ROSSI, Lucio

Lucio Rossi, PhDLucio Rossi received his doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Milan in 1980 with a thesis focused on plasma physics. He continued his research on applied superconductivity for particle accelerators in the Physics Department of the same university, becoming a Professor in Experimental Physics in 1992. His long list of accomplishments include the design and construction of Superconducting Cyclotron (5 tesla, 40 MJ coils), now operating at the INFN-LNS in Catania, the design of the Al-stabilized thin SC (superconducting) solenoid of the ZEUS detector (HERA at Desy, Hamburg), the development in 1998 of record Jc  Nb3Sn superconductor with Europa Metalli, the construction of the first prototype of the LHC 9 T magnet dipole for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the development of the super-stabilized superconductor and the first 25 m long  superconducting  coils for the Barrel Toroid SC magnet of LHC experiment ATLAS.

In 2001 he joined the CERN, as the leader of the Magnet, Superconductor and Cryostat Group for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Project. The Magnet system is the main part of the LHC and the most complex and technologically advanced system of its kind; it is the largest enterprise in the field of superconductivity ever attempted.

Since 2010, he is the leader of the High Luminosity LHC, a project aimed to increase the luminosity of the LHC in about 10-fold. This project includes the development of 13 T High Field SC Magnets, special SC RF Cavities (crab cavities), high current (200 kA) SC links and also the R&D for 16-20 T class dipoles in view of the High Energy LHC.

In 2007, Lucio Rossi received the IEEE Council of Superconductivity Award for sustained contribution to Applied Superconductivity in Philadelphia. In 2013, he was nominated for the IEEE-CSC Distinguished Lecture Series on  Superconductivity.

Lucio Rossi has published more than 140 publications on peer-reviewed international journals. He is also very active in public outreach: he is the founding member of “Euresis”, an association for the promotion of scientific culture established in 1985 in Milan, Italy. Lucio Rossi has given several talks to the general public on the relationship between science, technology, certainty and truth.