A leap into space with Prof. Dr Svetlana Berdyugina

Prof. Dr. Svetlana Berdyugina, Director of Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò (IRSOL), shared the highlights of her career and the work she carries out every day at IRSOL with her team in an interview published by La Rivista del Locarnese e Valli.

Prof. Dr. Svetlana Berdyugina began by recounting the key milestones in her career and sharing the inspiration behind her decision to become an astronomer. She said, "I was born in southern Russia when it was still the Soviet Union. My parents were engineers, and my father had a deep passion for science. As a result, our home was filled with boxes of scientific magazines, which were like treasure troves for me to explore. I also owe a great deal to a middle school teacher who guided me through various physics experiments. I discovered my passion for astronomy while I was still in high school. After successfully passing the entrance exams, I enrolled at the University of St. Petersburg. Following the collapse of the USSR, I spent seven years working at the University of Oulu in Finland. It was a magical place below the Arctic Circle, characterised by snowy, dark winters. However, it became stunningly beautiful when the Sun shone, and the Northern Lights danced across the sky. In 2002, I moved to ETH Zurich, where I worked for another seven years and became a university lecturer. Subsequently, I spent fifteen years in Freiburg, Germany. During my career, I travelled extensively and collaborated with international research groups, including NASA."

During these years, Prof. Dr Berdyugina first came into contact with IRSOL. "I frequently visited IRSOL for solar observations, where I had the pleasure of meeting the Director, Michele Bianda, and his deputy, Renzo Ramelli. Eventually, I joined the institute's board. When Bianda retired in 2022 after 35 years of dedicated service, I was appointed as the Director by the IRSOL Foundation Board and also became an adjunct professor at USI, the university with which the institute is affiliated. I find great satisfaction in these roles because I have been able to contribute to the strategic development of the institute, and I have a deep appreciation for Switzerland."

Although the career of the Director of IRSOL is an excellent omen for all female students aiming for a career in science, the gender gap is a reality that Prof. Dr Berdyugina has had to face: "The first questions about gender inequity arose when I moved to the West. In 2008, I became an academic in Germany and later served as the Director of the institute. However, I was the only female scientist in the entire department! When I was appointed, I was informed, "You are the first female physics professor at our university in 500 years." I have participated in several committees addressing gender barriers in top positions, and we referred to this form of prejudice as 'the scissors'. The disparity is not a reflection of women's lack of ability; I have taught many exceptionally talented female students. Instead, it stems from all-male committees that unconsciously favour candidates similar to themselves. While there are now guidelines for forming mixed juries, these remain only recommendations. Fair decisions can only be achieved when the committee is balanced and focuses on the individual's merits, irrespective of gender."

One of the activities carried out at IRSOL concerns the observation and study of the Sun, which, as explained by the Director of IRSOL, is nothing more than one star among many: "For us, it is a special yellow star, but in reality, there are many in the universe. It is a sphere of plasma made mainly of hydrogen and helium at high temperatures, with a life cycle of about 11 billion years. It is now middle-aged at 4.5 billion years old and expected to die as a white dwarf. It is interesting to know that stars originate from a cluster of material - interstellar clouds - and die when they lose a large amount of it. Size is very important for a star, and our Sun is medium-sized. Larger stars only live for a few million years. We therefore believe that there is an important correlation between the emergence of life four billion years ago and the fact that our Sun is a medium-sized yellow star."

The activity of the Sun, and in particular its magnetism, has a significant influence on our lives: "Charged solar particles are pushed towards Earth and disrupt the Earth's magnetic field, creating geomagnetic storms. This affects technological instruments because it generates additional current in the grid, which can cause fires and disrupt aircraft and spacecraft instrumentation. In the current cycle, solar magnetism has reached a higher peak than ten years ago. We have even seen northern lights at our latitudes. In theory, a declining phase should soon begin for about five years. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to predict the occurrence and intensity of the phenomenon; this is one of my research goals at IRSOL," explained the institute's Director.

Prof. Dr Berdyugina is also an expert in astrobiology, i.e. the search for extraterrestrial life: "On Earth, we are descended from a single type of microorganism, which links us all genetically. We are, therefore, looking for similar conditions on other planets, but we are obviously influenced by anthropological prejudices. During my research, I developed techniques to study stellar magnetism, observe exoplanets, and detect alien life. To study the Sun at IRSOL, I use a truly unique instrument: 10 ZIMPOL. Various techniques based on telescope images allow us to gather significant information about the shape and colour of celestial bodies."

However, solar physics is not based solely on observing the sky: "Studying solar activity is also possible through ice samples collected from Greenland and Antarctica. Research has demonstrated a correlation between sunspot cycles and climate variations. After Galileo discovered sunspots, a couple of cycles were observed, but there was a period of fifty years with no recorded activity. Between 1620 and 1670, Northern Europe experienced a minor glaciation, a phenomenon that was also reflected in the snowy landscapes depicted in Dutch paintings of the era. It is fascinating to think that we can learn about the Sun even through the lens of art in a museum."

Today, 13 people work at IRSOL, and the Institute has been recognised as a research centre of national importance, a status that has been recently reconfirmed. There are also numerous collaborations with local organisations, such as SAT (Società astronomica ticinese - astroticino.ch), and other centres in Switzerland and abroad. IRSOL is also a training centre: "IRSOL is attended by interns, high school students, researchers and young people doing alternative civilian service. I am a point of reference for students working on their Master's and Doctorate degrees at USI, especially on the applications of informatics to solar physics," concluded Prof. Dr. Berdyugina.