At the end of the year

Vivid scientific results and social projects

On 25 December, the final meeting of the Scientific and Technological Council and JINR Directorate was held, where Director of the Institute Grigory Trubnikov outlined the most striking scientific results of each of the Laboratories.

Among these achievements is the work of BLTP staff that published their most important results in leading scientific journals. Thus, laboratory scientists were the first to apply the technique of expansion in large charges to gauge theories that allowed to generalize the results of explicit multi-loop calculations beyond perturbation theory (published in Physical Review Letters) as well as proposed a mechanism for describing incomplete fusion as a highly asymmetric quasi-fission that opens up opportunities for obtaining new isotopes in incomplete fusion reactions (published in Physics Letters). The most important achievements, in addition, were reflected in the journals Nuclear Physics and International Journal of Modern Physics, as well as other scientific publications. In total, BLTP scientists made more than three hundred publications in scientific journals during the year, published two monographs and more than one hundred conference proceedings, held two thematic youth schools and six international workshops.

The main result of VBLHEP, without a doubt, was the commissioning of the collider injection complex, including a cryogenic source and linear accelerator of heavy ions, cryogenic synchrotrons booster and Nuclotron and a system of beam transport channels. Within four months, the required parameters were obtained and stable operation of the complex was achieved. For the first time in Russia, a facility for electron cooling of ion beams was put into operation and tested that helped to double the number of particles accelerated at the Nuclotron. More than 0.5 billion collisions of xenon ions with a nuclear target were registered using a beam of heavy ions of the complex at the BM@N facility. Scientists currently analyze the accumulated data.

The Baikal deep-sea neutrino telescope Baikal-GVD that has become the flagship project of DLNP has traditionally been supplemented with two new clusters, as a result of which it currently has 12 clusters of deep-sea garlands of registering and control equipment (3456 optical modules). The operating volume of the telescope exceeded 0.5 km³ in the task of registering events from high-energy neutrinos (over 100 TeV). Commenting on the data obtained during operation of the detector in the configurations in 2018-2022, Grigory Trubnikov noted that they indicate a number of possible associations with both extragalactic and galactic sources. He also emphasized that participants in the Baikal-GVD project were able to confirm the occurrence of a neutrino flux of astrophysical nature, previously discovered by the Antarctic neutrino telescope IceCube.

Experiments at the FLNR Superheavy Element Factory allowed to register one event in the production of a previously unknown isotope livermorium-288 (the 116th element of the Periodic Table). The unique atom was obtained as a result of the fusion of chromium-54 and uranium-238 nuclei in an experiment in preparation for the synthesis of the 120th element. In addition to livermorium-288, four more new superheavy nuclides were synthesized: darmstadtium-275 and 276, hassium-272 and seaborgium-268. As Director of the Institute noted, these are key achievements of the Laboratory that showed the readiness of the equipment for the synthesis of the 120th element.

It was decided to accelerate the construction of a new experimental complex for beams from U-400R based on the already approved project. On 21 December, a new stage in the construction of the experimental hall of the accelerator complex started at FLNR: pouring of concrete into the foundation of the building began. It is expected that the development of a new accelerator complex will allow to expand the capabilities of the Laboratory and to implement advanced research in the field of studying advanced nuclear reactions, to obtain new, not yet known nuclei, to investigate their properties, as well as to carry out applied research on testing electronic components used in the space industry.

The main result of MLIT, Grigory Trubnikov noted, is the reliable, stable operation of all the Institute's networks and the entire computing complex throughout the year. He thanked all the Laboratory staff for their serious work in analyzing data at the NICA accelerator complex, for their work in CERN collaborations and for analyzing data for these experiments. The most important achievement of the year was the inclusion of the Govorun supercomputer after a deep modernization and a significant increase in the computing capacity. The GPU component of the supercomputer has been expanded that allowed to achieve a peak performance of 1.7 Pflops for double-precision operations and allows to use machine and deep learning algorithms to solve problems using a neural network approach.

At FLNP, within the framework of cooperation between the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT, Egypt) and JINR, a comprehensive estimation of the environmental situation in Egypt was carried out using soil and sediment samples from the Nile River and delta, coastal areas of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The samples were characterized using two analytical techniques: neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.

At LRB, two main scientific results are the basis for the discovery of a new technique for increasing the efficiency of fractionated radiation therapy for melanoma (using the DNA synthesis inhibitor AraC during proton therapy) and the description of a technique for cytogenetic analysis of chromosomal radiosensitivity of regular and tumor human cells by Laboratory scientists.

It is also worth noting that the technical design of the new superconducting proton cyclotron MSC-230 is at the completion stage at DLNP. The facility is intended for radiation therapy of patients with cancer and biomedical research. The project is currently implemented jointly with NIIEFA in order to carry out fundamental and applied developments in the field of radiation biology and medicine, creating conditions for the introduction of the latest technologies in the field of proton therapy for oncological diseases into clinical practice.

The number of dissertations defended in the JINR dissertation council grows every year, Grigory Trubnikov emphasized in his speech: since 1 September, 2019, 92 dissertations have been defended in the JINR dissertation councils. In 2023, 29 defenses were held, of which 24 were candidate and 5 - doctoral. The work of the dissertation council from 2019 to 2023 was considered successful, the speaker noted, so its work was extended.

In his report, JINR Director paid much attention to updating the engineering infrastructure of buildings. Thus, the building of the JINR University Centre has been updated, the sports complex has been renovated, a huge number of offices and buildings are currently improved and the reconstruction of the Dubna restaurant is underway. According to the latter, the project has already been prepared and in January, the restaurant will close for several months for major renovations that have not been carried out there for more than 50 years.

A long project to construct a new pedestrian passage at the DLNP site has been completed. Today, it is a modern checkpoint with the latest equipment. The second part of the project to construct a new checkpoint, including a car checkpoint, will be implemented by May, 2024.

JINR Director also outlined the significance of implementing a range of social projects. Thus, one of them became possible thanks to the joint work of JINR with the FMBA of Russia and Medical Unit No.9: in summer of 2023, a vascular centre was opened at the Medical Unit, equipped with an advanced angiograph, expert-class ultrasound machines, the latest CT machine, Holters and ABPM equipment.

Another project is related to the development of the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum named after Academician V.G.Kadyshevsky. Grigory Trubnikov emphasized that the Lyceum implements a new format of education, where schoolchildren, parents and teachers demonstrate excellent results.

Ksenia MORUNOVA