Frank
Laboratory
of Neutron Physics

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Education and career

Laboratory of Neutron Physics I.M. Frank is an excellent platform for the creative start, development and growth of young researchers and engineers starting their way in big science.

Experimental and theoretical studies of the effects of symmetry breaking in reactions with neutrons and the fundamental properties of the neutron to test the parameters of the Standard Model and search for "new physics"; Physics, methods of generation and use of ultracold neutrons (UCN) experimentally discovered in FLNP; Obtaining up-to-date data for astrophysics, nuclear power and the problem of nuclear waste transmutation using neutron and gamma-induced reactions ... - these are just some of the directions of the FLNP scientific agenda in the field of research on the interaction of neutrons with nuclei and the properties of neutrons.

This is a best time to be a part of our team today and the backbone of the FLNP team of tomorrow!

Bodnarchuk Viktor

"We are faced with the task of developing new areas"

Vinogradov Aleksandr

"Veterans bear the brunt"

Kopatch Yuri

"For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a scientist"

Culicov Otilia-Ana

"Years of effort pay off"

Shvetsov Valery

"At the forefront of science"

Fedorov Nikita

"There is a friendly and qualified team that will find an interesting task for anyone"

Lychagin Egor

"The project of a new neutron source is a large-scale task"

Balasoiu Maria

"25 years have passed. A lot has been done, yet a lot remains to be done"

Kulin German

«Our own reactor enables young specialists to gain practical experience of work, to really feel physics with their own hands»

Sadilov Valentin

«I think that for anyone who wants to grow as a scientist, there is work here: there are many areas of research and also many applied problems»

Vershinina Tatyana

«FLNP employs high-level specialists who share their knowledge, foster a speedy growth of young scientists, help and guide in writing articles»

Korepanova Nadezhda

«JINR provides more opportunities for career growth being an international organization»

Participation in the program for the study of condensed matter at the extracted beams of the IBR-2M reactor opens up unique opportunities for expanding the scientific horizons, for choosing the area of ​​one's scientific interests among the most urgent areas. Today practically every new phenomenon in solid state physics, new material, structure is investigated using neutrons. Neutron beams are increasingly used in research on polymer materials, chemical reactions, catalysis, electrochemistry, in experiments on the study of the physics and chemistry of macromolecules, and the functioning of biological systems. Research with the help of neutrons of objects of natural and cultural heritage, the use of neutron methods in solving environmental problems are promising and already very effective today. The geography of the leading research centers participating in the IBR User Club program, the range of topics presented in it fully corresponds to the position of FLNP in a number of world neutron centers.

The development of facilities, experimental stations on extracted beams, and sample environment systems - all these are world-class projects being implemented at FLNP today, which need promising engineers and designers.

The laboratory is entering a new period in its history: it creates a high-flux neutron source of the next generation, which will replace the existing mega-science facility for the IBR-2M reactor. It is necessary to solve a set of problems comparable to those faced by the founders of the Laboratory I.M.Frank, D.I.Blokhintsev, F.L.Shapiro.

Areas of research conducted at FLNP

Investigations of violations of fundamental symmetries in neutron-nucleus interactions and related data

