Head of the group
Bogdan MIHALCEA – Senior Research Scientist in Quantum Technologies (QT)
About
Education
- M. Sc. in Physics Engineering, Specialized in Measurement and Control Devices (1989) –> Univ. of Bucharest – Faculty of Physics
- Ph.D. in Plasma Physics (1998) –> Institute of Atomic Physics – IFA, Măgurele
Current Position: Senior Research Scientist Rank 2 at INFLPR
Head of the Quantum Hub established at INFLPR in October 2024 as part of the RoNaQCI project, with support from the Romanian National Quantum Centre and the National University for Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest (UPB) – Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Science – FACCS.
Research Interests
Ultracold trapped ions and molecules
Quantum sensing and metrology (optical atomic clocks)
Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Services – TFT
Quantum communications – QC
Strongly coupled Coulomb plasmas (OCPs) and crystals confined in ion traps
Professional Experience Timeline
Consultant for review for ISS capabilities – Facility Definition Team (FDT) Atomic Clock, Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes – European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC): Noordwijk-Binnen, NL, Period: 12. 2023 – 12. 2024.
Project Director at INFLPR – Romanian National Quantum Communications Infrastructure RoNaQCI, a project led by the Faculty of Automatics Control and Computer Science (FACCS) under the European Quantum Initiative (EuroQCI), Period: 01. 2023 – 06. 2025.
Science Team Member in the ESA Candidate Mission International Space Station-Space Optical Clock-Pathfinder I-SOC-PF since 05. 2020. I-SOC-PF is both a mission in the field of fundamental physics and geophysics, as well as a trailblazer for future missions with ultrastable and ultraprecise space optical clocks. As a mission in the fundamental physics domain, I-SOC-PF is devised to test with high accuracy a fundamental principle of metric theories of gravitation, more precisely the dilation of time by gravity. This principle is related to the Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP).
Management Committee member COST Action CA 17113 Trapped Ions: Progress in Classical and Quantum Applications TIPICQA. Period: 09.2018 – 03.2023. Ion traps have become a versatile tool aimed at performing a wide range of research topics while they have resulted in new emerging quantum technologies. The aim of the CA17113 COST Action was to enhance the current Quantum Technologies based on trapped ions by boosting Europe-wide collaborations and knowledge exchange, while allowing the advancement of these technologies towards their commercialisation.
Project Manager Contract 136/07. 2017 Romanian Space Agency (ROSA), Development of quadrupole and multipole ion trap based mass spectrometers for optical characterization and chemical analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles – ROSA Call C3. Period: 07.2017 – 07.2019.
Technical Manager ESA Contract No. 4000121912/17/NL/CBi Laser Plasma Accelerators as tools for Radiation Hardness Assessment (RHA) Studies and Tests in support of ESA space missions. Period: 09.2017 – 09.2020.
Technical Manager ESA Contract No. 4000111242/14/NL/CBi Feasibility Study for the Use of the Cetal Infrastructure. Period: 06.2014 – 07.2017.
Management Committee member COST Action MP1001 Ion traps for Tomorrow applications IOTA. It was the first Action to promote cooperation at both European and international scale between ion trapper groups. Scientific and technological applications of ion traps span (i) frequency metrology for the precise determination of fundamental constants, (ii) development of optical clocks as extremely accurate quantum sensors, (iii) the determination of atomic ground state properties e.g. mass, life-time, etc. The MP1001 Action has been focused on advancing the frontier of knowledge regarding basic issues in trapped ion physics and applications, along with promoting the emergence of novel applications. Period: 12.2010 – 12.2014.
Scientific Profile and Other Interests
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7880-8331
Scopus ID: 6507672532
Google Scholar profile: Bogdan Mihalcea
Web of Science ResearcherID: E-9934-2011
Curriculum Vitae
List of papers and Professional Expertise