SNSF Starting Grant
Challenges and Breakthroughs in the Mathematics of Plasmas
- SNSF Starting Grant, 2026-2030.
- Principal investigator: Mikaela Iacobelli.
- Host institution: Department of Mathematics, ETH Zürich.
- Funding agency: Swiss National Science Foundation.
- Grant number: 226018.
- Project code: TMSGI2_226018.
- Duration: 01.01.2026 - 31.12.2030.
- Approved amount: CHF 1’685’564.
- Official SNSF page: grant 226018.
Overview
This project concerns the mathematical analysis of plasmas, with a focus on kinetic models and singular limits. The main objects are Vlasov-type equations, in particular magnetized Vlasov-Poisson systems and the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system.
Plasmas are systems made of a very large number of charged particles. Their mathematical description involves several levels: microscopic particle dynamics, kinetic equations, and macroscopic fluid or magnetohydrodynamic models. A central question is to understand how these descriptions are related, especially in regimes where the limiting processes are singular or unstable.
The project aims to develop new analytical tools for the study of magnetized and electromagnetic plasma models, building on recent progress in the theory of Vlasov-type equations and quasineutral limits.
Main directions
- Quasineutral limits for magnetized Vlasov-Poisson systems.
- Quasineutral limits for the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system.
- Landau damping and long-time behaviour for magnetized plasma models.
- Well-posedness and propagation of moments for Vlasov-type equations with magnetic fields.
- Derivation of macroscopic plasma and fluid equations from kinetic models.
People
Principal investigator
- Mikaela Iacobelli, ETH Zurich
Current team members
Postdoctoral researchers
- Lukas Niebel, postdoctoral researcher, since August 2026
PhD students
- Mirko Cervi, PhD student, since September 2026
- Ilaria Zanotti, PhD student, since September 2026
Former team members
Postdoctoral researchers
- Stefano Rossi, postdoctoral researcher, 2026
PhD students
- Antoine Gagnebin, PhD student, thesis defended in 2026
Visitors and collaborators
- Yan Guo, Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University
- Frédéric Rousset, Laboratoire de Mathématiques d’Orsay, Université Paris-Saclay
- Renato Velozo, Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London
- Raphael Winter, School of Mathematics, Cardiff University
- Havva Yoldaş, Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, TU Delft
Publications acknowledging this grant
- Quasineutral Plasmas and the Geometry of Kinetic Stability
- Quantization of measures in Carnot groups in collaboration with M. Di Marco.
- Exponential convergence for ultrafast diffusion equations with log-concave weights, with Max Fathi.
- Propagation of velocity moments for the magnetized Vlasov-Poisson system with space-time dependent magnetic fields, with Immanuel Ben-Porat, Antoine Gagnebin, and Jonathan Junné.
Other related publications and preprints
- From relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell to electron-MHD in the quasineutral regime, with Antoine Gagnebin, Alexandre Rege and Stefano Rossi.
- On the stability of vacuum in the screened Vlasov-Poisson equation, with Stefano Rossi and Klaus Widmayer.
- Landau damping on the torus for the Vlasov-Poisson system with massless electrons, with Antoine Gagnebin.
- Stability in Quasineutral Plasmas with Thermalized Electrons, with Megan Griffin-Pickering.
Positions
Open PhD and postdoc positions related to the project will be announced here.
Events and visitors
Research visits, workshops, schools, and activities related to the project will be announced here.
Acknowledgement
Research related to this project is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the SNSF Starting Grant Challenges and Breakthroughs in the Mathematics of Plasmas, grant number 226018, project code TMSGI2_226018.