On 21 December, a new stage in the construction of the experimental hall of the U-400R accelerator complex started at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions: pouring concrete into the foundation of the building. The U-400R complex is developed on the basis of the U-400 heavy ion accelerator that has been operating in the laboratory since 1978. The main research area at this cyclotron is the synthesis of superheavy elements.

Pouring the first cubic meters of concrete into the foundation of the U-400R experimental building

The result of many years of efforts by the FLNR team headed by RAS Academician Yuri Oganessian was the recognition of JINR’s priority in the discovery of elements 114-118 of D.I. Mendeleev’s Periodic Table. Further development of work in the field of synthesis and research of the properties of superheavy elements concerns the FLNR Superheavy Elements Factory that was put into operation and has been successfully operating since 2020. The development of the new U-400R accelerator complex includes a deep modernization of the current U-400 cyclotron, the construction of a new experimental hall and of new experimental facilities. The new separators will be positioned in three radiation-insulated cabins of the experimental hall that will allow to prepare beams for experiments while working with one of them at a facility.

The construction of the experimental hall with a total area of 4566 square meters has been carried out by the general contractor “Elektrotsentromontazh” JSC since June, 2023. By the end of the year, all preparatory work was completed, including drilling and pouring the foundation piles of the building (763 bored piles, each 18 meters high, the pouring of which took more than 4000 cubic meters of high-strength concrete) that allows us to begin the main stage of construction, starting with pouring the foundation.

Pile field U-400R Experimental Hall

When designing the experimental hall, special attention was paid to safety issues. The design solutions for radiation protection of the new experimental hall are based on the principle of deep echeloning, combining both static and dynamic barriers, as well as systems for monitoring their integrity.

The development of a new U-400R accelerator complex at FLNR JINR will allow to expand the capabilities of the laboratory and to carry out advanced research in the field of investigations of advanced nuclear reactions, obtaining new, not yet known nuclei using these reactions, studying their properties, as well as of applied research on testing electronic components used in the space industry.