Marco Minissale

• PhD in physics
• Permanent researcher at French National Centre for Scientific Research

The knowledge of optical properties of tungsten at high temperatures is of crucial importance in fields such as nuclear fusion and aerospace applications. The optical properties of tungsten are well known at room temperature, but little has been done at temperatures between 300 K and 1000 K in the visible and near-infrared domains. Here, we investi...

In the environments where stars and planets form, about one percent of the mass is in the form of micro-meter sized particles known as dust. However small and insignificant these dust grains may seem, they are responsible for the production of the simplest (H(2)) to the most complex (amino-acids) molecules observed in our Universe. Dust particles a...

At the low temperatures of interstellar dust grains, it is well established that surface chemistry proceeds via diffusive mechanisms of H atoms weakly bound (physisorbed) to the surface. Until recently, however, it was unknown whether atoms heavier than hydrogen could diffuse rapidly enough on interstellar grains to react with other accreted specie...

Context. The formation of carbon dioxide in quiescent regions of molecular clouds has not yet been fully understood, even though CO 2 is one of the most abundant species in interstellar ices. Aims. CO 2 formation is studied via oxidation of CO molecules on cold surfaces under conditions close to those encountered in quiescent molecular clouds. Meth...

Any evolving system can change state via thermal mechanisms (hopping a barrier) or via quantum tunneling. Most of the time, efficient classical mechanisms dominate at high temperatures. This is why an increase of the temperature can initiate the chemistry. We present here an experimental investigation of O-atom diffusion and reactivity on water ice...

Tungsten (W) is a common plasma-facing material in nuclear fusion devices. It readily oxidizes in the presence of oxygen, forming tungsten oxides, particularly WO3, which may modify deuterium retention. This experimental study investigates mechanisms of the evolution of deuterium retention in a thermally stable ∼100 nm WO3 layer grown by thermal ox...

Majorana fermions are a fascinating class of particles with unique and intriguing properties: they are their own antiparticles, as first theorized by the Italian physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937. In recent decades, research in condensed matter physics shows theoretically that in certain exotic states of matter, such as topological superconductors,...

A combined direct and inverse photoemission study of coinage metal corroles suggests that the latter technique, in favorable cases, can provide some additional information relative to electrochemical measurements. Thus, whereas inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) provides relative electron affinities for electron addition to different unoccup...

A combined direct and inverse photoemission study of coinage metal corroles suggests that the latter technique, in favorable cases, can provide some additional information relative to electrochemical measurements. Thus, whereas inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) provides relative electron affinities for electron addition to different unoccup...

Rate equation modelling is performed to simulate D2 and D2+D2+ exposure of the W(110) surface with varying coverage of oxygen atoms (O) from the clean surface up to 0.75 monolayer of O. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculated energetics are used as inputs for the surface processes and desorption energies are optimized to best reproduce the Therm...

Understanding the physical–chemical processes ruling the interaction of particles (atoms, molecules, and ions) with surfaces is fundamental in several research fields, such as heterogeneous catalysis, astrochemistry, and nuclear fusion. In particular, the interaction of hydrogen isotopes with plasma facing materials represents a high-priority resea...

We present a systematic study that quantifies deuterium (D) retention and ammonia (ND3) production from 316L stainless steel (SS316L) following the implantation of D ions in conditions similar to the ones expected in the ITER tokamak, i.e. with kinetic energy below 300 eV. Using Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) after deuterium ion implantati...

We theoretically propose penta-silicene nanoribbons (p-SiNRs) with induced p-wave superconductivity as a platform for the emergence of spin-polarized Majorana zero-modes (MZMs). The model explicitly considers the key ingredients of well-known Majorana hybrid nanowire setups: Rashba spin-orbit coupling, magnetic field perpendicular to the nanoribbon...

We theoretically investigate the possibility of obtaining Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in penta-silicene nanoribbons (p-SiNRs) with induced \textit{p}-wave superconductivity. The model explicitly considers an external magnetic field perpendicularly applied to the nanoribbon plane, as well as an extrinsic Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC), in addition...

