The First Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Grigory Trubnikov visited the Baksan Neutrino Observatory of the Institute for Nuclear Research RAS in Kabardino-Balkaria where he officially launched the unique experiment BEST (Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions).

“It is a world-level experiment we have been preparing for three years jointly with the NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, the state corporation “Rosatom”, and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. The RAS Institute for Nuclear Research played a key role in it,” Grigory Trubnikov highlighted. He noted that the Observatory in Kabardino-Balkaria, established more than 30 years ago, has repeatedly surprised the world community: an experiment on study of the solar neutrino deficit was conducted here for the first time, and the discovery was made. Nowadays, scientists in the Baksan Observatory continue studying neutrinos. Now, three types of neutrinos are known, namely electron, tau and muon neutrinos. However, there is a hypothesis that there is the fourth type, i.e. so-called “sterile” neutrinos scientists are looking for.

“Neutrino is an elusive particle as far as it almost does not interact with the matter. However, the neutrinos we are trying to see or at least to measure their effect are rare events observed one time in several months. Nevertheless, we kind of brought the Sun closer to the Earth for 40 times, and the event statistics we have already seen now cannot be achieved by anyone else in the world,” Grigory Trubnikov said.

According to the Deputy Minister, scientists have been developing special techniques for about seven years to implement this project. Moreover, they developed equipment able to detect a new-generation particle. It included a two-zone container for irradiation of 50 tons of metal gallium and additional modules for the extraction and counting systems of the Gallium-Germanium Neutrino Telescope of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory.

According to Grigory Trubnikov, the first statistics of the experiment will be considered in mid-October 2019.

Source: Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Please, find below coverages of the past visit of Grigory Trubnikov to the Kabardino-Balkar Republic prepared by “Vesti KBR” (in Russian):