Research in Space Physics
Research in space physics in Bulgaria initially focused on the study of the ionosphere. The earliest space instruments developed in the Department, under the leadership of Stefan Chapkanov, were designed to measure key parameters of the ionospheric plasma.
In subsequent years, the research programme expanded to include studies of space radiation, leading to the emergence of a specialised research topic focused on high-energy particles and electromagnetic radiation in near-Earth space.
As the Scientific Group on Space Physics expanded, it incorporated the base observatory in Stara Zagora. Three months after its incorporation, the Group was transformed into the Central Laboratory for Space Research (CLSR) in 1974. At a later stage, the theoretical division in Sofia was temporarily designated “Fields and Particles”.
Space
Radiation
Ionospheric
Physics
Space
Weather
Subsequently, three principal directions were established within CLSR, within the framework of physical sciences and instrumentation: Space Physics, Space Instrumentation, and Base Observatories and Planetary Atmospheres (Stara Zagora). The internal organisation of these directions was structured around problem-oriented research groups.
Together, ionospheric physics and space radiation physics formed the two main scientific directions that shaped the Department’s early research programme. Today, the Department continues this line of work through studies of ionospheric plasma dynamics, space radiation, and space weather.