Context. Many molecules observed in the interstellar medium are thought to result from the thermal desorption of ices. Parameters such as the desorption energy and pre-exponential frequency factor are essential in describing the desorption of molecules. Experimental determinations of these parameters are missing for many molecules, including those...

Many molecules observed in the interstellar medium are thought to result from thermal desorption of ices. Parameters such as desorption energy and pre-exponential frequency factor are essential to describe the desorption of molecules. Experimental determinations of these parameters are missing for many molecules, including those found in the inters...

Germanene, as an artificial graphene-like near room temperature topological insulator, compatible with ubiquitous silicon technology, is potentially the most promising artificial Xene for ultra-scale nanoelectronics. Here, we follow its emergence and development when prepared in situ under ultra-high vacuum in clean and controlled conditions by dry...

Helium (He) retention in tungsten (W) is a concern in fusion reactors since it could be detrimental to plasma facing components performance and influence the fusion fuel balance. He being not soluble in W, it tends to agglomerate on preexisting defects (vacancy, grain boundary), but it could in theory also self-trap (be immobilized on a non-preexis...

Helium (He) retention in tungsten (W) is a concern in fusion reactors since it could be detrimental to plasma facing components performance and influence the fusion fuel balance. He being not soluble in W, it tends to agglomerate on preexisting defects (vacancy, grain boundary), but it could in theory also self-trap (be immobilized on a non-preexis...

On-surface synthesis has provided exciting concepts for the building of covalently bonded molecular nanostructures as well as the exploration of new synthetic pathways alternative to chemical synthesis in solution. The...

Acetaldehyde is one of the most common and abundant gaseous interstellar complex organic molecules, found in cold and hot regions of the molecular interstellar medium. Its presence in the gas-phase depends on the chemical formation and destruction routes, and its binding energy (BE) governs whether acetaldehyde remains frozen onto the interstellar...

Acetaldehyde is one of the most common and abundant gaseous interstellar complex organic molecules, found in cold and hot regions of the molecular interstellar medium. Its presence in the gas-phase depends on the chemical formation and destruction routes, and its binding energy (BE) governs whether acetaldehyde remains frozen onto the interstellar...

In this work, we performed laser annealing of thin Sb2Te3 films to optimize crystallization time and their nonlinear optical properties. The annealed layers were studied by electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. Their nonlinear optical response was investigated by nonlinear transmission and Z-scan measurements. These studies were perform...

Tungsten (W) is the material selected for the divertor exhaust of the international nuclear fusion experiment ITER. In this harsh environment, the interactions of heat loads and ion fluxes with W can induce temporary or permanent evolution in the optical properties. Poor knowledge of such evolution during a plasma operation can lead to errors in te...

In thermonuclear fusion devices, tungsten, implemented as armour material of plasma facing components, is in direct contact with the plasma. Due to high heat flux (20 MW/m\(^{2}\) ), a premature cracking can be observed in relation with the loss of tungsten mechanical properties. It is usually attributed to two competing restoration processes: reco...

We performed a direct comparison of deuterium retention and release from tungsten in presence or in absence of oxygen impurities. A single crystal of W(110) was used to prepare tungsten with four different surface states: with its native oxide, atomically clean, covered with half a monolayer of oxygen atoms, and covered with three fourths of a mono...

The evolution of star-forming regions and their thermal balance are strongly influenced by their chemical composition, which, in turn, is determined by the physicochemical processes that govern the transition between the gas phase and the solid state, specifically icy dust grains (e.g., particle adsorption and desorption). Gas-grain and grain-gas t...

The evolution of star-forming regions and their thermal balance are strongly influenced by their chemical composition, that, in turn, is determined by the physico-chemical processes that govern the transition between the gas phase and the solid state, specifically icy dust grains (e.g., particles adsorption and desorption). Gas-grain and grain-gas...

The knowledge of optical properties of beryllium is of crucial importance in fields such as nuclear fusion and aerospace applications. The optical properties of pure beryllium are known in the visible and infrared domains. Nevertheless, the role of different physico-chemical parameters such as composition and surface roughness, that is often neglec...

