On April 15, the Institute of Digital Technologies, Electronics and Physics at Altai State University held a grand opening of a renovated nuclear physics laboratory. New educational equipment and laboratory stands will enable students to conduct practical research in nuclear and particle physics.
Roman Raikin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Development, an associate professor of the Department of Radiophysics and Theoretical Physics, and Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, gave a welcoming speech:
"During my 1993 laboratory course at this facility, the equipment—while fascinating—was already quite worn. Over subsequent decades, it deteriorated entirely. A modern nuclear physics laboratory, such as the newly established one here, represents an essential facility for any classical university. Now, through the university’s support, the Institute has now successfully equipped this laboratory. Beyond standard academic training, it enables computational analyses and specialized measurements to advance the department’s rigorous scientific projects in cosmic ray astrophysics."
Sergey Makarov, Director of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, congratulated the students on the opportunities that had opened up for them:
"This project was implemented with the active support of Evgeniya Zhdanova, First Vice-Rector of Altai State University. Nearly one million rubles were invested in laboratory equipment. This is the basis for developing competencies in fundamental physics – nuclear and elementary particle physics. For the Institute, this laboratory serves as the core facility for "physics" and "radiophysics" programs. I extend my congratulations to everyone on this significant event!"
The laboratory is equipped with six educational laboratory stands: "Experimental measurement of the half-life of a long-lived isotope," "Rutherford's experiment," "Interaction of gamma particles with matter. Scintillation counter of gamma particles," "Interaction of charged particles with matter. "Determination of the path length of alpha particles in air," "Study of a gas-discharge counter," "Interaction of charged particles with matter. Determination of the path length of beta-decay electrons by the absorption method."
The data obtained during the experiments on the stands are transmitted to computers for subsequent visualization in the form of graphs or tables. The task of the students is to analyze this data and draw conclusions.
Nikolay Volkov, an associate professor of the Department of Radiophysics and Theoretical Physics, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Laboratory, commented on one of the stands:
“The scintillation counter of gamma particles plays a crucial role in our collaboration with the international gamma observatory TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy). One of the primary methods of registering flows of ionizing radiation from space at the site of this observatory involves scintillation detectors consisting of substances in the working volume of which elementary particles travel faster than the speed of light. This movement produces faint flashes of light, which are then converted into electrical impulses. By analyzing these impulses, scientists can determine the energy of the particles that entered the detector. The laboratory setup provides students with a fundamental understanding of the principles of operation of the TAIGA observatory detectors."
In Altai Krai, this is the only laboratory equipped with such equipment. The experiments that will be conducted here are related to the most cutting-edge research in cosmic ray astrophysics, carried out by the Department of Radiophysics and Theoretical Physics under the guidance of Professor Anatoly Lagutin.