On January 18, 2021, Professor Stanisław Kulinski passed away at the age of 92 - the man thanks to whom linear gas pedals are being constructed and built today in Świerk - one of the few places in the world.

Memories of colleagues and friends about the deceased were collected by Professor Anna Wysocka-Rabin.

Staszek Kuliński graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology, where he worked from 1951 to 1956 as an assistant and senior assistant at the Department of Electronics. In 1957, he began working at the IBJ. He spent the years 1961-1962 at the Institute of Plasma Physics in Rijnhuizen, the Netherlands, as a fellow of the International Atomic Energy Agency. There he worked on the issues of plasma interaction with inhomogeneous high-frequency electromagnetic fields with the aim of using such fields to simultaneously heat and confine the plasma. These issues were the subject of his doctoral dissertation, which he defended in 1963 at IBJ. He continued his studies of electromagnetic wave conversion in inhomogeneous plasma at Saclay from 1968 to 1969.

From 1970 to 1984, he was head of the Department of Physics and Technology of Acceleration of Charged Particles at IBJ, and from 1984 to 2002 he headed the Laboratory of Theory of Acceleration of Charged Particles at IPJ. During these years, he promoted many PhDs, passed on his knowledge and shared his experience with a large number of colleagues, was very hard-working, and it is difficult to mention in a short reminiscence all the projects in which he participated.

He took an active part in the construction of a 10 MeV linear proton accelerator at Świerk, for which he received the award of the State Council for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in 1971. For his work on the isochronous cyclotron U-200P, he received the award of the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1975. For the implementation of the production of 4 and 10 MeV accelerating structures for linear electron accelerators, he received the first degree award of the President of the State Atomic Energy Agency in 1984. At the same time, he led the work on the research project: "Development of acceleration methods and development and launch of production of charged particle gas pedals". On the basis of this work, the Polish Accelerator Program (PPA) was established, which envisaged the development of the Polish accelerator base for both basic research and applications in medicine, industry and agriculture.

St. Kulinski presents the Lirax-4 accelerator,
designed at IBJ's Department XXV

The implementation of this program and the Government Program PR-6 required significant development of our Department, whose staff then increased from about 30 people to more than 60. The Department's research equipment also improved. The PPA resulted in the development and construction of more than 80 gas pedals of various types (2 U-200 and C-30 cyclotrons, more than 60 linear medical accelerators, 4 accelerators for radiography, 5 ion implanters). Staszek Kuliński had wide interests and great knowledge in both theoretical and experimental physics, hence his participation in the work of many teams; among others, in the Team appointed by the Polish Academy of Sciences to establish a long-term research program in the field of plasma physics in Poland (1980-1984). He was a member of many organizations including the Polish Physical Society, the Organizing Committee of the European Particle Accelerator Conference (EPAC) and the Conference of Computing in Accelerator Design and Operation.

He was a respected expert in the fields of accelerator design and construction, hence his frequent trips abroad and his employment as a scientific associate at CERN from 1984 to 1985. He worked on linear electron and positron accelerators serving as injectors for the LEP (Large Electron Positron accelerator). He spent the years 1986-1993 on a research contract in Italy at the Frascati National Laboratory (LNF) of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN). Major work performed during this period included electron and positron injection systems for accelerators: ELETTRA-Trieste, LISA-Frascati, electron-positron ring ADONE - Frascati, PHI-FACTORY DAFNE - Frascati. 

It was thanks to him, his professional and organizational successes, that three linear electron accelerators (LNF, Irvin Electtronica), a high-powered electron gun (Elettra Triest), a special microwave generator for ultrafast beam diagnostics in the nanosecond range (LNF Frascati) were then built in Poland at the IPJ, commissioned by Italian institutions. The creation of these devices and their export to Italy had a measurable economic effect on the Institute.

Throughout his career, he was a member of the Scientific Councils at the IBJ, IPJ, the IEA and the Environmental Heavy Ion Laboratory at the UW.