During H-mode plasma in ITER, type-I Edge Localized Modes can occur naturally leading to transient heat load (<10 GW m⁻²) on the tungsten divertor. Such high heat fluxes might therefore induce annealing effects, such as recovery and recrystallization, or even lead to surface melting and deterioration (e.g. cracks) of the plasma-facing components. T...

We report a systematic study that quantifies nitrogen retention and ammonia production on tungsten and that sheds light on the mechanism for ammonia formation on ITER’s divertor material. Saturation of the nitrogen-implanted layer in polycrystalline tungsten is observed at room temperature for a nitrogen ion fluence in the low 10 ²¹ N ⁺ m ⁻² range....

This topical review gathers the last updates concerning caesium-free negative ion sources presented during the 63rd Course of the International school of Quantum Electronics of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and European collaborative works related to these lectures. Hence, beyond the frame of this course this topical review addresses both theoreti...

Measurement of recovery and recrystallization kinetics of tungsten at high temperature is a key issue for many applications, such as plasma facing units in the framework of thermonuclear fusion. These kinetics are mostly derived from Vickers hardness and EBSD measurements, which can lead to some inaccuracies due to the competition between recovery...

Estimating the lifetime of W-armoured divertor components is of great importance for ITER. During heat loading, one of the mechanisms inducing tungsten microstructure modification is recrystallization. As tungsten recrystallization induces a decrease of the mechanical properties, the knowledge of the recrystallization kinetics of the ITER tungsten...

We present measurements of the sticking probability of ammonia on two metals, tungsten and 316L stainless steel, covered with natural surface impurities as they will be used for the international nuclear fusion experimental reactor ITER. By using a collimated supersonic molecular beam at two different kinetic energies (55 and 255 meV), varying the...

Raman microscopy is one of the methods that could be used for future post-mortem analyses of samples extracted from ITER plasma facing. This study shows that this technique is useful for studying tungsten-based materials containing impurities including oxides and nitrides. Here, we apply pulsed laser deposition and DC argon glow discharges to produ...

The knowledge of material properties and their behavior at high temperatures is of crucial importance in many fields. For instance, annealing phenomena occurring during the thermomechanical processing of materials, such as recrystallization, have long been recognized as being both of scientific interest and technological importance. Different metho...

The optimization of thin Sb2Te3 films in order to obtain giant ultrafast optical nonlinearities is reported. The ultrafast nonlinearities of the thin film layers are studied by the Z-scan technique....

Context. Formic acid (HCOOH) is the simplest organic carboxylic acid in chemical synthesis and the significant species in interstellar chemistry. HCOOH has been abundantly detected in interstellar ices, dense molecular clouds and star-forming regions. Aims. Laboratory hydrogenation experiments of HCOOH molecules with H atoms were performed with two...

The time evolution of fuel retention in materials relevant for future fusion reactors is compared for two different tungsten microstructures: single-crystal versus recrystallized poly-crystals. The initial retention of both types of sample is similar. It decays exponentially with a time constant of ~18 h at 300 K (the so-called short-term retention...

Context. Many interstellar molecules are thought to form on dust grains. In particular, hydrogenation is one of the major mechanisms of the formation of mantle ice. To date it is not clear if H atoms can penetrate the bulk of the ice mantle or if it only has chemical activity on the accessible surface of grains. Aims. We wish to study the efficienc...

Probing an atomic resonance without disturbing it is an ubiquitous issue in physics. This problem is critical in high-accuracy spectroscopy or for the next generation of atomic optical clocks. Ultra-high resolution frequency metrology requires sophisticated interrogation schemes and robust protocols handling pulse length errors and residual frequen...

Probing an atomic resonance without disturbing it is an ubiquitous issue in physics. This problem is critical in high-accuracy spectroscopy or for the next generation of atomic optical clocks. Ultra-high resolution frequency metrology requires sophisticated interrogation schemes and robust protocols handling pulse length errors and residual frequen...