{loadmoduleid 1076} {loadmoduleid 1054} {loadmoduleid 956} Measurement of TRI and ROT effects for gamma-rays and neutrons in the fission of uranium by polarized neutrons; Measurement of yields and angular correlations of light charged particles in ternary and quaternary fission of 252Cf using Timepix detectors; Determination of characteristics of excitation levels of nuclei in the (n, 2n) and (n, n'γ) reactions with neutrons with an energy of 14 MeV; Measurements of angular and energy distributions of prompt fission neutrons (PFN) in 235U(n,f) and 239Pu(n,f) reactions in the resonance region using a position-sensitive twin ionization chamber and 32 scintillation counters; Determination of model concepts of modern values of the level density and radiation widths of nuclei of various shapes and types in the capture of slow neutrons; Carrying out an experiment to search for a singlet deuteron; Measurement of fast neutron cross sections for 6Li(n,α) 3H and 91Zr(n,α) 88Sr reactions. A series of works on measuring the rotation effect (ROT-effect) of a fissile nucleus in the angular distributions of prompt γ-quanta has been carried out. This effect is expressed as a shift in the anisotropic angular distribution of γ-quanta (Figure 1) emitted using excited fission fragments with some small angle δθ towards the fission axis in the case of reverse direction of neutron beam polarization. {loadmoduleid 957} In fact, it is not the angular distribution of γ-quanta that shifts using the angle δθ, but the fission axis shifts relative to the initial direction of the deformation axis of the fissile nucleus, i.e. the coordinate axis shifts and the angular distribution of γ-quanta is registered relative to it (Figure 2). {loadmoduleid 958} Since the fissile nucleus rotates at the moment of rupture, the fragment trajectories, being rectilinear without nucleus rotation, become hyperbolic that results in a deviation of the fission axis from the initial direction of the fissile nucleus deformation axis. In the experiment, it occurs as an asymmetry of counting of signal coincidences from gamma-quantum detectors and detectors of fragments with respect to the direction of the neutron beam polarization (Figure 3). The latter also determines the direction of the fissile nucleus polarization and consequently, the direction of its rotation. {loadmoduleid 959} The asymmetry of coincidence counting is determined by the ratio:     D(θ) = [N+(θ) - N−(θ)]/ [N+(θ) + N−(θ)].                                           (1) Here, N+(θ) and N−(θ) are the number of coincidences of the signals from gamma-quantum detectors and detectors of fragments (Figure 3), measured at two opposite directions of neutron beam polarization. Gamma-quantum detectors and detectors of fragments are positioned at an angle θ to each other in the plane orthogonal to the axis of the longitudinally polarized neutron beam. {loadmoduleid 960} It can be shown that   D(θ) = δθ ∙ F'(θ)/F(θ),                                                                         (2) F(θ) is a function describing the angular distribution of γ-quanta and F'(θ) is its derivative in the average position of the γ-quantum detector positioned at an angle θ. Thus, by measuring the asymmetry and determining the angular distribution function of γ-quanta, one can determine the angle to which the fragment trajectory is shifted and consequently, the angular velocity and rotation direction of the fissile nucleus (Table 1). {loadmoduleid 961} In total, 3 series of experiments have been carried out, differing from each other in the energy of polarized neutrons, the neutron polarization method, detectors of fission fragments and their positioning, as well as the data acquisition and processing system. All measurements were carried out at the research neutron source Heinz Mayer-Leibniz (the FRM II reactor) at the Technical University of Munich in Garching (Germany). 

Investigation of the fundamental properties of the neutron, UCN physics

Applied research

Development of the IREN facility & it`s experimental infrastructure

Modernization of EG-5 accelerator

TANGRA

Investigation of cosmic matter using nuclear physics methods

Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science

Physics of Nanosystems and Nanoscale Phenomena

Physics of Complex Liquids and Polymers

Biophysics and Pharmacology

Applied Research and Engineering Sciences

Instrument development program for the IBR-2 spectrometers

Raman spectroscopy

Development of the spectrometers complex

Would you like to get to know the Laboratory better?

There are various options for this. You can use one or more of them:

  • We work closely with the JINR Educational and Scientific Center, a specialized unit that attracts young people to the JINR's science by offering a variety of event formats
  • We, of course, are open to deepening joint work with students of our basic departments in partner universities through the implementation of their term papers and theses
  • We know that you cannot think of a format for every interesting person, that each of our today's colleagues has his own path to FLNP, and therefore we are ready in any case to respond to your interest in the Laboratory, establish direct contact and together look for your own path to FLNP

Condensed Matter Physics

Topics of Graduation and Master's Theses

Topic

Level

Supervisor

1.

Polarizing supermirrors with large reflection angles (MSU)

Qualification/Master

M.V. Avdeev

2.

