26 August marked the start of the International School of Accelerator Physics: Cyclotrons, organized by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (NRNU MEPhI). The event brought together more than 50 participants from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. By 30 August they will hear 29 lectures delivered by leading specialists of the FLNR and VBLHEP at JINR, NRNU MEPhI, and the Radiomedsintez Radiopharmaceutical Company.

A FLNR senior engineer, Organizing Committee Co-Chair Dmitry Pugachev gave an introductory speech. He stressed that if participants have questions about lecture materials, infrastructure, internship, and employment at JINR, they can contact the organizing committee both during the week of the event and after it.

“This school is not only a platform for professional development in accelerator physics, but also a step towards cooperation and the creation of new collaborations, since it hosts representatives of various scientific organizations and universities. In addition, during the school and an excursion to the Superheavy Elements Factory, you will be able to get to know the place where you can write your thesis and find your supervisor, which the organizing committee of the school can also help with,” Dmitry Pugachev noted. The scientific programme of the school started with a lecture by Chief Engineer of the Joint Institute Boris Gikal on the history of accelerator technology and the use of heavy ion accelerators in applied tasks and industry.

The participants are employees of scientific organizations, as well as students and postgraduates of specialised universities under 35. Participants represent a variety of Russian cities and other countries: JINR, NRNU MEPhI, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute of Kurchatov Institute, Efremov Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus, Institute of Nuclear Physics (Kazakhstan), Belarusian State University, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic and Belgorod State National Research Universities, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Radiomedsintez. This is the second international accelerator physics school held by the Association of Young Scientists and Specialists of JINR. The first one took place in 2023 on Lipnya Island. “The series of schools of accelerator physics aims to attract students who major in accelerator physics and improve the skills of engineers and researchers working on the accelerator infrastructure of the Joint Institute. The first school was dedicated to providing an overview on colliders, while the current one focuses on cyclotrons. In the future schools, we aim to elaborate on specific accelerator systems,” Chair of the School’s Organizing Committee, AYSS JINR Chair Vladislav Rozhkov explained.

The extensive scientific programme of the event includes topics such as superheavy element synthesis, heavy ion accelerators in fundamental science and applied tasks, diagnostics and dynamics of charged particle beams in electromagnetic fields, and much more. The speakers will detail the work of the main cyclotron systems and the principles of operation of other types of accelerators, including linear accelerators, colliders, synchrotrons, and related equipment such as ion sources and nuclear fission separators. Emphasis is placed on the operation of the facilities of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at JINR, which conducts advanced fundamental and applied research.

The school will finish on Friday, 30 August, with an excursion to the Superheavy Element Factory. The social programme includes quizzes and contests for the best question to lecturers and the best photos.

The organizing committee of the school included scientists from VBLHEP, DLNP, FLNR, MLIT, and LRB at JINR, as well as the NRNU MEPhI. The venue is Country Resort Hotel (Verbilki, Moscow Region). The working language of the event is Russian.

The lectures are being broadcast online. The recordings will be available on JINR’s social media after the school finishes.