Memorable Dates in the DLNP History: 22 August 2022 marks the 109th birthday of Bruno Pontecorvo

On 22 August 2022, it is the 109th birthday of the Academician Bruno Pontecorvo, an outstanding scientist, one of the founders of neutrino physics and neutrino astronomy. Bruno Pontecorvo worked at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems for over forty years.

Wishing Vladimir Viktorovich Glagolev happy birthday!

Today, on 23 August 2022, Vladimir Viktorovich Glagolev, a doctor of physics and mathematics, a DLNP Deputy Director of Science, celebrates his 60th birthday. Vladimir Viktorovich started his career at the JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Problems (LNP) in 1985 after graduating from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. While working at LNP, V. V. Glagolev took part in preparing and performing experiments at the GIPERON facility, in developing and testing wide-gap drift chambers, the ionization-coordinate spectrometer, and in measuring the form factor of the weak decay of the charged K-meson. Along with his colleagues, he prepared the MARS-MChS project for experiments in B-physics at the Accelerating-Storage Complex in Protvino. While being at SSC-Lab, he developed the central calorimeter of the SDC facility for experiments on the supercollider in Dallas.

Oleg Karamyshev about New Patent for Invention “Compact Superconducting Cyclotron for Proton Therapy Using Beams with Ultrahigh Dose Rate (FLASH)”

The head of the Sector of Theory and Calculation of New Accelerators of the DLNP Experimental Department of New Accelerators Oleg Karamyshev, a candidate of physics and mathematics, is talking about a new patent for the invention “Compact superconducting cyclotron for proton therapy using beams with the ultrahigh dose rate (FLASH)”. The authors of the patent are O. V. Karamyshev, G. A. Karamysheva, I. D. Lyapin, V. A. Malinin, D. V. Popov, G. V. Trubnikov, G. D. Shirkov, S. G. Shirkov. The invention was patented on 14 July 2022.

Sergey Nikolaevich Dolya about New Patent for Invention “Technique for Rapid Analysis of Inhibition of Living Protein Molecules”

Sergey Nikolaevich Dolya, a senior research scientist of the DLNP Experimental Department of New Accelerators, candidate of physics and mathematics, is talking about his new patent for the invention “Technique for rapid analysis of inhibition of living protein molecules”. The invention was patented on 18 July 2022.

“Ice-Breaker of Discoveries”: Educational Expedition to the North Pole

The educational expedition to the North Pole “Ice-breaker of discoveries” initiated by the Rosatom State Corporation and the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “Bolshaya Peremena” has finished. Seventy high-school students, the winners of the 2021 Bolshaya Peremena Competition, were on board. Mark Shirchenko, candidate of physics and mathematics, a senior research scientist of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems (DLNP) of JINR was involved in the expedition. The DLNP Group of Scientific Communication asked Mark some questions about this voyage.

OPERA ― 20 Years Later

This year marks a moment happened exactly 20 years ago when JINR scientists joined the tau neutrino search within the international OPERA collaboration. The experiment of the same name was proposed in 1998 with an aim to prove the existence of νμ ↔ ντ oscillations. The flux of muon neutrinos produced in interactions of protons with the target at CERN was directed to the detector for tau neutrino registration at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory located in Italy, 730 km away from Geneva. This study was relevant because of the lack of the direct evidence of muon neutrinos transforming into tau neutrinos.

“Dubna: Science, Community, Progress”: Science in Comic Strips: an Easy Way to Explain Complicated Things

On 17 June, the exhibition “Science in Comic Strips: an Easy Way to Explain Complicated Things” was opened at the JINR Universal Library. This exhibition is a joint project of DLNP and the Komikadze group. Elena Dubovik, the head of the Group of Scientific Communication (DLNP SciCom), shared with the reading-room audience the details of the experiment of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems on educational visualization of its investigations. Five comic strips introduced at the meeting refer to studies performed by the DLNP Sector of Molecular Genetics of the Cell under the guidance of Elena Kravchenko, Candidate of Biology. 

“Naked Science”: Phantastic Extremophile Microbes from Tunnels of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory

An unusual telescope of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory in the Caucasus is located in deep tunnels under the four-kilometre-high Andyrchi mountain. Sunlight never reaches this place. What the telescope does here is “observing” distant stars. The rock shields detectors from the outside world and allows physicists to detect neutrinos, mysterious particles that hardly interact with matter. Besides cosmic fluxes of elusive neutrinos, scientists also find in the remote corners of the Baksan tunnels… curious forms of life ― earlier unknown microorganisms which have adapted to extreme environments there. These microbes can be helpful for medical and biotechnological research in the future.  

Yury Malyshkin is the winner of the 2022 RSF Grant Competition

Today, the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has announced the winners of 2022 “youth” competitions within the RSF Presidential Programme. DLNP research scientist and postdoc Yury Malyshkin became the competition winner in the category “Self-motivated research conducted by young scientists” with the project “Development of the software complex for the complete simulation of physical processes in the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope”. We heartily congratulate Yury and wish him reaching new heights of success and bright scientific achievements!  

“Let your books go!”

About half of readers in Russia prefer printed books to e-books. A habit, pleasant tactile sensation, convenience (one can dog ear pages, underline phrases, read in a plane) ― these are the reasons of the evergreen popularity of printed books. What is more, with e-books one cannot swap books as a part of a bookcrossing community.

Video from the Opening of the Exhibition of Science Comics at Blokhinka

On Friday, 17 June 2022, the exhibition “Science in Comic Strips: an Easy Way to Explain Complicated Things” was opened at the JINR Universal Library. The organizers talked about an art experiment of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems on educational visualization of its investigations.

A Crucial Stage of Preparing the DUNE Near Detector Successfully Passed

On Wednesday, 29 June 2022, the next important stage in the preparation of the project of the liquid-argon system of the Near Detector (ND-LAr DUNE) was completed, namely, the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was successfully passed. It took two years to approach this stage: in 2020, the detector concept had to be approved, and in 2021―2022, the system readiness tested within the ND-LAr consortium, and the cost of works agreed upon.