Industry Scientific School held at JINR

On 21 - 24 October, the second module of the Industry Scientific School "New materials and technologies for advanced energy systems" for young scientists was held at the International Conference Centre of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The autumn stage of the educational programme is dedicated to studying the basics of the synthesis of superheavy elements and the behavior of materials in extreme conditions. The event was organized by the State Corporation of the Russian Federation for Atomic Energy "Rosatom" with the support of JINR.

The First Deputy Director General of JSC Science and Innovations Alexey Dub participated in the opening of the School. In his speech, he highlighted the extensively developing cooperation between JINR and Rosatom in the field of heavy element synthesis. Speaking about the significance of training personnel for the nuclear industry, Alexey Dub emphasized that this scientific school is a good platform for exchanging experience and strengthening relations between young scientists and leading industry specialists.

"Today, you have a unique opportunity to learn about the organization of scientific research and advanced technologies in a leading international scientific centre. By the end of the module, you will be convinced that science and scientists play a key role in the development of the industry," Alexey Dub addressed the participants of the School.

Director of the JINR University Centre Dmitry Kamanin gave an overview lecture on the activities of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.

"Today, all the conditions required for the comprehensive implementation of scientific and innovative potential have been developed in Dubna," Dmitry Kamanin stated. He emphasized that thanks to the work and achievements of JINR scientists that have historically always succeeded in making new technological decisions, interest in the research of the Joint Institute on the part of Member States and associate members currently increases, while the JINR partner network in 2022 for the first time reached 1000 organizations in more than 70 countries around the world and the international staff of scientists of the Institute includes representatives from 33 countries at present."

Dmitry Kamanin told the participants about the research and scientific infrastructure of the Institute's Laboratories, highlighting the basic guidelines and the essential role of cooperation with other national scientific centres and international organizations, primarily, CERN. The overview lecture also included issues of personnel training at JINR.

"Using the words of the first Director of JINR Dmitry Blokhintsev, I will say that when physicists go to a new field, they never come back empty-handed. I hope that it will be confirmed by the experience of the participants of this School," Dmitry Kamanin concluded.

Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department of JINR Elena Badawy spoke about the history of the establishment of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. During her speech, key events in world history that had preceded the establishment of JINR were highlighted, including the transition from atomic diplomacy to scientific one. Elena Badawy also presented the milestones in the development of the Institute's international scientific cooperation in the 20th century, emphasizing the special role of JINR as a platform for demonstrating the achievements of Soviet and world science.

"Today, such an international scientific organization as JINR is a very significant platform for the development of scientific diplomacy and cooperation between scientists from different countries," Elena Badawy emphasized. "The entire history of the Institute proves to us that serious science is the basis of successful cooperation. With science, any turbulence will certainly be overcome."

Deputy Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions Mikhail Itkis spoke about the development of research in the field of synthesis of superheavy elements at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. He highlighted the basic stages in the development of accelerator technologies and the evolution of techniques for the synthesis of superheavy elements, as well as the role of JINR scientists in this development. Such as, in 1974, FLNR employee Yuri Oganessian became the author of the discovery of a new class of nuclear reactions - the cold fusion of massive nuclei. Subsequently, it was under his scientific supervision that the elements 114 and 116 of the Periodic Table were synthesized.

Mikhail Itkis focused on the results of the first experimental studies carried out by JINR scientists at the Superheavy Element Factory at FLNR. Since the complex was put into operation, scientists have successfully synthesized seven new isotopes: ²⁸⁸Lv, ²⁸⁶Mc, ²⁶⁴Lr, ²⁷⁵Ds, ²⁷⁶Ds, ²⁷²Hs and ²⁶⁸Sg. Further development of the SHE Factory opens up new opportunities not only for studying the spectroscopic and radiochemical properties of elements, but also for obtaining new elements of the eighth period of the Periodic Table.

"We are on the path to new discoveries, on the road to the unknown," Mikhail Itkis said. "But this 'road' is built with fruitful cooperation between JINR and Rosatom. I hope that thanks to well-coordinated cooperation we will be able to achieve the long-awaited elements 119 and 120."

The lecture "Research on the selection and justification of MSR materials" was given by the senior researcher of the Reactor Research Complex Department of JSC SSC RIAR Pavel Palachev. In his speech, he covered in detail issues related to the operation of molten salt reactors (MSR), including the purpose and properties of salt in MSR reactors, as well as the areas and results of research carried out on the SM-3 reactor in Dimitrovgrad.

On Tuesday, within the framework of a lecture delivered by Deputy Head of the Department of Scientific and Methodological Research and Innovations at VBLHEP JINR and Head of the ARIADNA collaboration Oleg Belov, the participants of the School were introduced to the programme of applied research implemented on heavy ion beams at the NICA complex. On 23 October, Oleg Belov, together with the senior researcher at MLIT JINR Alexander Uzhinsky, held a master class on preparing for a thesis defense.

At the end of the School, the participants were given excursions to the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, where they visited the Superheavy Element Factory and to the Laboratory of High Energy Physics, where they were introduced to the NICA accelerator complex.

More than 40 specialists from 17 Rosatom enterprises took part in the second module programme, including from the scientific, fuel, mechanical engineering and other divisions. In addition to scientists from the Joint Institute, representatives of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (JSC SSC RIAR), the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (FSUE RFNC - VNIIEF) and the Troitsk Institute of Innovation and Thermonuclear Research (JSC SSC RF TRINITY) gave interesting lectures to young specialists.

Based on the information from the JINR Press Office