MIPT–JINR Partnership to Give a New Impetus to Biotechnology Research

On 17 December 2020, a unique X-ray microtomograph MARS upgraded at the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, JINR, was delivered to the Nanobiotechnology Lab at the Phystech School of Biological and Medical Physics (PSBMP), Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), in Dolgoprudny for carrying out biological and medical research. This could be a beginning of a new significant research collaboration resting upon a common instrumental basis. “This partnership is beneficial for all, which is often the case in the scientific community,” comments Denis Kuz’min, PSBMP Director. 

Video Project “BAIKAL-GVD. Neutrino Hunters” Is a Laureate of the 2020 RAS Prize for the Best Work in Science Communication!

In September, the DLNP Group of Scientific Communication submitted to the RAS committee an application for the 2020 Prize for the best work. In total, 59 books, 38 lecture series and 35 video projects were nominated for the competition. Now we have good news! Educational videos “BAIKAL-GVD. Neutrino Hunters” introduced by Academician of RAS G. V. Trubnikov on behalf of JINR were awarded the third Prize in the category “The Best Popular Science Video Series”!

The GERDA Experiment: Another Milestone in the Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay

The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN, Italy, has reported its final results on the search for the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge in the recent issue of Physical Review Letters. Moreover, our paper has been selected to be a PRL Editors' Suggestion. No signal has been observed, but all goals of the final phase of the experiment have been achieved.

The GERDA Experiment: Another Milestone in the Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay

The results on the search for the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge in the GERDA (GERmanium Detector Array) experiment have been published in the recent issue of Physical Review Letters. Moreover, the paper has been selected to be a PRL Editors' Suggestion. No signal has been observed, but all goals of the final phase of the experiment have been achieved.

The European Physical Journal C Highlighted the Paper of the Borexino Collaboration with the Cover Illustration

In the November issue of the European physical journal  EPJ C, a paper of the Borexino collaboration was published about detector sensitivity to CNO neutrinos with respect to the strategy which sets limits on two main backgrounds in measurements—neutrinos from the pp chain and bismuth-210 decay events in scintillator. Considering a neutrino flux predicted by one of the standard models of the Sun, Borexino was sensitive to CNO neutrinos during the 1000-day exposure at the level of above 3σ. With the same considerations, the precision of the CNO-neutrino flux measurement is 23% with a restriction on the rate of bismuth-210 event counting at the level of 1.5 events a day for 100 t of scintillator. For upcoming experiments with a higher precision of the CNO-neutrino flux measurement, the probability was evaluated to identify a more reliable model of the Sun, of high or low metallicity. This article complements the one recently published in Nature.

RIA Novosti’s Choice—Detection of Solar Neutrinos from the CNO Cycle by the Borexino Collaboration Was Ranked as One of the Main Achievements of Russian Science in 2020

The most significant achievements of Russian science in 2020 were listed on RIA Novosti’s website. The selected top of this publishing house includes the experimental proof of the CNO cycle in the Sun, the finding of the Borexino collaboration and DLNP researchers involved.

"Physics World" announces its Breakthrough of the Year finalists for 2020

One of the highlights in the Physics World calendar is the announcement of their Breakthrough of the Year. Today ten finalists for 2020 have been revealed, from which the Breakthrough of the Year will be picked on Thursday 17 December. This year’s Top 10 Breakthroughs were selected by a crack team of five Physics World editors, who have sifted through hundreds of research updates published on the website this year. In addition to having been reported in Physics World in 2020, the selections must meet the following criteria: • Significant advance in knowledge or understanding. • Importance of the work for scientific progress and/or development of real-world applications. • Of general interest to Physics World readers.

Shutdown of the Detector of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Experiment

On Saturday, 12 December 2020, a special ceremony of the shutdown of the facility of the Daya Bay international neutrino experiment will take place. Scientists will proceed with final data analysis.

Preparation for the JUNO Experiment Reaches Its Final Stage

The main goal of the international JUNO experiment, in which DLNP scientists and engineers are actively involved, is to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy. This is currently one of the crucial problems in neutrino physics. The preparation for the JUNO experiment is in its final stage.

Congratulations to Sergey Nikolaevich Dolya and Viktor Ivanovich Smirnov on Receiving a Patent!

The JINR Department of Licensing and Intellectual Property announces that on 26 October 2020 the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research got a patent for the invention “Resonant capacitor charger”. The authors are Sergey Nikolaevich Dolya and Viktor Ivanovich Smirnov.

"Beer for Trade Union Members Only!"

This quote from “The Twelve Chairs” has long become a meme. It reflected the reality of the late 1920s— trade union members enjoyed not only beer but also other benefits. Benefit distribution was the trade union domain for all long decades of the USSR existence. Since every employee of the country was a trade union member starting with a student, so benefits could be enjoyed by everyone.

First Experimental Proof of Theorized Nuclear Fusion Processes in Massive Stars

The international Borexino Collaboration has announced the first observation of neutrinos from the CNO process in the Sun, which experimentally confirms the second mechanism for energy generation in stars. Earlier, only neutrinos from the proton–proton cycle were observed. This discovery is highly important for astrophysics since in stars more massive than the Sun energy is mainly produced through the CNO cycle. The results of the investigation are published in Nature.