Their names are in the history of the Institute

His work lives on and develops

On 19 December, a FLNP seminar in memory of Vladimir Maksimovich Nazarov (10.12.1931 - 30.12.1994) was held.

V.N.Shvetsov gave an opening speech. He stated that "Vladimir Maksimovich was an absolutely extraordinary person. In addition to neutron activation analysis, he was involved in many things that we use today in our daily work." V.M.Nazarov has been at JINR since 1957, before that he worked at the Mayak plant. V.N.Shvetsov met him at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, where he was doing his diploma work and Vladimir Maksimovich at that time studied the protein content in grain using a radioactive source. At the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, he immediately got involved in the development of the first IBR reactor and later, IBR-30 and IBR-2. "Circumstances were fortunate - he participated in the design of IBR-2, so it was possible to design the REGATA complex with all its numerous pipelines as well. It would have been impossible to design such a complex after the reactor had already been constructed," Valery Nikolaevich emphasized. Development of the comb moderator on the reactor is also associated with Nazarov's name. "I think he was one of the first in the world to prove in practice that it is possible to radically improve neutron transport - using mirror pipelines. His European colleagues learned how to deposit mirror films from him. He passed away very early. If he had lived another ten years, perhaps, the production of mirror pipelines would have been established here. But today, we buy them in Switzerland and Hungary, although the Laboratory's potential allows us to produce good mirror neutron guides," V.N.Shvetsov concluded his speech.

"Vladimir Maksimovich is one of the charismatic personalities, along with such as Yu.M.Ostanevich, L.B.Pikelner, if not to mention our academicians," M.V.Frontaseva began her speech. "To preserve the memory of them is to pay tribute to the history of the Institute. Neutron activation analysis was experiencing its heyday in the world in the 1960s. At the same time, I.M.Frank began discussing the idea of establishing a NAA sector at FLNP. Thanks to V.M.Nazarov and the applied research implemented in his sector, information about JINR spread to the Member States that contributed to the increase of interest in the Institute in the world." Marina Vladimirovna presented photographs that captured V.M.Nazarov in the Laboratory and at conferences with colleagues from the GDR, DPRK, Poland and Vietnam. I.Natkanets that began working with him, contributed to the influx of Polish employees to FLNP. The work of the sector attracted the attention of famous NAA and ecology specialists from the USA, Canada, the Republic of Korea, the founder of the leading world ecological journal Science of the Total Environment E.Hamilton and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.N.Mostovoy. "At that time, we could not meet with foreigners from other laboratories of the Institute but Vladimir Maksimovich invited them to his home. He was a very open and hospitable person, we gathered for picnic at his house made of milk cartons in the forest," Marina Vladimirovna recalled. Vladimir Maksimovich was an excellent photographer and was fond of amateur filming. Thoughts about his favorite activity did not leave him until the very end. On his last day, when M.V.Frontasyeva was not in Dubna, he asked the sector employee S.F.Gundorina to come to his home: "Do everything to save the Sector!" And a few hours later, he was gone.

V.M.Nazarov and M.V.Frontaseva. 1994

V.M.Nazarov on the REGATA facility

The report "The present and future of the NAA at the IBR-2 reactor" was delivered by Head of the Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research Sector I.Zinkovskaya. Today, 26 specialists from eight Member States of the Institute work in the Sector. The process of developing the REGATA facility that started under Vladimir Maksimovich and continued when the Sector was headed by Marina Vladimirovna, does not slow down: the control panel of the REGATA complex, assembled by Nazarov, has been replaced with a more current one. The introduction of an automatic sample change system has made the work of the sector employees easier. The NAA research methodology itself has been certified, the results of which are registered in the state certificate. An optical emission spectrometer has been purchased, allowing research to be carried out with the reactor inoperative. The range of the Sector's research also expands: the active biomonitoring technique is increasingly used; since 2012, together with colleagues from South Africa, water biomonitoring has been developing; over the past ten years, NAA has been used to study wastewater, to evaluate soil pollution and to develop techniques for soil bioremediation - their purification using plants and microorganisms. A modern trend with great potential - studying the effect of nanoparticles on plants and animals has also found its place among the Sector's research. In recent years, the Sector has begun radioecological research; a radionuclide analysis of soils and bottom sediments on Novaya Zemlya Island was carried out. NAA is also in demand in medicine, archeology and the analysis of extraterrestrial objects. The division does not stop developing: in the next few years, it is necessary to meet the issue of automating the processing of spectra using neural networks. Inga thanked all the employees of the Sector that once worked in it and that work there today.

