In the wake of the departed

Nikolay Borisov 13.12.1942 - 8.10.2025

Nikolay Borisov was born on 13 December, 1942, in Nizhny Tagil. After having graduated from Moscow State University in 1966, he worked at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems at JINR. During the work at the Laboratory, Nikolay Borisov developed into a highly qualified, world-class researcher, capable of independently meeting complex scientific, methodological and technical problems in the development and construction of cutting-edge nuclear research equipment - polarized proton and deuteron "frozen" targets.

Since 1986, Nikolay Borisov had held the position of a senior researcher. N.S.Borisov had long been involved in the production and use of ultra-low temperatures in experimental facilities. He is a co-author of pioneering work on the implementation of a fundamentally new technique for producing ultra-low temperatures (dissolving He-3 and He-4 isotopes). It was on the basis of this technique, with N. S. Borisov's decisive contribution, that a new type of facility - polarized "frozen" targets, was developed. Currently, these facilities are successfully used in polarization research in Protvino, Prague, Gatchina, VBLHEP, Mainz and Bonn. N.S.Borisov's role in developing the polarized "frozen" target in Prague is particularly noteworthy, as he even had to organize a cryogenic laboratory at Charles University for this purpose. As a result, polarization research has been carried out at the VdG accelerator in Prague since 1994 and this experiment was the only beam experiment in a JINR Member State.

In 1994, a large team of specialists from various institutes in Russia, Ukraine and France, with the support (twice in 1993 and 1995) of the European INTAS foundation, modified and launched the MPT facility, previously used at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The successful implementation of this project was widely covered in various journals at the time: CERN COURIER (volume 35, no.7, 1995; Scintillations, 24 June, 1995), and a film report was also shown on the TF-5 television channel. N.S.Borisov played a key role in this work.

Since 2004, Nikolay Borisov had been a key specialist in the development of a cryostat for a new polarized target in Mainz, within the framework of the GDH&NN project and a separate JINR-Mainz contract.

Since 2009, an experimental programme has been successfully implemented at this facility of the MAMI-C accelerator using the new polarized target. Furthermore, work is currently underway to develop a new polarized target cryostat in Protvino (IHEP) under a separate JINR-IHEP contract. Nikolay Borisov also plays a crucial role in this work. His final project is currently underway at the University of Bonn (ELSA accelerator) to develop a cryostat for a new polarized target.

Nikolay Borisov lived a long and productive life, authoring and co-authoring over 150 publications. International science has suffered a profound loss with his passing. His example of selfless service inspired and mentored generations of scientists and engineers that will forever remember his scientific and human qualities. His colleagues and friends will forever remember his hard work, exceptional qualifications and sincere desire to celebrate the successes of others.

JINR Directorate and staff express their deepest condolences to Nikolay Borisov's family and friends.