Molecular dynamics of low molecular weight compounds ( Dubna SU)

Qualification/Bachelor

Kh.T. Kholmurodov

3.

Molecular dynamics of proteins of coronavirus systems (Dubna SU)

Qualification/Bachelor

Kh.T. Kholmurodov

Topics of Candidate's Theses

Topic

Level

Supervisor

1.

Impact of polymers on the structure and interaction of micellar systems (KNU)

Qualification/Candidate

M.V. Avdeev

2.

Study of objects of cultural heritage using neutron radiography, tomography and diffraction (KFU)

Qualification/Candidate

A.V. Belushkin

3.

Molecular dynamics of proteins taking into account the pH of solutions (Dubna SU)

Qualification/Candidate

Kh.T.Kholmurodov

4.

Impact of the microstructure of positive and negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries on their functional characteristics (Dubna SU)

Qualification/Candidate

M.V. Avdeev

5.

Research of the magnetism of layered structures using neutron reflectometry in a static and oscillating magnetic field (KSU)

Qualification/Candidate

Yu.V. Nikitenko

6.

Crystal and magnetic structure of complex oxides of cobalt and iron in a wide range of pressures and temperatures (KFU)

Qualification/Candidate

D.P. Kozlenko

7.

Research of structural features of structural and functional materials using neutron radiography and tomography (ENU)

Qualification/Candidate

S.E. Kichanov

8.

Study of magnetic nanoparticles of the "shell-core" type used in nuclear medicine (ENU)

Qualification/Candidate

D.M. Сhudoba

9.

Study of the structure and dynamics of a number of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Qualification/Candidate

D.M. Сhudoba

E. Raksha

Nuclear physics

Topics for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses

Topic

Thesis level

Supervisor

1.

Design and assembly of a new detector system for the investigation of (n,γ) reactions on resonance neutrons

Qualifying paper/

Master’s thesis

S. B. Borzakov
8 (496) 216-37-56
sbor(at)nf.jinr.ru

2.

Calibration of scintillation detectors for measuring high energy gamma ray spectra

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
V. L. Kuznetsov (49621-62537, kuvale(at)gmail.com

3.

Characterization of fast neutron detectors based on plastic scintillators

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
D. N. Grozdanov (49621-62785, dimitar(at)nf.jinr.ru)

4.

Characterization of the parameters of tagged neutron beams of the ING-27 neutron generator using a position-sensitive fast neutron detector

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
D. N. Grozdanov (49621-62785, dimitar(at)nf.jinr.ru)

5.

Measurement of time-of-flight spectra at the IREN facility using the integral method

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
V. L. Kuznetsov (49621-62537, kuvale(at)gmail.com)

6.

Simulation of a facility for measuring angular distributions and  gamma ray yields in reactions with tagged neutrons using the GEANT4 package

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
D. N. Grozdanov (49621-62785, dimitar(at)nf.jinr.ru)

7.

Investigation of rare fission modes

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
G. S. Akhmedov (49621-63683, ahmadovgadir(at)gmail.com)
D. Berikov (49621-62785, daniyar.berikov(at)gmail.com)

8.

Optimization of optical potential parameters for neutron-nuclear reactions

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Diploma theses

N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Topics for PhD theses

Topic

Supervisor

1.

Measurement of gamma ray and neutron yields and angular distributions in fast neutron reactions using the tagged neutron method

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
D. N. Grozdanov (49621-62785, dimitar(at)nf.jinr.ru)

2.

Determination of carbon content in soil using the tagged neutron method

Yu. N. Kopatch (49621-62459, kopatch(at)nf.jinr.ru)
N. A. Fedorov (49621-63683, na.federov(at)physics.msu.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
D. N. Grozdanov (49621-62785, dimitar(at)nf.jinr.ru)

Spectroscopy and Microscopy

Topics of Candidate's Theses

Topic

Level

Supervisor

1.

Application of Raman spectroscopy

in biomedical problems

Qualification/Master

Cand. Sc. G.M. Arzumanyan