LEOs required tracking antennas while GEOs improved connectivity by fixed antennas that could continually listen to the broadcast from a fixed point. Since ground to space communication was such an important part of any satellite deployment it's hardly a surprise that telecommunication became the primary business case of satellites and remains to this day the only revenue generating option. Those initial trials and errors that conceptualised and engineered GEO satellites laid the groundwork for private communication networks to exist. The hard work that Candace and other pioneers have put in over the last few decades has borne fruit. The question that people are asking now is what next? Where does the space industry go from here? One line of thought is conservative. Telecommunication has brought in billions of dollars in revenue. So what can we do to expand telecomm in space? Sure DTH worked but now people stream movies and sitcoms on their mobile phones. But if there was space internet then perhaps we could capture a part of terrestrial fiber market while possibly offering cheaper services to underserved areas. A way to do that is using LEO satellites. Another way , one which Candace advocated ,was bolder but also more robust — deploying base stations on the moon where they could remain firmly grounded and perhaps have an extended life since they don't need to constantly spend fuel maintaining their orbits as satellites. There were also several variations of this model like having secure data centers that could offer premium services. Then there are the moderates. They believe that while telecom has served the space sector well it is important to expand. While it would be unreasonable to move away from a profitable segment it would be wise to discover new sources of revenue that could sustain the growth in the future. There are some ideas in here that want to push the space industry further. Among them the most noteworthy are wireless energy transfer, space manufacturing ,space tourism and space based planetary imaging systems. What's truly lacking though is the same pioneering spirit of early innovators that made the space industry the force that it is today. Privatisation was supposed to democratize space. But has that happened? I don't think so. The space sector has become concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy players who can invest or take loans that enable them to build the infrastructure. This benefits neither the consumers nor the industries. Because the key proposition of the space i.e. cheap connectivity is no longer relevant in the market. Terrestrial fibers have completely outperformed it. There is no way that any space data infrastructure can meaningfully compete with ground based infra. Either in cost or in speed. What this has resulted in is bureaucratisation of the sector. Like its initial days the space industry is once more run by governments and militaries. Because it has little economic value left it's declared as a sector that is important for ‘national security’. Now its chief objectives are surveillance and spying. It's no coincidence that Intelsat is based in Virginia, a place where the CIA is also headquartered and is the single most concentrated location of data centers in the world — with a former CIA agent as its governor. What the space industry needs is another revolution that can break down this monopoly of a handful of private corporations working together with the military industrial complex. For that to happen the space industry needs to produce consumer goods. Why can't space materials be used to make durable and eco-friendly cars or create new energy storage techniques? 90% of astrophysics is study of plasmas. Why can't plasma science be applied in chemistry or communication or computing? There is no fundamental reason that it can't be done. The problem is that beaureaucratic space sector has become too dependent on public funding. If astrophysicists can't apply their knowledge for profit in the consumer market they have no one to blame but themselves. The intent of space privatisation was indeed noble. But I don't think it has actually delivered on its promise. All it has done is transferred power from the government to the private sector. Space is just as in-accessible as it ever was for the common public and they rarely see any benefits of the research they fund with their taxes. This has to change. It was really inspiring to hear Candace’s story and how she became one of the leaders in the industry despite not having a formal background in science. Equally inspiring was her ambitious vision that aims to create a space industry in every nation and hopes that real tangible benefits of the space sector reach ordinary people. Through sheer determination she has proven that it is indeed possible to make it happen. The question remains: can the next generation of pioneers carry forward her legacy and turn her vision into reality? READ MORE 1 The future of space 2025 : Integration, Investment, and Innovation https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-future-of-space-2025-integration.html 2 Remarks on the space policy conference 2025 https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2025/07/remarks-on-space-policy-conference-2025.html 3 Exploring the Heliosphere: Insights from NASA’s SHIELD Project https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/05/exploring-heliosphere-insights-from.html 4 Europe’s Space Strategy: Between Security and Commercial Reality https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/06/europes-space-strategy-between-security.html 5 Panel discussion on USA's deep space engg excellence https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/06/panel-discussion-on-usas-deep-space.html 6 Europe’s Space Ambitions After CM25 https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/01/europes-space-ambitions-after-cm25.html https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-vision-of-universal-access-to-space.html https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimL5F8_EZ0zAxqCBVJQr4XfIs6fZO8Ec3R-MBiC2SCI_QWZDTGSFfQ0hfk3dV5anMJuIGEKKjQHVIts2InsusSHjanHfwP6LkyGCc2guBrcZUTMXn3fp9n_GSOUqigzuIBXO_wrDf9VjzogIZ5IMYxWgUk_-e7W2IUXafVGykvdomtQpzmafHecCPZdhc https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimL5F8_EZ0zAxqCBVJQr4XfIs6fZO8Ec3R-MBiC2SCI_QWZDTGSFfQ0hfk3dV5anMJuIGEKKjQHVIts2InsusSHjanHfwP6LkyGCc2guBrcZUTMXn3fp9n_GSOUqigzuIBXO_wrDf9VjzogIZ5IMYxWgUk_-e7W2IUXafVGykvdomtQpzmafHecCPZdhc=s72-c