At the session of the Scientific Council

Rich programme, excellent results

On 19-20 February, the 139th session of the JINR Scientific Council was held at the International Conference Centre. After the approval of the programme and the opening of the meeting, the participants welcomed the new members of the Council elected in December 2025 by the Committee of Plenipotentiaries: A.Ayala (Institute of Nuclear Sciences ICN-UNAM, Mexico), E.E.Boos (Moscow State University, Russia), H.Jadambaa (GSI, Germany), I.B.Logashenko (Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Russia), S.Miharu (KEK, Japan) and M.Sakru (National Research Centre, Egypt).

JINR Director Academician Grigory Trubnikov spoke about the decisions of the December session of the CP, the implementation of the Seven-Year Plan for the Development of JINR for 2024-2030, as well as about events in the field of scientific activity and international cooperation in his report.

According to the NICA project, successful and stable circulation of the xenon beam in both collider rings, the beginning of mapping the magnetic field of the MPD solenoid in the range of 0.2-0.5 T, the beginning of data acquisition in the BM@N experiment for scanning the energy of the xenon beam from 1.5 to 3 AHeV, as well as progress in preparing the initial phase of the SPD experiment were highlighted.

Preparations for experiments to synthesize elements 119 and 120 are underway. An experiment has been carried out on the separator DGFRS-2 of the Superheavy Element Factory for the synthesis of isotopes of nichonium ^{281, 282}Nh in the ²³⁷Np(⁴⁸Ca,3-4n) reaction; the chemical properties of copernicium (Cn) and flerovium (Fl) have been studied; the U-400 cyclotron operated 6300 hours per year, providing a wide range of ion beams from ²²Na to ¹³⁶Xe for fundamental and applied tasks; work on the U-400M cyclotron to optimize acceleration modes for obtaining secondary beams has been carried out; applied work based on the MT-25 microtron has been implemented; the final stage of developing a new accelerator complex of DC-140 for applied research is underway; the construction of a new experimental building of the U-400R accelerator complex is also underway, in parallel, work on development of new experimental facilities SCIF-D and STAR is underway, too.

During the Baikal-GVD winter expedition, it is scheduled to install two new clusters, two extra inter-cluster garlands and a complete prototype garland for the next generation detector. The DANSS experiment at the Kalinin nuclear power plant is successfully carried out. In the advanced experiment with the reactor neutrinos JUNO, in which employees of the Institute participate, the first scientific results were obtained on measuring oscillation parameters with record accuracy.

In 2025, there were seven cycles of operation of the pulsed research reactor IBR-2 after a long shutdown; key scientific results have been obtained at the basic facilities of the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics in the field of nuclear physics, condensed matter physics and applied research and a conceptual proposal for a new promising pulsed neutron source is extensively developed.

Research in the field of radiation biology is extensively underway, including the analysis of radiation-induced complex chromosomal aberrations and the analysis of the mechanisms of radiation-induced brain damage. The employees of BLTP presented interesting results in 2025 in the field of the theory of the atomic nucleus and the theory of fundamental interactions. The performance of the JINR Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex has increased to 2.2 PF and 58 PF for tasks related to artificial intelligence.

The successful engagement of JINR physicists in the programme of data analysis and modernization of LHC experiment detectors, the Institute's contribution to the development of the CRV system of the COMET experiment (J-PARC), success in the construction of a medical superconducting cyclotron MSC-230 were highlighted.

The active and diverse scientific and educational activities of the University Centre, as well as the high potential of JINR educational programmes for expanding the Institute's partnership both in JINR Member States and abroad are noteworthy.

After the report of JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov, there was a discussion, questions were asked by M.Spiro, R.Granada, R.Sakhu and K.Borch. The members of the Scientific Council thanked JINR Director for the impressive presentation of the Institute's achievements and supported the holding of the International Conference "Fundamental properties of matter" in Dubna in early 2027 as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of JINR.

The recommendations developed at the PAC sessions in January 2026 and presented by the PAC Chairmen were adopted: in particle physics - I.Tserruya, in nuclear physics - V.V.Nesvizhevsky, in condensed matter physics - D.L.Nagy.

Scientific reports of leading scientists were presented at the session: M.Spiro "International union of pure and applied physics (IUPAP), International year of basic sciences for sustainable development (2022-2023), International decade of (all) sciences (and all knowledge) in the interests of sustainable development (2024-2033)",a report by A.M.Chetto and A.Ayala "The landscape of nuclear research in Mexico" and a report by Yuri Oganessian "Towards the synthesis of the element 119".

The members of the Scientific Council approved A.Baimukhanova as Deputy Director of DLNP until the end of the office of DLNP Director E.A.Yakushev.

The next day, the reports of young scientists selected by the Programme Advisory Committees for this session were presented: "The first results of the JUNO experiment on the parameters of solar neutrino oscillations" by D.A.Dolzhikov and "Development of reflectometric techniques in oscillating magnetic fields on the REMUR polarized neutron spectrometer" by E.D.Kolupaev.

At the session, the ceremony of awarding Professor M. Spiro with the diploma and mantle of the Honorary Doctor of JINR was held.

Boris Sharkov and Victor Matveev are congratulating Michel Spiro on the honorary award

A.G.Olshevsky presented the jury's decision on awarding the Pontecorvo Prize to the theoretical physicist Professor M.E.Shaposhnikov (Institute of Theoretical Physics, Polytechnic School, Lausanne, Switzerland).

Professor Chen Hesheng (PRC) was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of JINR. Since 2023, he has headed the JINR-China expert working group under the Joint Coordinating Committee. In 2009-2014, he was a member of the JINR Scientific Council.

The decision of the jury, presented by Vice-Director of JINR Vladimir Kekelidze, on awarding the annual JINR prizes for the best theoretical and experimental research, investigations in science, methodology and technology, as well as in applied physics was approved.

The 139th session of the Scientific Council ended with the opening of a monument to Academician Alexander Baldin in VBLHEP. The ceremony was attended by heads of JINR and of the Laboratories, relatives, colleagues, students of the famous scientist. The architect Semen Agroskin, the sculptors Elena Munts and Galina Shilina worked on the monument.

The 140th session of the Scientific Council will be held on 24-25 September.

Galina MYALKOVSKAYA,
photos by Elena PUZYNINA