Jubilees

Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems:
yesterday, today, tomorrow

On 14 December, at a ceremonial meeting in the Culture Centre "Mir", celebrations were held to mark the 75th anniversary of the first launch of the synchrocyclotron that became the birthday of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems.

Addressing the colleagues and guests in a welcoming speech, Director of the Laboratory Evgeny Yakushev highlighted that during this time, an entire era has passed in physics. "The heart is filled with pride for those accomplishments, achievements of human thought, which our staff has the most direct relation to. Modern knowledge about the physical picture of the world, about the nature of things is largely determined by research carried out directly at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems or with our participation.

The Laboratory has made a significant contribution to development of international cooperation, has contributed to the establishment of physics schools in Member States, has trained its own personnel and has exchanged accumulated knowledge with the world's leading scientific centres. "Of course, today's highest scientific prestige of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is also our merit," Director of DLNP emphasized.

The foundation of any science are Scientists with a capital letter, with their ideas, work on developing experimental base instruments, implementing measurements and interpreting them. Outstanding scientists from all over the world have worked and currently work at DLNP, not only physicists, but also engineers, designers, technical personnel. They have glorified the Laboratory and the Institute: Yury Aleksandrovich Batusov, Yulian Aramovich Budagov, Stepan Agaranovich Bunyatov, Vladimir Iosifovich Veksler, Tsvetan Vylov, Venedikt Petrovich Dzhelepov, Vitaly Petrovich Dmitrievsky, Valentin Grigorievich Zinov, Yury Mikhailovich Kazarinov, Viktor Aleksandrovich Karnaukhov, Mikhail Grigorievich Meshcheryakov, Aleksandr Lvovich Mintz, Boris Stepanovich Neganov, Bruno Maksimovich Pontecorvo, Vladimir Ivanovich Rykalin, Aleksey Alekseevich Tyapkin and dozens of others.

"On the day of the 75th anniversary," E.A.Yakushev highlighted, "I would like to express special gratitude to all the veterans of the Laboratory. They led this ship of science along the thorny path of scientific research: from measuring the cross-sections of nuclear reactions to developing the latest world-class facilities, such as Baikal-GVD - a giant neutrino telescope exploring the secrets of the Universe. The work of physicists is impossible without the help of technical departments and services that directly participate in breakthrough research."

It is symbolic that the Laboratory's birthday is celebrated on 14 December, the day the synchrocyclotron was put into operation. The Laboratory of Nuclear Problems is known worldwide for its cutting-edge particle detectors, techniques and approaches to implementing experiments. However, its development seems impossible without basic facilities and "home" projects. That is why, along with constant improvements in the infrastructure and instrumental base for research and design work, new basic facilities are currently prepared and put into operation today: a linear electron accelerator, a spectrometric cluster, a proton accelerator for medical and applied problems MSC-230, an SPD detector for the NICA collider. Participating in international collaborations, employees try not only to share their knowledge, but also to learn from the best examples, to apply new approaches to carrying out "home" research. These are the experiments to study reactor neutrinos at the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant, positron spectrometry, the development of new cryogenic facilities, radiochemistry and other areas of development.

All this makes the Laboratory an attractive place for implementing research for the JINR Member States, for young and leading scientists.

DLNP has many friends both at JINR and around the world. Modern research is impossible without comprehensive cooperation between research centres, leading universities and industries.

"The Laboratory of Nuclear Problems together with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research confidently looks to the future. Our tasks correspond to the main goal of the Institute: to unite the efforts, scientific and material potential of the Member States to study the fundamental properties of matter. New physics, awaiting its discovery, the undoubted evidence of which are massive neutrinos and dark matter, awaits further investigation and we, in turn, dream of bright successes on this path. I hope that by the next anniversary, this page will be written in the history of DLNP," E.A.Yakushev concluded.

Representatives of JINR Directorate, colleagues of the heroes of the anniversary, heads and leading scientists of scientific centres closely cooperating with the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems spoke at the ceremonial meeting; veterans and the most distinguished employees were awarded with badges of honor, diplomas of the Institute and Russian ministries and departments.

The hall full of the participants of the celebration warmly welcomed the Academic Male Choir of MEPhI that performed a festive programme dedicated to colleagues and friends in Dubna.

Evgeny MOLCHANOV,
photo by Igor LAPENKO