St. Kuliński during the Easter
company meeting

He was a high-calibre specialist in the field of accelerator construction, and he took up new topics with enthusiasm. He was able to infect his colleagues with it and to mobilise everyone in the Department, from PhD students, computer scientists to engineers, technicians and support staff. He had an excellent rapport with us; he was very direct, demanding, but at the same time caring of staff, collegial, eager to discuss, playfully hooked, with a special sense of humour. He encouraged us to write our doctoral and postdoctoral theses, was proud of our successes and often attended important events in our private lives. Every year we organised an Easter and Christmas gathering at the plant. We also continued this tradition when Staszek, like many other colleagues, retired. The last time he attended a private Christmas meeting was in 2019 and, as always, he inquired with interest about new developments at the plant.

He was very sociable, and one could have interesting conversations with him on virtually any subject. His basic education from the Płock Gymnasium and Secondary School named after Marszałek Stanisław Małachowski, his studies at the University of Technology and the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Warsaw, allowed him to make witty comments, to recall historical facts and to quote from the vast literature, which few can do. He knew and actively used English, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch and German. He also had a good command of Latin; he often quoted ancient philosophers, which impressed us on a par with his knowledge of the dynamics of electron beams or protons. He was a representative of a truly well-educated and well-rounded generation.

St. Kuliński in Alps

Staszek Kuliński was a keen mountaineer and climber and was a member of the Polish Mountaineering Association. His more important achievements were the peaks in the Alps: Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Matterhorn, in the Caucasus: Elbrus, Shchara. He was a participant in the first Polish post-war expedition to the High Mountains in the Afghan Hindu Kush, had the second ascent of Noshaq (7500 m), the first ascent of Aspe Safed (7200 m). He took part in expeditions in the Pamir Mountains and had ascents of the peaks of Komunizm Peak (7492 m) and Lenin Peak (7137 m). Initially, he was also accompanied on expeditions by his future wife Ewa Zienkiewicz, who gave up climbing when children came into their relationship (two daughters Agnieszka and Magdalena). Ewa remembers him as a great partner 'on the rope' and as a wonderful husband, father and friend.

Staszek was proud of his family and liked to surprise interviewers with the number of his grandchildren - 8 (2 granddaughters and 6 great-grandchildren), and recently 7 more great-grandchildren. He used to go canoeing with his children and grandchildren.

He was also involved in high-altitude skiing; at one point, the terrible news quickly spread around the Institute that a chairlift on Hala Gąsiennicowa had broken, Staszek had fallen from a very great height and it was not known whether he had survived. We were devastated at the Zakopane at first, and then, when it was clear that he was alive, very concerned about him. Soon Staszek appeared and, with his usual sense of humour, announced that he felt fine, not to worry, he had even benefited from the incident and would have free ascents to Kasprowy for several years.

Staszek liked people, enjoyed their company, excelled in managing research teams and knew how to integrate the environment like few others. Some of us remember him from conference receptions, where he was very quick to make contact with participants in their native languages and began to act as a ringleader. He was a true and recognised leader. He was also a member of the Solidarność Trade Union of the Nuclear Research Institute from its inception, and during martial law he supported the activities of the underground organisation. After the union resumed its official activities in 1989, he helped to establish cooperation with the Italian Christian trade unions. Until the end of his career, he provided advice and assistance by participating actively in the scientific and social life of his Institute.

Staszek had a great sense of fairness, was honest and uncompromising, which was not always to our advantage when dealing with other Divisions. We will remember him as a hard worker, full of optimism and commitment to what he did. Many of us benefited from his wealth of theoretical and technical knowledge, his experience, and his wisdom in life. He was able to support us in our goals and gave us motivation, he was open to people and events, sociable, warm and very cheerful. This is how we will remember him.

Farewell Staszek!

Anna Wysocka-Rabin