"I did not expect that Krakow is so beautiful", says in our May interview Prof. Sabrina Casanova of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The professor also told us about what a galactic disk is, for what discovery modern astronomy is waiting for, and which scientific figure inspires her. Read on for a good start to the week!

Dear Professor, please describe for us the beginnings of your collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences. Where did the idea come from to conduct research in Cracow? Did you know any physicists working at the Institute of Nuclear Physics?

My Polish colleagues in Krakow at IFJ -PAN and at the University Observatory are members of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Collaboration, of which I have also been a member since 2009 and over many years we have been working together on different topics. It was Professor Ostrowski from the Jagellonian Observatory, who suggested me to participate in the selection for an Adjunct position at IFJ PAN in 2013. I got the position in dec 2013. Since then I got the habilitation in 2016 and I have been IFJ Professor since 2019.

What do you think of the Polish grant system? Is it difficult to get a grant in Poland? You are implementing OPUS with NCN.

In 2014 and 2017 I won two OPUS grants for a total of about 2.000.000 PLN to hire a PhD and several PostDocs working on the other project I am involved in, the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC - https://www.hawc-observatory.org/) project, of which I am the Polish P.I. In 2019 my collaborator, Dr Salesa Greus, and I wrote another successful OPUS proposal to fund collaborators for the HAWC Collaboration. Since then I have not succeeded any more in winning again an OPUS grant and I have currently no funding for HAWC.

What is the Galactic Disc (Dysk Galaktyczny)?

The Galactic disk is the "thin" portion of the Galaxy located over and below the Galactic Plane. It is a thin disk of about 100-200 pc in height and 20000 pc in radius. The majority of Galactic astrophysical objects is located within the disc.

What would you like to share from your research? What impact can they have on the development of science?

The Earth is immersed in a "sea" of high-energy nuclei and electrons known as cosmic rays. The origin of these ultra-relativistic particles, the mechanisms to accelerate them and the physics of the extreme environmens, where they are believed to be accelerated, are the topics of our research. Among the most extreme phenomena in the Galaxy, we have pulsar wind nebulae, micro-quasars, supernova remnants, and star forming regions. We study these phenomema through the highest energy photons, called gamma-rays, which cosmic rays emit when they are accelerated in these astrophyscal sources. The discovery of the sources of cosmic rays would be a breakthrough result in astronomy.

Does your research involve frequent trips abroad? How is your cooperation with foreign research centres?

I work together with US, German and French researchers very intensively.
While my work involves frequent trips abroad, online meetings are nowadays used very intensively and help collaborating without moving from the home institution.

Can we expect a new scientific publication in the near future?

With researchers in the US I am currently working on two important publications on micro-quasars, which will be submitted soon to Nature Astronomy.

Have you met any Italian scientists working in Poland?

Yes, I have met several Italian professors active in Krakow and Warsaw.

What scientific figures/heros inspire you?

One of the leading physicists of all times, the Polish Marie Skłodowska–Curie, is an inspiration for many women and men in science. Plus in 2007 I was awarded the European Community research prize, named after Marie Skłodowska–Curie.

What surprised you in Poland?

I did not expect that Krakow is so beautiful. I also did not expect how rapidly Poland is changing since I first went there in 2013.