With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Professor Ryszard Sosnowski, Ph.D., on December 6, 2023. 

Professor Sosnowski was a co-founder of the experimental research environment in the field of high-energy physics in Warsaw, an authority and educator for generations of physicists, and a creative participant in major international experiments in particle physics. He chaired the Scientific Council of the Institute of Nuclear Problems, and then the National Centre for Nuclear Research, for many years. He was a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and represented Poland on the CERN Council. He was awarded the Marian Smoluchowski Medal, the Officer's Cross, and then the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his merits.

However, above all, Professor Sosnowski was a wonderful, cheerful, and kind person. We will miss him very much! We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones.

The Management and Scientific Council

National Centre for Nuclear Research

Funeral services will be held on December 19 at 11:00 AM at the Evangelical-Augsburg Church at 2a Puławska Street in Warsaw. After the service, there will be a procession to the Cemetery at Młynarska Street and the urn will be placed in the family grave.

The ZTS bus for Professor Sosnowski's funeral will leave Świerk at 09.45 and will go to the ceremony to the Evangelical Augsburg Church at 2a Puławska Street, and then to the Cemetery at Młynarska Street.

The family asks that instead of flowers, donations be made to the cemetery restoration fund.

Prof. Ryszard Sosnowski

Prof. Ryszard Sosnowski was born in Białowieża on January 5, 1932. He received some of his school education in Pułtusk, at the school known from the book "Memories of a Blue Uniform". Later, he studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Warsaw, graduating in 1955, but he worked as an assistant from the fourth year of his studies.

In the years 1957–1958 he worked at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, then he became an employee of the Institute of Nuclear Research in Warsaw in the Nuclear Spectroscopy Laboratory.

After a stay at the University of Moscow, he obtained a PhD in 1960, and then until 1961 he stayed at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, with which he maintained contacts for many years. After returning from CERN, he began working on experiments using bubble chambers, especially collaborating with an international team led by Prof. Douglas Morrison. For two terms (1970 - 1973 and 1977 - 1981) he was the head of the Department of High Energy Physics at IBJ. In 1971, together with prof. Grzegorz Białkowski published the book "Elementary Particles", which for many years was the "Bible", especially for younger employees.

In the mid-1970s, he established contacts with the team of prof. Gerhard Fischer preparing the Split Field Magnet experiment on the colliding proton accelerator - ISR. This experiment brought many new results both in the then new field of production of charm particles and in cases involving particles with high transverse momentum.

From 1976 he was a corresponding member and from 1986 a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the years 1990-1992 he was a member of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and in the years 1978-1983 he was the deputy secretary of the Third Department of Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2009, he has been a member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. For many years he was the chairman of the Scientific Council, first of IPJ and then of NCBJ.

His contribution to Poland's accession to CERN, which was achieved in 1991, should be particularly noted. In the years 1991–2004 he was Poland's scientific representative on the CERN Council.

In 1994 he received the Marian Smoluchowski Medal, in 1984 he was awarded the Officer's Cross, and in 1996 the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. It would be possible to list the scientific and other achievements of Prof. for a long time. Sosnowski, but let me end here.

I knew prof. Sosnowski personally for many years, I often dealt with him, first in scientific matters, in which he was always very willing to help, and much later, when I was the manager of the same plant as he was before, also in many others.

Rysiek's passion was skiing and I had the opportunity to ski with him several times at conferences. He was also a talented drawer and several times included his drawings in presentations at conferences, which was greatly appreciated by the participants.

I myself, and I also think that many people who had contact with him, will always remember him fondly.

Maciej Górski, Department of High Energy Physics NCBJ

Dear Mr. Director,

It is with great sadness that we received the news of the passing of Professor Ryszard Sosnowski, an outstanding Polish physicist, an internationally recognized authority in the field of nuclear physics and elementary particle physics - and for us a cordial colleague, always kindly helping us in the work of the team coordinating the cooperation of Polish research centers with the United Institute Nuclear Research in Dubna. He was one of the main organizers of cooperation between Polish scientific institutions and JINR. Ryszard knew this Institute very well because he was, together with Professors Danysz, Pniewski and Niewodniański, among the Polish physicists who co-founded this international research center in 1956. Later, for him and many other physicists there was an opportunity to further expand their research at CERN. However, he continued his cooperation with JINR - in the years 1970–2008 he was a member of the JINR Scientific Council, and for many years he helped us as a member of the Commission of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Republic of Poland in JINR. His opinion was highly valued by the JINR Management, which significantly contributed to the effective use of part of the Polish JINR membership fee for scientific research conducted in Poland and was a significant support for research conducted by Polish scientists at JINR. Professor Sosnowski had many friends in JINR, as evidenced by, among others, letters of condolence from the JINR Management - Professors Grigory Trubnikov, Victor Matveev and Mikhail Itkis, addressed to us.

Please accept and convey to the family of Professor Sosnowski our deepest condolences on the passing of a long-time outstanding employee of the National Center for Nuclear Research, a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, honored in 1994 with the highest distinction of the Polish Physical Society - the Smoluchowski Medal, and many other Polish awards and distinctions. international awards, including the title of Honorary Professor of JINR. Professor Ryszard Sosnowski was an outstanding personality, a scientist with enormous knowledge, and at the same time a warm, friendly colleague with great personal culture - a role model worth imitating for all of us.

Goodbye, Richard….

Michael Waligórski, Mieczysław Budzyński, Władysław Chmielowski

Kraków, Lublin, Poznań, December 16, 2023

Dear Professor,

chairman of the former Dubna Commission, prof. Mieczysław Budzyński
asked me to convey condolences from himself and the management of ZIBJ Dubna –
institute with which Prof. Ryszard Sosnowski has been very involved over the years,
which I am happy to do. As a member of this committee, I also join in these condolences.

Best regards,

Krzysztof Rusek

Dear Mie­czy­slaw

Recen­tly have been infor­med that our col­lege and friend Ryszard Sosnow­ski pass away Decem­ber 6 he Was Polish out­stan­ding expe­ri­men­tal phy­si­cist, pro­fes­sor of the Natio­nal Cen­ter for Nuc­lear Rese­arch, full mem­ber of the Polish Aca­demy of Scien­ces, hono­red by the Polish Phy­si­cal Society in 1994 with the highest distinc­tion – the Smo­lu­chow­ski Medal and pre­sen­ted Poli­sh’s phy­si­ci­sts and many inter­na­tio­nal orga­ni­za­tions. During mane years (1970-2008) Ryszard Sosnow­ski Was mem­ber of the Scien­ti­fic Coun­cil of JINR, he is Honor Doc­tor of JINR, and con­tri­bu­ted huge efforts to our col­la­bo­ra­tion and our scien­ti­fic achie­ve­ments.

The JINR Direc­to­rate and the Insti­tute staff express deep con­do­len­ces to the family and friends of Pro­fes­sor R. Sosnow­ski.

The bri­ght memory of this out­stan­ding scien­tist will fore­ver remain in our hearts

G. Trub­ni­kov, Y. Oga­nes­sian, M. Itkis.