09.06.2021

Interview with the Authors of the Patent Viktor Smirnov and Sergey Dolya

Sergey Dolya and Viktor SmirnovA few days ago, the invention of the scientists of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems “Resonant capacitor charger” was included in Top 100 best inventions in Russia in the second half of the year. This is a great achievement and an excellent illustration of the fact that advance of fundamental science can be a driver of scientific and technical progress.

“The main objective of scientists is to discover new laws of nature. And to discover new laws of nature, we develop different instruments. Later, it turns out that these instruments can be applied to other fields,” said one of the inventors, the senior researcher of the DLNP Experimental Department of New Accelerators Sergey Nikolaevich Dolya.

The patented technology is intended for a new DLNP accelerator. The order to design it was issued at JINR. The goal was to increase accelerator beam intensity.

“We didn’t have in mind charging mobile phones or car batteries. We were aimed at producing a sawtooth voltage on the capacitor. It is not an easy task to do,” says S. N. Dolya. “Viktor Ivanovich Smirnov is an expert in this field, and we started to look for possible options, apply them to our task and finally we found the solution. The fact that the technology can be useful for other purposes was clear only from the Rospatent commentary on our invention.”

The Rospatent commentary: “In the near future, supercapacitors based on the novel technology are intended for application in circuit configurations where the instantaneous power maximum is needed. For example, in car and locomotive starters or where continuous power supply at one level is required ― in server rooms or big data storages”.

It is important to note that the accelerator being currently developed will replace the outdated JINR phasotron and be used for cancer proton therapy. That is, for things of great importance for many people.

Searching for information before our interview with the scientists, we also tried to find out their work place contacts and were greatly surprised that Viktor Ivanovich Smirnov, the co-inventor, is retired and cooperates with his colleagues, if needed, from home.

“Sergey Nikolaevich shares different electrotechnical problems, and we discuss them,” says V. I. Smirnov. “Power supply of physics facilities is not just an easy “put-the-plug-into-the-socket-and-it-works” thing, but a specialized one, e.g., one has to receive sawtooth voltage and current.”

Thanks to extensive expertise and deep knowledge in electrotechnics, Vladimir Ivanovich can still resolve tough engineering problems which help to do research at his beloved Laboratory.

Congratulations to Viktor Ivanovich and Sergey Nikolaevich on the achievement! We wish you further success in your work and discoveries!