Ozone and carbon dioxide are important trace gases in oxidative and chemical cycles of planetary atmospheres. We present new high precision spectroscopic studies on ozone using gas and solid state lasers, which will help to set up a consistent and traceable set of ozone spectroscopic data (absorption cross sections, line intensities and shifts) and...

Molybdenum mirrors will be used in several optical diagnostics to control the plasma in the ITER tokamak. In this harsh environment, mirrors can undergo transient temperature rises. Thus, the knowledge of the temperature dependence of optical properties of molybdenum is necessary for a good operation of optical systems in ITER. Molybdenum optical p...

Tunable electromagnetic sources, such as voltage controlled oscillators (VCO), micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) or diode lasers are often required to be linear during frequency-sweep modulation. In many cases, it might also be sufficient that the degree of the non-linearity can be well controlled. Without further efforts, these conditions are...

Using a free-running distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 9.54 $\mu$m, the pressure shift parameters of four intense rovibrational transitions in the $\nu_3$ fundamental band of ozone induced by oxygen (O$_2$), air and the noble gases helium (He), argon (Ar), and xenon (Xe) are obtained by employing second harmonic detection...

Tunable electromagnetic sources, such as voltage controlled oscillators (VCO), micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) or diode lasers are often required to be linear during frequency-sweep modulation. In many cases, it might also be sufficient that the degree of the non-linearity can be well controlled. Without further efforts, these conditions are...

Using a free-running distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 9.54 μμm, the pressure shift parameters of four intense rovibrational transitions in the ν3ν3 fundamental band of ozone induced by oxygen (O2), air and the noble gases helium (He), argon (Ar), and xenon (Xe) are obtained by employing second harmonic detection. The exp...

Molecular self-shielding and symmetry selection in thermochemical reactions” are molecular processes invoked to explain mass-independent isotope signatures in nature. The thermochemical reaction of ozone formation” in the gas-phase O + O2 + M O3 + M (1) is the most prominent example for a large mass independent oxygen isotope fractionation, but fun...

The deuteration of ammonia by D atoms has been investigated experimentally in the sub-monolayer regime on realistic analogues of interstellar dust grain surfaces. About 0.8 monolayer of solid NH3 was deposited on top of an oxidized graphite surface held at 10 K, partly covered with ASW ice. Ammonia ice is subsequently exposed to D atoms for differe...

Fusion fuel retention (trapping) and release (desorption) from plasma-facing components are critical issues for ITER and for any future industrial demonstration reactors such as DEMO. Therefore, understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind the retention of hydrogen isotopes in first wall and divertor materials is necessary. We developed an appro...

This study demonstrates that Raman microscopy is a suitable technique for future post mortem analyses of JET and ITER plasma facing components. We focus here on laboratory deposited and bombarded samples of beryllium and beryllium carbides and start to build a reference spectral databases for fusion relevant beryllium-based materials. We identified...

Context. Detection of molecular oxygen and prediction of its abundance have long been a challenge for astronomers. The low abundances observed in few interstellar sources are well above the predictions of current astrochemical models. During the Rosetta mission, an unexpectedly high abundance of O 2 was discovered in the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasim...

Molecular self-shielding1 and symmetry selection in thermochemical reactions2 are molecular processes invoked to explain mass-independent isotope signatures in nature. The thermochemical reaction of ozone formation3 in the gas-phase O + O2 + M → O3 + M (1) is the most prominent example for a large mass independent oxygen isotope fractionation, but...

Quantum cascade lasers (QCL) represent unique and versatile tools for the study of molecules in the mid-infrared region due to their coverage of the molecular fingerprint spectral region, their large spectral tuning range and their high output power. Using frequency modulated spectroscopy with a free-running distributed-feedback QCL emitting at 9.5...

Atmospheric remote sensing of ozone is of major concern for understanding atmospheric change and the climate system. We present recent results of ground based atmospheric FTIR measurements that illustrate the limitations of current spectroscopic data. New measurement strategies, which cope with these requirements, and rst results based on di erent...