A.M.Balagurov spoke about the development of neutron radiography at IBR-2. This very promising technique in terms of various applications was included in the programme for the development of applied work at IBR-2, yet it could not be implemented until Vladimir Maksimovich took up the matter. In 1985-1986, a version of the neutron radiography facility was developed at IBR-2 and several fundamental experiments were implemented. Together with Nazarov, they were carried out by I.L.Sashin, S.S.Pavlov and V.P.Sysoev. For some reason, this area did not receive further development the first time, but was nevertheless revived at FLNP almost 30 years later and is now one of the most successful scientific areas at IBR-2. A.M.Balagurov recalled another topic that is extremely important for the successful operation of spectrometers at IBR-2 - development of mirror neutron guides for them. V.M.Nazarov began working in this area in the late 1960s together with D.A.Korneev, a brilliant physicist that unfortunately, passed away early. Dmitry Anatolevich's efforts resulted in the development of a completely new area in neutron physics - polarized neutron optics and Vladimir Maksimovich managed to organize a full-fledged production of mirror neutron guides of fairly high quality at FLNP. By 1997, several hundred meters of "Nazarov neutron guides" were installed on four spectrometers at the IBR-2 reactor that allowed them to significantly improve the methodological capabilities. Unfortunately, Vladimir Maksimovich was not very fond of writing articles. There is not a single publication on neutron radiography and there is only a JINR preprint from 1980 on neutron guides. "It was always a joy to talk to Vladimir Maksimovich, he possessed such diverse, one might say, encyclopedic knowledge. For our generation, V.M.Nazarov was a real senior comrade. We, D.A.Korneev, A.I.Beskrovny and me, often visited him and received a detailed answer to almost any question," Anatoly Mikhailovich emphasized.

E.P.Shabalin named V.M.Nazarov as one of the pioneers, showing a photograph from 1959 that captured the founders of the first IBR reactor. But he recognized Vladimir Maksimovich first and foremost as a passionate photo and film enthusiast, since he himself was the same. Together with several employees of the Institute, in 1963, they took part in the Club of the Funny and Inventive competition held in the television studio on Shabolovka. Nazarov also became a pioneer in the IBR-2 project. "I also love him for his courage and integrity. Vladimir Maksimovich was among 10 FLNP employees that signed a letter to A.M.Petrosyants demanding the reactor power not to be limited to two megawatts," Evgeny Pavlovich stated.

V.E.Zaychik (Medical Radiological Research Centre, Obninsk) spoke about the history of the use of NAA in medicine in the USSR and the advantages of this technique. He met Nazarov in 1975 at a meeting in Dubna: "I was amazed by the range of his interests. Artificial diamonds, cement, biological objects - one person was engaged in all this." Ivan Ruskov worked with Nazarov for four years and participated in the first experiment on beam No. 11 at the IZOMER facility that would not have existed without Vladimir Maksimovich. The facility, designed to determine the yield of delayed neutrons, is still in demand.

The memories of Vladimir Maksimovich continued over tea. A.P.Sumbaev (VBLHEP) showed photographs of the second rapid of the Dubnensky cascade on the Tavayoki River in Karelia, named after Nazarov "Maksimych" and the first ascent of Gornaya Chuya in Transbaikalia. G.A.Ososkov (MLIT) recalled the bright charisma of Vladimir Maksimovich and spoke about his further work using the neural network approach.

The Sector has not only survived, as Vladimir Maksimovich bequeathed, it develops and Nazarov's work lives on.

Olga TARANTINA,
photo from the JINR archive