On 15-16 February, the 135th session of the Scientific Council of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research took place in Dubna in a hybrid format. This meeting is the first in the new seven-year period of the development of the Institute. Members of the Council, leading researchers from many countries of the world, heard and discussed the report of the JINR Director on the results of the Institute’s work in 2023 and learnt about the recommendations of the JINR Programme Advisory Committees (PAC JINR) held in January this year. Changes to the Regulations for the Election of Directors and the Appointment of Deputy Directors of the JINR Laboratories were approved. The Council members endorsed the positions of deputy directors of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems and the Laboratory of Neutron Physics. Results of the JINR Annual Prize competition for the best scientific papers were announced.

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JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov presented a report on the current activities of the Institute to the members of the JINR Scientific Council. The presentation covered the decisions of the last session of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the JINR Member States (CP JINR), the results of the implementation of the Seven-Year Plan for the Development of JINR in 2017-2023, the progress of the projects included in the 2024 Topical Plan, and the latest JINR activities regarding international cooperation.

“The first Scientific Council in the new seven-year period, on the one hand, can be called the start of a new period, when we smoothly move from one seven-year plan to another. The new plan has become an additional impetus for us to extend the list of achievements that have resulted from several years of work,” JINR Director commented.

At the CP meeting in Almaty in November, changes in the membership of the Scientific Council and the final version of the Seven-Year Plan for the Development of JINR in 2024-2030 were discussed. The CP approved the JINR Topical plan for 2024. “The CP noted that JINR done a lot of work to foster international cooperation. The Committee also stressed that the number of employees at JINR is increasing and joint research is currently implemented with many countries, the JINR Member States and external partners,” Grigory Trubnikov added. He said that the growing number of young employees of the Joint Institute and students undergoing pre-graduate internships is a positive sign. In particular, a significant increase in the number of specialists from Vietnam and Egypt is expected. The number of candidate and doctoral dissertation defenses is growing at the Institute as well.

In January, meetings of the JINR Programme Advisory Committees for Particle Physics (PAC PP), Condensed Matter Physics (PAC CMP), and Nuclear Physics (PAC NP) took place.

The NICA Megascience Project is rapidly developing. This winter, the collider’s radiofrequency system resonators were tested and cooling of the MPD Detector was started. The Director noted the successful work of the MPD Collaboration and the VBLHEP team in constructing all detector components with insignificant delays. “I would like to thank my colleagues from Russian institutes that have done a lot for the project,” the JINR Director emphasised.

The first series of lectures on training operators involved in commissioning and operation of the NICA Complex took place at VBLHEP. The power supply system for the collider’s structural components is ready for the commissioning. A new cryogenic compressor station will be launched this summer. The International SPD Detector Advisory Committee (SPD DAC), convened in December 2023, has begun reviewing an updated SPD Technical Design Report (TDR). The number of institutes participating in the MPD and SPD Collaborations increases.

Some of the data obtained a year ago, during the fourth commissioning run at NICA, have already been published, some are being analysed. “The accuracy with which we are processing the results and the rate with which we can analyse them, as well as the new models our theorists and experimentalists are working on, allow us to see a very interesting effect. For example, according to the results of the BM@N Experiment, the production of strange particles is several times higher than expected. It means that we are feeling out some curious effects and phenomena in the reactions that we carry out at the Nuclotron energies,” Grigory Trubnikov emphasised.

The ARIADNA Collaboration on applied research at NICA is actively working. In the fourth NICA run, the first applied research results were obtained by several partner organizations. The ARIADNA SOChI Station was tested using an argon beam. Two other stations have been installed, SIMBO and ISCRA.

JINR Director noted the successful participation of the Institute in the work of collaborations at CERN, as well as the active involvement of JINR in fulfilling its obligations in the programme of the second modernisation stage of the ATLAS, CMS, and ALICE Detectors at the LHC. Important results on the rare kaon decays were obtained in the NA64 Experiment with the JINR participation.

The Baikal-GVD Deep-Underwater Neutrino Telescope has been successfully upgraded. A new expedition to Lake Baikal will soon begin. In 2023, another 576 optical modules and 2 bottom cable lines were installed in the largest neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. Soon, another 470 optical modules will be included.

JINR neutrino experiments at nuclear reactors, including the external ones, are currently under development. JINR Director highlighted the progress of the DANSS, RICOCHET, and JUNO Projects.

Researchers continue to conduct experiments at the Superheavy Element Factory with the world-record sensitivity. Among the latest results is the observation of two events of the new isotope ²⁸⁸Lv in the ⁵⁴Cr+²³⁸U reaction. This is an important stage in preparation for the synthesis of the new element 120 in the ⁵⁴Cr+²⁴⁸Cm reaction.

