Recommendations

of the Programme

Advisory Committee for

Condensed Matter Physics

20th meeting, 19-20 April 2004

Wojciech Nawrocik

JINR Scientific Council, 3-4 June 2004

The PAC heard with interest V.Zhabitsky

presentation

of the 95th JINR Scientific Council

Resolutions and on decisions

of the Committee

of Plenipotentiaries JINR March 2004.

In respons to its previous recommendation,

the PAC was informed by A. Ruzaev about

the planned parameters of funding the

scientific programme „Condensed Matter

Physics”and about the actual expenditure

during 2002-2003 and plans for 2004.

The PAC expresses concern that the

condensed matter research has not been

fully funded in accordance with the 16%

share of the JINR budget approved following

the recommendation of the JINR Scientific

Council.

As a result, some of the important activities

did not get proper financial support.

The PAC received very positive information

that the financing of the IBR-2

modernization in 2003 was realized in full

accordance with the order signed by the JINR

Director.

This allowed partial recovery of the debt

created during previous years.

The PAC understands that the financial plan

for the IBR-2 modernization and exploitation

for the year 2004 approved by the JINR

Director will be fulfilled

unconditionally.

The PAC congratulates V. Ananiev and FLNP staff on the successful completion of important stages of the IBR-2 modernization programme:

the manufacturing and testing of the new movable reflector and the

delivery of new fuel elements.

The PAC shares the concern expressed in the report by V. Ananiev about the serious staff

problem to operate IBR-2 safely and reliably in the future. The PAC asks

the JINR Directorate to take all necessary measures to guarantee that, in view of envisaged

completion of the IBR-2 modernization in 2010, there should be a team which will be able to operate the reactor during the next 20 years.

The PAC members appreciated the visit to the

IBR-2 reactor during this meeting to get

acquainted with the ongoing assembly of the

new movable reflector MR-3

and to visit several just modernized

neutron spectrometers.

The PAC approves the general lines

for the user policy at IBR-2

presented by N. Popa.

The PAC looks forward to being

informed annually by the FLNP Head of

Condensed Matter Division about

implementation of the user policy and

its important highlights.

The PAC discussed the instrumentation

developments proposed within the theme

“Neutron Investigations of the Structure

and Dynamics of Condensed Matter” (07-4-

1031-99/2008).

The PAC takes note of the information

about the further development of the

REMUR spectrometer and expresses its

hope that, after the completion of the

upgrade, REMUR will be among the most

advanced and competitive instruments in

the field of reflectometry with polarized

neutrons.

B. Savenko presented a proposal for the

new neutron spectrometer DN-6 for

studies of

micro samples under high pressure. The

PAC was positively impressed about the

scientific prospects of a potential relocation

of DN-6.

The IBR-2 as a neutron source for science is very specific. It is so called long pulse neutron

source with very high total flux. This option (with the width of pulse up to 1000 ms) was not still realized at spallation sources, though it is planning. As a result, at the IBR-2 there is less or no problem with intensity if experiment does not require high TOF resolution, such as small angle scattering, reflectometry, single crystal diffraction. Our best results are from these

topics and also such experiments as high pressure with small samples and real time

studies of irreversible processes.

The problem of high resolution for powder diffraction has been overcame with the help

Fourier technique.

The PAC heard with interest the excellent

report “Cluster states of fullerenes in

solutions” by M. Avdeev who presented

the new SANS results in this field of

research.

The PAC heard with interest the report

“Molecular dynamics simulations of the

influence of disease-related amino acid

mutations in biophysical structures”

presented by Kh. Kholmurodov. The PAC

notes the importance of the studies in

molecular biology carried out at JINR.

The PAC takes note of the status

report on the „Nuclotron medical beam

line” presented by J. Ružička.

The PAC notes the scientific and social

importance of the studies in the field

of cancer treatment and encourages

the JINR Directorate to provide these

activities with appropriate funding.

A coordination of the various activities

in medicine and biology at JINR

is also recommended.

The PAC takes note of the letter of

intent for the new theme “Mathematical

support of experimental and theoretical

studies conducted by JINR”, presented

by G. Adam, and invites the authors to

present a full proposal with accent on

condensed matter studies at the next

session.