Plasmas with Complex Interactions - Exploiting the Non-Equilibrium

Plasma processing science is at the core of numerous technologies for many applications ranging from material synthesis, energy conversion and storage to the interaction of plasmas with biological systems. The 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Plasma Processing will highlight the most cutting edge scientific advances in these areas and identify new emerging trends and hot topics. Plasma processing science is nowadays an extremely interdisciplinary field embracing the disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. Plasmas exhibit a strong non-equilibrium nature, which enables new reaction and synthesis routes. This unique property of plasmas led to the introduction of dry etching in microelectronics and more recently to the emerging field of plasma medicine. A common aspect is the complex interaction of non-equilibrium plasmas across aggregate interfaces to solids and liquids. The program of the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Plasma Processing is devoted to identify future interdisciplinary areas, where plasmas will play a role. Examples are the use of plasma for soft ionisation, the cross fertilization of plasma technology and nuclear fusion science and the use of extremely short pulsed plasmas to trigger chemistry in liquids and biological systems. The conference will bring together leaders in the field with junior investigators and graduate students. The special format of the Gordon Conferences, with programmed discussion sessions and ample time for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, will provide for a fertile atmosphere of brainstorming and creative thinking among the attendees.