In the wake of the departed

Viktor Kukhtin 8.11.1944 - 7.05.2025

VBLHEP Directorate regretfully informs that a member of the Sector "Physics at ATLAS" Viktor V.Kukhtin passed away at the 81st year of his life.

Viktor V.Kukhtin started working at JINR in 1967 after having graduated from the Physics Faculty of Moscow State University. In the first years, he participated in the experiment at the synchrophasotron of LHE on the search for a thrice charged isobar in pion backscattering and afterwards, in development of the facility and software for the experiment at the U-70 accelerator in Protvino on the investigation of kaon regeneration. He defended his Ph.D. thesis based on these papers in 1977.

Viktor Kukhtin dedicated many years of his scientific work to active engagement in the first major joint JINR-CERN experiment NA-4 to study deep inelastic muon scattering on the proton accelerator SPS at CERN with an energy of 400 GeV. He measured the structure functions of nucleons and studied the manifestation of the Z-boson in the asymmetries of deep inelastic muon scattering of different polarizations. Later, V.V.Kukhtin participated in development of a hadron calorimeter for the labeling station on the labeled neutrino complex at the U-70 accelerator.

In 1991, he was actively involved in the preparation of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, joining the ASCOT project and becoming one of the founders of the ATLAS collaboration. In the 1990s, under him, JINR staff developed and designed modules of the liquid-argon end-face hadron calorimeter of the ATLAS detector. He was also responsible for other work that was crucial for the development of a full-fledged detector, including the thermometry system, long-term tests of radiation resistance of the detector assemblies, organization and participation in the sessions at IBR-2 and SPS. The ATLAS facility nodes constructed and tested in Dubna have been operating perfectly on LHC beams for many years, providing scientists with first-class scientific information, on the basis of which the Higgs boson was discovered in 2012. Viktor Kukhtin is a co-author of this discovery. Until his last days, he continued to work in the ATLAS project, actively engaged in the programme to upgrade the detector for operation at higher luminosity of the HL-LHC collider. The original technique of searching for the Dirac monopole proposed by V.V.Kukhtin will probably find its place in future investigations at the LHC.

V.V.Kukhtin made a great contribution to strengthening the scientific prestige of JINR with his work. Viktor Kukhtin's achievements are well known in the Institute, seven times his papers were awarded the JINR Prize and he was more than once awarded Honorary Diplomas of JINR and of the city of Dubna. He generously shared his rich experience and knowledge in physics and techniques of current experiment with young colleagues. In spite of a solid record of scientific work, Viktor Vasilievich always exuded energy and enthusiasm of a real researcher.

During all the years of his work at JINR, V.V.Kukhtin was extremely active in public life, firmly following his principles. He managed to do a lot for the development and improvement of the social life of the Laboratory and Institute staff. He enjoyed unconditional authority and deep respect among the staff.

A talented scientist that deserved recognition for his great contribution to the organization and implementation of research in the Laboratory of High Energy Physics of JINR, in the IHEP (Protvino) and in CERN passed away. A kind, sincere, reliable person, a wise adviser that left his trace in science and a bright memory of all that knew him passed away.

Directorates of JINR and VBLHEP and the staff of the Laboratory express their sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of Viktor Kukhtin.

The bright memory of a remarkable person and a real scientist will forever live in our hearts.