Physisorbed atoms on the surface of interstellar dust grains play a central role in solid state astrochemistry. Their surface reactivity is one source of the observed molecular complexity in space. In experimental astrophysics, the high reactivity of atoms also constitutes an obstacle to measuring two of the fundamental properties in surface physic...

The next generation of atomic frequency standards based on an ensemble of neutral atoms or a single-ion will provide very stringent tests in metrology, applied and fundamental physics requiring a new step in very precise control of external systematic corrections. In the proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology, we pres...

The next generation of atomic frequency standards based on an ensemble of neutral atoms or a single-ion will provide very stringent tests in metrology, applied and fundamental physics requiring a new step in very precise control of external systematic corrections. In the proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology, we pres...

The amount of methanol in the gas phase and the CO depletion from the gas phase are still open problems in astrophysics. In this work, we investigate solid state hydrogenation of CO-bearing species via H-exposure of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and methanol thin films deposited on cold surfaces, paying attention to the possibility of a return to...

Context. Interstellar dust particles, which represent 1% of the total mass, are recognized to be very powerful interstellar catalysts in star-forming regions. The presence of dust can have a strong impact on the chemical composition of molecular clouds. While observations show that many species that formed onto dust grains populate the gas phase, t...

Context. Physisorbed atoms on the surface of interstellar dust grains play a central role in solid state astrochemistry. Their surface reactivity is one source of the observed molecular complexity in space. In experimental astrophysics, the high reactivity of atoms also constitutes an obstacle to measuring two of the fundamental properties in surfa...

Context. The presence of dust in the interstellar medium has profound consequences on the chemical composition of regions where stars are forming. Recent observations show that many species formed onto dust are populating the gas phase, especially in cold environments where UV and CR induced photons do not account for such processes. Aims. The aim...

Context. The formation of carbon dioxide ice in quiescent regions of molecular clouds has not yet been fully understood, even though CO2 is one the most abundant species in interstellar ices. Aims. CO2 formation was studied via oxidation of formaldehyde molecules on cold surfaces under conditions close to those encountered in quiescent molecular cl...

The interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. It is composed of gas and elongated tiny dust grains. To date, plenty of molecules (> 170) are known to exist in the interstellar medium. The presence of most of them can be understood in terms of gas phase reactions but the synthesis of some key sp...

In cold astrophysical environments, some molecules are observed in the gas phase whereas they should have been depleted, frozen on dust grains. In order to solve this problem, astrochemists have proposed that a fraction of molecules synthesized on the surface of dust grains could desorb just after their formation. Recently the chemical desorption p...

Nitrogen oxides are considered to be important astrochemical precursors of complex species and prebiotics. However, apart from the hydrogenation of solid NO that leads to the surface formation of hydroxylamine, little is known about the full solid state reaction network involving both nitrogen and oxygen. Our study is divided into two papers, hereb...

The role of nitrogen and oxygen chemistry in the interstellar medium is still rather poorly understood. Nitric oxide, NO, has been proposed as an important precursor in the formation of larger N- and O-bearing species, such as hydroxylamine, NH2OH, and nitrogen oxides, NO2 and N2O. The topic of this study is the solid state consumption of NO via ox...

The mobility of O atoms at very low temperatures is not generally taken into account, despite O diffusion would add to a series of processes leading to the observed rich molecular diversity in space. We present a study of the mobility and reactivity of O atoms on an amorphous silicate surface. Our results are in the form of reflection absorption in...

The oxidation of nitrogen monoxide has implications for the complex atmospheric chemistry of Antarctica, as well as for planetary atmospheres. In this study we unveil that O2 adsorbed on a cold surface reacts with a very high efficiency with NO coming from the gas phase to form NO2. Via two molecular beams, O2 and NO molecules are aimed at a cold (...

The formation of the first monolayer of water molecules on bare dust grains is of primary importance to understand the growth of the icy mantles that cover dust in the interstellar medium. In this work, we explore experimentally the formation of water molecules from O2 + D reaction on bare silicate surfaces that simulates the grains present in the...