Collider. Electron-positron Collider, constructed at the Institute of nuclear physics SB RAS
In order to explore the elementary particle you need to accelerate and push. “Two locomotives when confronted, as I was taught Budker at the first lecture, it helps to get to the internal parts of the engine – they just fly.
And recording these pieces, you can understand how the locomotive is” – gave an example of the Collider academician Vasily Parkhomchuk. To make interact the electrons and positrons, their acceleration to very high energies. When confronted, they disappear, and instead produces new particles. Observing this process, scientists get previously inaccessible information about the structure of the particles. But the main goal is to find manifestations of New physics, i.e. laws of nature that are yet unknown and which can transform our view about the world.
Chastity dispersed in the Collider. In INP there are two electron-positron Collider. The world’s total of seven. Similar, but larger, is on the border of Switzerland and France, and at CERN – the European organization for nuclear research, where he worked and ifowcy, and in other countries.
The accelerator mass spectrometer
The accelerator mass spectrometer on the outside looks like a huge barrel
Installation with such a complicated name actually performs an interesting function – it allows you to determine the age of any objects. Starting with stones, minerals and trees and ending with works of art, remains of people, animals, and even cognac. The only condition – they should all contain carbon. The accelerator mass spectrometer used by the archaeologists, soil scientists, geologists, historians, and even police forensics. In INP at UMS about analyze thousands of samples a year. For example, recently, physicists have analyzed a sample of pine from the campus. The peak concentration of radiocarbon in the biosphere occurred in rings that correspond to 60-th years when in the world have conducted ground tests of nuclear weapons.
Age is determined by the remaining carbon. “There is a bone, it was bone young bizonai, we a piece of this bone sawed, carried him on our mass spectrometer and began to analyze. It turned out that C-14 (carbon. – K. sh.) within very few. It passed 27 thousand years ago. Found it here, under the Institute of nuclear physics,” – said Vasily Parkhomchuk. Before the start of the study in UMS chemists have isolated from the bone collagen (protein), which received the carbon in graphite-like condition. It was placed in the drum for analysis.
This method of Dating objects archaeologists love the most, because it needs a very small amount of the starting material.
Traps for plasma
Line closed traps for plasma
50 years of the Soviet scientists who were doing research on nuclear weapons has shifted to the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Thus began research in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion – fusion of heavy nuclei from lighter ones. In order to start the reaction, it is necessary to heat the plasma (vysokovitaminnye gas) to 100 million degrees and above, at the same time, its density should be large enough – only in this case, efficiency will be positive. For the solution of these problems create an experimental thermonuclear reactor. The most common option – closed trap-type tokamak. It is a toroidal – donut – chamber with magnetic coils. Such installations are considered the most promising, therefore, the international thermonuclear experimental reactor ITER, which is built now in France, will be a tokamak.
The Institute of nuclear physics conducting research on other fusion configurations of installation – in open traps. Is not open systems for plasma confinement. The idea of creating such installations was first proposed by Budker in the early 60-ies. “We developed the conceptual design of the trap the new generation – it can be a prototype fusion power, environmentally safe and working. But it’s still a long way to achieve this goal, we need experimental verification of these new ideas”, – said the Deputy Director on scientific work of Alexander Burdakov.
In Russia, as in other countries, there are development programs for the development of fusion energy to create a fusion power plant. Such plants are attractive because they do not require fossil fuel, unlike other sources of energy. But on the way to cheap and environmentally friendly fusion power still many problems that scientists are trying to solve.
Synchrotron radiation
Synchrotron in the bunker Institute of nuclear physics
Synchrotron – essentially, a giant microscope. It allows scientists to observe processes that occur within the substances on a very small, atomic level. Synchrotron radiation produced by the motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field on a curved trajectory, is considered one of the most popular applications of accelerator technology.
Synchrotron radiation is used in different fields of science, for example in pharmacology. With it, the chemists were able to study the molecules of bismuth trikalacity one of the most effective remedies against stomach ulcers, and on its basis to create a domestic drug, which will soon appear in pharmacies.
In the 70-ies in the world there were only two synchrotron emitter in INP and at Stanford University in the United States, said the Deputy Director for science Nikolay Mezentsev: “Once in a while researchers have reached out here, to us, from England, Germany, Czechoslovakia, – conducted experiments. In this sense we were pioneers, and many of the techniques developed here, they are now used worldwide, and all work”.
In a short time in Akademgorodok can make a synchrotron radiation facility – it scientists asked President Vladimir Putin, when he came to Novosibirsk in February.
Industrial accelerators
Industrial accelerators on the conveyor are boxes with medical devices (left) that pass through the irradiated and disinfected (right)
One of the areas which the scientists of INP and which is already used in production, is an industrial accelerators. In the 70-ies of the Budker set the task to enter the market of industrial accelerators, which already existed, but was insufficiently powerful and reliable – they were a threat to radiation safety.
The accelerator source of radiation, but, unlike the permanent radiation sources can be switched on and off, and it will be completely safe, especially for demanding factory conditions. New models of accelerators began to be used for irradiation of the wires, which then increased the life-and become more resistant to overheating and fire. Over time, it became possible to use these installations for sterilization of medical products: gowns, masks, disposable syringes. “Plastic syringes cannot be decontaminated by boiling or something else. Radiation sterilization has no flaws, because there’s nothing purer than electrons. The electrons did their job, got inside the package, kill all living organisms and are gone. No chemistry even in principle can not be”, – said the head of the laboratory Alexander Bryazgin.
Now scientists are waiting for the legislation to fully permit the use of accelerators for food processing: it is assumed that they will be excluded from the composition of foods preservatives and chemical additives and increase the shelf life. To avoid potential problems with illiterate use of radiation in the food industry, we need to wait to in technical regulations and Standards prescribed all the conditions of application of ionizing radiation for food.
“Method of food irradiation we have changed our call to overcome the radio phobia, is a method of electronic cold pasteurization,” said Brashen. According to him, it should happen the next few years.
