On 15 – 17 October 2018, a delegation from France represented by Director of the Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe – IRFU CEA (Saclay, France) Anna-Isabelle Etienvre, Scientific Director of the Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe Nicolas Alamanos, and Deputy Director of the Large Heavy Ion National Accelerator GANIL (Caen, France) Heloise Eugenie Juliette Dancer visited JINR.

On 16 October, a meeting of the French delegation with the JINR Directorate, which was represented by JINR Vice-Directors M.G. Itkis and B.Yu. Sharkov and Head of the JINR International Cooperation Department D.V. Kamanin, was held. The visit of the delegation was aimed at finding new opportunities for development and strengthening of cooperation between IRFU and JINR.

The French delegation visited the accelerating complex of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions where the guests met with FLNR Scientific Leader Yu.Ts. Oganessian, the NICA accelerating complex that is under construction in the Veksler and Baldin Laboratory of High Energy Physics, and the Laboratory of Radiation Biology. Acquaintance with the Joint Institute was continued on 17 October in the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics. During the discussions, much attention was paid to the possibility of cooperation in the frames of the perspective neutron source of the NEPTUN superbooster.

Photos by Elena Puzynina, JINR Scientific Information Department

At the joint JINR seminar, IRFU Director Anna-Isabelle Etienvre delivered a lecture on the activities of her Institute having presented a wide range of scientific research of the centre. After the seminar, IRFU Director said in the comments to JINR journalists: “I am very much impressed by what I have seen in the JINR Laboratories during these two days, in particular the NICA project and the Factory of superheavy elements as well as the projects concerning the neutron source that are similar to those that we have in France. I am very much impressed.” The programme of the delegation was concluded by the interlaboratory workshop at which FLNR Leading Researcher L.V. Grigorenko presented the concept of a perspective project of the DERICA electron-radioactive ion collider and outlined the possibilities for cooperation.

JINR Vice-Director Academician B.Yu. Sharkov commented on the visit of French colleagues: “Nowadays, joining of France to JINR as its associate partner is discussed, and support of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, which includes IRFU and GANIL, is of crucial importance. We are going to organize a working group that will list the projects in which scientists from France and JINR will participate on a bilateral basis. These projects will serve as the basis for a political decision of the French government on joining JINR. Nowadays, we have joint project on nuclear physics as well as joint research in the ALICE and ATLAS experiments that will be intensified and developed. Our task now is to give a new impetus to our cooperation. Joint development of detectors, joint research basis, establishing of scientific youth exchange are discussed. Today, Anna-Isabelle Etienvre showed that IRFU has the widest range of research. We saw that the scientific domains of our institutes are very similar. Thus, there are strong grounds for our cooperation.”

Article by the JINR Weekly Newspaper about the visit of the French delegation