Upgrade of the DRIBs-III Accelerator Complex is in progress. In spring, the first beams will be obtained at the U400-M Isochronous Cyclotron, the intensity of which will increase by 10-20% after renovation. The main magnet of the new DC-140 Accelerator Complex has been installed. The researchers expect to put it into operation at the end of 2024.

Construction works in the new U-400R Experimental Hall are ahead of schedule. “Thanks to the high construction pace at FLNR, the complex will be ready a year earlier than expected. This is due to effective communication not only between the laboratory and contractors, but also between engineering and administrative services. We work as a very well coordinated and active organism,” Grigory Trubnikov commented.

In the optimistic scenario, the scientists expect to resume the IBR-2 Reactor operation in autumn (applications by external users for April-May 2025 will be collected in October). In anticipation of putting the reactor into operation, work is underway to modernise the spectrometer complex. A number of spectrometers will have their efficiency indicators increased by more than 10 times. “In addition, three new facilities will be launched at the IBR-2, the wide-aperture BSD-A Backscattering Detector for the high-resolution Fourier diffractometer, the small-angle neutron scattering and neutron radiography detector titled SANSARA, and the BJN, the inelastic neutron scattering spectrometer in inverse geometry,” JINR Director said.

Important results of the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics in elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, and modern mathematical physics, including those aimed at theoretical support of the JINR experimental programme, were noted.

The Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex is currently being upgraded at MLIT. In November, the 11th cloud cluster at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan was integrated into the JINR Cloud Infrastructure. Among the most interesting research at MLIT in terms of applied application Grigory Trubnikov highlighted Doctor P., the platform and mobile application for recognising plant diseases. MLIT holds student IT-schools twice a year.

LRB researchers made important studies on the development and repair of radiation-induced clustered DNA double-strand breaks in brain cells. In October, a conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA structure was held at JINR. The Laboratory of Radiation Biology is actively developing fundamental and applied research areas related to life sciences and condensed matter physics, thanks to the establishment of an interlaboratory research programme.

The JINR University Centre annually organizes START and INTEREST student programmes, holds popular science lectures for the citizens of Dubna and their children, and organizes visits of schoolchildren and students to JINR laboratories.

An important area of activity of the Joint Institute is international scientific and technical collaboration, and extensive work is currently carried out in this direction.

Last October, JINR representatives took part in the 5th meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Research Infrastructure (BRICS GRAIN). An agreement of intent was signed between JINR and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In December, the JINR Information Centre was opened at the Arab Atomic Energy Agency in Tunisia. In Minsk, the JINR delegation took part in the anniversary of the State Committee for Science and Technology of Belarus. Several times during the year, JINR delegations visited Egyptian scientific centres and the IAEA in Vienna. Representatives of JINR and iThemba LABS (South Africa) exchanged visits. Meetings were held with scientists from Vietnam and Pakistan. Scientific ties with Brazil are strengthening. Four joint research projects with Mexico were selected for implementation.

Over the past year, JINR employees have won several prestigious scientific awards. In particular, members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) from JINR won state awards of Russia on the 300th anniversary of the RAS. The team of scientists including Grigory Trubnikov, Andrey Butenko, Anatoly Sidorin was presented with the RAS Veksler Prize, Hamlet Khodzhibagiyan won the Vyzov Prize, Alexander Malakhov received the Cherenkov RAS Prize. Young researchers Liudmila Kolupaeva and Elizaveta Bushmina were awarded with RAS medals, and Alexander Nezvanov and Vladislav Shalaev became winners of the Moscow Region Governor’s Prize.

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The report stimulated a lively and lengthy discussion. Physics professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico Ana María Cetto Kramis proposed to establish cooperation with the editors of a specialised scientific journal in Mexico. President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Michel Spiro raised the question of the prospects for collaborative work between the Joint Institute and CERN. Grigory Trubnikov underlined that JINR is ready to ensure full involvement of scientists and specialists from the JINR Member States with CERN, maintaining and strengthening ties subject to mutually respectful recognition and fulfilment of mutual obligations by the parties and the prolongation of the JINR-CERN International Cooperation Agreement. Rector of the University of the Witwatersrand Zeblon Vilakazi underlined that the results obtained by the Tier-1 Computing Grid Centre at MLIT at JINR are quite significant for global partners. The Scientific Council highly appreciated the contribution of the JINR groups participating in experiments at the LHC to the physics analysis and renovation of facilities.

