Laboratory for Experimental Nuclear Physics

Scientific results:

• As part of cooperation with the international scientific collaboration COHERENT, in 2019 we achieved fundamental results in physics: we found coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) on Cs and I nuclei.  In 2020 we found CEνNS on argon nuclei. The COHERENT experiment is conducted at the accelerator complex Spallation Neutron Source at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA. On the basis of data accumulated from the CsI[Na] detector we found limitations on the parameters of  hypothetical dark matter particles born in the accelerator comparable in their precision to global data. The results of the experiments have been published in «Physical Review Letters».
• As part of partnership with the international collaboration BM@N at the NICA accelerator complex: 

1. We conducted a research of various materials for the gas system of GEM detectors, studied the response and replicability of indications of humidity analyzers used in the gas system of the GEM tracker, we developed a methodology for signal readout from GEM detectors with the use of FEE on the basis of IDEAS VA163 chips, we created a test rig to research the parameters of large GEM detectors, prepared for the testing of GEM detectors for the BM@N facility; 
2. We conducted a methodological research of the feasibility of creating GEM detectors on the basis of diamond films that possess extremely high radiation resistance and modeled the process of reproduction of electrons in structures of various configurations, which are characteristic of GEM detectors based on diamond films.

• Within our partnership with the international collaboration AMoRE (searching for neutrinoless double beta decay) we launched the AMoRE-I detector with 18 ^48deplCa¹⁰⁰MoO₄ and Li₂¹⁰⁰MoO₄ crystals made in Russia with active participation of the employees of the Laboratory (August 2020).
• As part of our collaboration with «Science and Innovations» LLC of the  Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation ROSATOM in 2021–2022 with the use of the RED–100 detector at the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant we conducted an experiment to observe the effect of coherent elastic scattering of reactor neutrino on xenon nuclei. The accumulated experimental results are currently being processed. 

Implemented results of research: 

In case the experiment with RED-100 is successful and it confirms the feasibility of using the CEνNS process to register reactor neutrino that has a cross section a hundred times larger than the cross section of inverse beta decay, which is normally used in modern reactor neutrino detectors, using, new prospects will open up for the creation of neutrino detectors relying on this technology  for the monitoring of active zones of reactors to monitor the active zones of reactors and increase the safety of nuclear power generation and to pursue international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation. The interest of the IAEA in this project was reiterated during a visit of Tero Varjoranta, head of the Department of Safeguards of the IAEA, to the Laboratory in 2015.

Education and career development:

On the basis of modern scientific equipment we compiled a complex of laboratory case studies for master’s degree students in modern experimental nuclear physics and implemented the case studies in the education process of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. At the Laboratory’s website we published descriptions of basic laboratory case studies as well as lecture materials taught by employees of the Laboratory: «Introduction to nuclear physics», «Experimental nuclear physics», «Producing and using stable and radioactive isotopes» in English, a lecture course on the Russian nuclear industry.

Organizational and structural changes:

• We have created the unique experimental facility RED-100 to stage experiments that have fundamental significance in nuclear physics. Employees, postgraduate and undergraduate students of five departments of MEPhI, as well as Kurchatov Institute and the MIPT participated in research conducted using this facility.

• We have created two test rigs for laboratory case studies for students and scientific research in creating track gas detectors for detection devices at the NICA collider. 

Other results: 

We have organized an international network for collaboration in scientific research in elementary particle physics, astrophysics and nuclear physics. 

Collaborations:

Employees of the Laboratory participate in setting and staging international experiments that have fundamental significance, including the COHERENT experiment for the study of the process of CeνNS on various nuclei, AMoRE that searches for neutrinoless double beta decay, BM@N to study quark-gluon plasma at the NICA accelerator complex. Employees of the Laboratory also participated in setting the LZ experiment to search for dark matter in the Universe, as well as the ALICE high-energy physics experiment  at CERN.