DLNP muon detectors will operate in Kamchatka

News, 18 October 2019

From 29 September to 5 October 2019, the 7th Scientific Conference “Problems of Complex Geophysical Monitoring of the Russian Far East” was held in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The event was organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Research Centre “Joint Geophysical Service of RAS”, and the Kamchatka branch of the RFBR.

Head of the DLNP Sector of Experimental Neutrino Physics Yu. A. Gornushkin took part in the Conference. Yuri Alekseevich delivered a report “The use of muon radiography for study the internal structure of volcanic craters” in the section “Technical and software means of geophysical monitoring”.

The report was met with great interest, and thus the first scientific сooperation was planned. The trip with local specialists to several volcanoes already took place; possible placement of muon detectors was determined; preliminary plans for data collection and analysis were agreed upon.

As DLNP Deputy Director D. V. Naumov noted After coming back to Dubna, Yuri Alekseevich discussed with the laboratory’s directorate proposals on how to quickly organize work in Kamchatka on installing and maintenance of muon detectors, including both the emulsion chamber and electronic detectors for the study of the internal structure of volcanoes, an application of experimental methods of particle physics in volcanology and archaeology, which is now gaining popularity. Proposals got favourable feedbacks as far as they would not only promote and broadcast modern scientific technologies for the sake of society but they would be also the means to attract the youth of Kamchatka to big science.

Galina Myalkovskaya, JINR weekly Newspaper