Chairs of the JINR Programme Advisory Committees Itzhak Tserruya, Valery Nesvizhevsky, and Dénes Lajos Nagy informed the Scientific Council about the recommendations adopted at the meetings of the PACs for Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Condensed Matter Physics in January 2024.

The Scientific Council underlined the successful work of the VBLHEP JINR team and the NICA Collaborations in the modernisation, commissioning and putting into operation of the accelerator complex. The PAC PP drew the attention of the SC members to the fact that the commissioning of NICA and the high priority given to NICA’s Flagship Experiments (BM@N, MPD and SPD), cast doubt on the possibility of allocating beam time for other experiments in the coming years. This may affect the timely implementation of related projects. The Scientific Council supported the PAC’s recommendation to the Directorate of VBLHEP and NICA to formulate a common strategy for the availability of beam time for users for the next 2-3 years.

The Scientific Council approved the opening of a new project titled “Fundamental and applied physics using beams of relativistic accelerated electrons (FLAP)” at the LINAC-200 Linear Electron Accelerator. Members of the Scientific Council also supported the opening of the project at the Nuclotron, “HyperNIS+SRC: Hyper Nuclear Intrinsic Strangeness and Short-Range Correlations”. The initial stage of the programme is aimed at studying the lightest neutron-rich hypernuclei, such as ⁶H, ⁴H, ³H.

Members of the Scientific Council approved the recommendations of the PAC NP on projects scheduled for implementation in 2024. In particular, the SC supported the launch of the DLNP scientific programme in nuclear physics. The importance of efforts channeled into the further improvement of the JINR experimental basis and deepening of the interlaboratory interaction between FLNR, DLNP, and FLNP with BLTP on topics and areas of mutual interest was also pointed up. Such a cooperation would contribute to the development of experimental and theoretical research results.

The Scientific Council approved the recommendations of the PAC CMP on the selection of the optimal layout of the core of the future JINR NEPTUNE Reactor. The further development of the scientific programme for the NEPTUNE Reactor would be supported. In addition, the PAC CMP proposed a new method for evaluating projects that was tested at the committee meetings in 2023. The Scientific Council recommended using this procedure in the future.

A new edition of the Regulation for the Election of Directors and the Endorsed Appointment of Deputy Directors of JINR Laboratories was approved. The Scientific Council recommended its approval at the next CP meeting in March 2024.

DLNP Director Evgeny Yakushev and FLNP Director Egor Lychagin presented proposals for the appointment of their deputies, whose candidacies were approved by a closed vote. Alexey Guskov, Head of the DLNP Scientific and Experimental Department of Colliding Beams, SPD NICA Collaboration Leader, became the Deputy Director for Research at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems. Bagdaulet Mukhametuly, an FLNP senior researcher, Deputy Chief Engineer of the VVR-K Reactor at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director for Research at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics.

At the end of the first day of the session, members of the Scientific Council visited the Laboratory of High Energy Physics and toured the NICA Accelerator Complex under construction. In the presence of SC members, the grand opening of two stations for applied research at NICA was held, SIMBO (Station for Investigation of Medical Biological Objects) and ISCRA (Irradiation Station of Components of Radioelectronic Apparatus). Together with the SOChI Station, they constitute the infrastructure for applied research at ARIADNA.

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On 16 February, the meeting opened with scientific reports by young scientists selected by the PACs for presentation at the SC session. Alexander Sheremetiev (VBLHEP) spoke about the development of technology for the production of double-sided silicon microstrip modules for upgrading the NICA BM@N Silicon Tracking System. Alexander Nezvanov (FLNP) gave a report titled “Enhanced targeted extraction of very cold neutrons using a reflector made of diamond nanoparticle powder.” Asif Asadov (FLNP) presented the report about phase transitions in Carpi-Gali oxides Ln₂Ti₂O₇ (Ln = La, Nd, Pr) at high pressures.

JINR Vice-Director Latchesar Kostov announced the results of the competition for the 2023 JINR Prizes for the best theoretical, experimental, methodological, technological, and applied studies to the employees of the Institute.

The title of JINR Honorary Doctor was awarded to a member of the JINR Scientific Council Professor Chavdar Stoyanov, Head of the Laboratory of Nuclear Spectroscopy at the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy (INRNE), Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

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Grigory Trubnikov announced a vacancy for the position of Director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions. Elections will be held next year, at the 137th session of the Scientific Council.

The session concluded with the adoption of a Resolution by the Scientific Council. The next, 136th session of the Council will be held in September this year.