During the Special Seminar of the NCBJ's Department of Fundamental Research, the awards of the Department's Director for the greatest scientific achievements of the past year were awarded in accordance with tradition. This time, awards were given for research into the role of dust in the evolution of galaxies, reflections on classical and quantum gravity, and work on symmetry violation in the decay of beauty mesons. The event took place on 30 June.

The committee of eminent specialists from different areas of basic research faced a major challenge in view of the large number of articles published by researchers from the Department of Fundamental Research in 2024. The evaluation of the submitted papers culminated in the selection of three researchers whose achievements deserved special recognition. The seminar itself was an opportunity not only for the official presentation of diplomas, but also for the laureates to introduce the topics of their research to the audience.

The first award was given to dr hab. Ambra Nanni from the Astrophysics Division for her research on the role of dust in the evolution of galaxies. In the presentation entitled “A (cosmic) dust odyssey”, dr Nanni gave an insight into the importance of this seemingly insignificant element of the Universe. Although the dust found in the interstellar medium (ISM) accounts for only 1% of the baryonic mass in the Universe, it is very important for many processes, especially those governing the formation and evolution of stars, planets and even molecules. The dust particles present in the ISM can have a very different composition and complex dynamics and evolution, depending on the properties of the galaxy in which they are located. Various processes, e.g. the evolution of red giants, supernovae or dust growth in the ISMcontribute to the dust build-up in galaxies, while supernova shocks, star formation and galactic outflows can remove the existing dust. All these processes influence the dust-related phenomena. Therefore, both observations from different facilities such as Spitzer, Herschel, ALMA, NOEMA or JWST and theoretical modelling of dust formation and evolution are very important. Dr hab. Ambra Nanni specialises precisely in the study of these phenomena, as well as in describing and modelling the processes that cause the formation and destruction of dust. - I am deeply honoured to receive this award. The recognition of my research is a source of great pride and fulfilment. I find the study of dust fascinating because it is everywhere and extremely important in astrophysics. It affects to a great extent many processes, from the smallest to the largest scales - describes Ambra Nanni.

Another prize was awarded to dr hab. Przemysław Małkiewicz, prof. NCBJ Theoretical Physics Division, for his research on classical and quantum gravity. In a story entitled “Testing the Quantum Gravity Multiverse”, the laureate presented the implications of the quantum theory of gravity. It is a theory that has been sought after for many years by the greatest minds in science. Describing the gravitational interaction with the formalism of quantum mechanics may be a very important step towards a theory unifying all known interactions (strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitational) - the so-called theory of everything. In his theoretical considerations, Prof. Małkiewicz pointed out that if gravity is indeed quantum in nature, then an inevitable consequence will be the existence of the so-called Quantum Gravity Multiverse. It follows from modelling the primordial Universe that the general state of quantum gravity is precisely the state of the multiverse (the superposition of Born-Oppenheimer Universes). In addition, a natural consequence of the fundamental principles of quantum dynamics is that this state interacts with our “branch” of the multiverse, and hence it is observable. - This award makes me feel recognised for my research. Considering gravity allows us to seek answers to the most fundamental questions about the largest physical system known to us, which is the observable Universe. Although many topics will probably remain unexplained for a long time, there is still a great deal we can learn about the origins of the Universe - comments dr hab. Przemysław Małkiewicz, prof. NCBJ. 

The DBP Director's Award winner this year was also dr Adam Szabelski from the High Energy Physics Division, for his work on CP symmetry violation in decays of beauty mesons. During the talk, dr Szabelski brought a new perspective on the so-called “B → Kπ puzzle”. In high-energy physics, decays of short-lived particles are often studied, as well as precise differences in the decays of particles and antiparticles, measured as CP asymmetry. An example of interest to scientists is the decay of the B meson (containing the beauty antiquark) into the light mesons K and π. The puzzle is the significant difference between the CP asymmetry in the B⁰ → K⁺π^- and B⁺ → K⁺π⁰ decays observed in many experiments, which is seemingly at odds with the predictions of the Standard Model (current particle theory). This situation opens up an opportunity to study symmetry breaking, to test the correctness of the Standard Model and to search for the so-called New Physics. Dr Szabelski has adopted a particular strategy in his work. Applying the rules of the Standard Model, he created a mathematical description of the relations between different decays of the B meson into two light K or π particles and compared them with experimental data (results obtained in many experiments). The results turned out to be consistent with the Standard Model, which solved the puzzle without the need to resort to additional theoretical concepts. While such a result may be a disappointment for many researchers, it does not close the way for further, equally interesting research - for example, on the decays of the B_s meson containing the strange quark. - The DBP Director's Award is a great honour for me. Such puzzles in particle physics are extremely interesting and allow us to use a phenomenological approach, combining theoretical and experimental physics. The calculations used averaged analytical results from many experiments, each using huge amounts of data. We are talking about the largest detectors and the participation of a large number of researchers - says dr Adam Szabelski.

We congratulate all award winners and wish them further success in developing their areas of interest!