The European Summer School 'Low Temperature Plasma Physics: Basics and Applications' and 'Master Class: Biotechnical and Medical Applications'

Low temperature plasma physics is the driving force of plasma technology which is considered to be one of the key technologies of the 21st century. Due to its central importance to many technologies there is a great demand for highly educated plasma scientists worldwide. Compared to its significance, education in low temperature plasma physics in Germany and other European countries is limited to a relatively small number of universities and institutions. In the last decade research groups located in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have enjoyed fruitful co-operation in founding a series of annual European summer schools with extraordinary success. These schools were organized by Daniel C Schram (Center for Plasma Physics and Radiation Technology (CPS), Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands), Jorg Winter and Marc Boke (both CoE for Plasma Science and Technology (CPST), Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Germany). The purpose of the schools is to give new graduate students in Europe a solid introduction in and concise overview of low temperature plasma physics and to serve as a forum for providing coherent education in plasma science. The schools have become a part of the curriculum in participating universities. Our experiences have shown that contact between students and teachers forms the basis of enduring interaction. The emphasis has been on fundamental education and the in-depth treatment of subjects such as plasma sources and production, thermal and low pressure plasmas, atomic processes, plasma kinetics, diagnostics, modelling and plasma-surface interactions. After the publication of eight lecture notes as a special section in Plasma Sources Science and Technology volume 9 issue 4 in 2000 we are now able to present four additional notes. Publishing the notes in 2000 was an experiment in itself and we found that the readers of Plasma Sources Science and Technology appreciated this type of presentation. The advantages were twofold: students were introduced to the journal and the content of the lectures could be flexible and change each year. The hope that the journal could profit and increase its readership community has been fulfilled with the great success of the first publication, proven by the huge download rates of most of the notes. However, some aspects could not be treated in the original publication. Now, both compilations serve as an introduction for readers to important subjects in plasma physics. They will be forwarded to the students of the 2007 school and could also serve as an introduction to future schools. The forthcoming schools will be held, as in the past 6 years, at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef in Germany, organized jointly by the CPS and CPST. We would like to thank all our colleagues for their continuous support and willingness to contribute to the education provided by the schools. Without their contributions and personal engagement the schools would not have been possible. We would also like to thank the following school sponsors: • The European Community • The WE Heraeus Foundation • The Center for Plasma Physics and Radiation Technology (CPS) • The CoE for Plasma Science and Technology (CPST) of Ruhr-Universitat Bochum • Arbeitsgemeinschaft Plasmaphysik APP • Research Training Group GK 1051 • Collaborative Research Centre SFB 591. Finally, we would like to thank the members of the local committees and also the management of the Physikzentrum.