Under the National Reconstruction Plan (KPO), NCBJ has received funding for the implementation of three major projects included in the Polish Research Infrastructure Map - the Polish Free Electron Laser PolFEL - phase 1.1, NOMATEN CoRE and MNL Maria Neutron Laboratory. Thanks to the funds, worth a total of 225 million PLN, the Institute will acquire a modern research infrastructure and expand opportunities for cooperation internationally and with businesses.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could open the way to a deeper understanding of neutrinos by measuring a hitherto unobserved process involving them, reports an international group of researchers in a paper published in the current issue of the journal Physical Review D, with scientists from the National Centre for Nuclear Research leading the study.

Minister Dariusz Wieczorek złożył wizytę w Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych w Świerku, gdzie zapoznał się z działaniem MARII - jedynego czynnego reaktora jądrowego w Polsce. Wizyta była okazją do podkreślenia znaczenia badań jądrowych dla rozwoju gospodarczego i bezpieczeństwa energetycznego kraju.

On 25 October, an international symposium entitled ‘’The 50th anniversary of the MARIA reactor‘’ was held at the National Centre for Nuclear Research. During the event, the role of research reactors and their use in science, the economy and health care were discussed. Topics concerning the operation of research reactors and their safety were addressed.

The 11th international thematic meeting dedicated to high-temperature reactor (HTR) technology was held in Beijing, China, from 14-18 October. During the meeting, Chinese representatives presented the plans, approved in August by the government in Beijing, for the construction of the next 6 commercial HTGR reactors by 2030. NCBJ representatives presented various aspects of the work carried out within the HTGR-POLA basic reactor project.

Quantum entanglement is one of the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics and is central to many of its modern applications. Among physicists, there is growing interest in the search for a link between entanglement and particle scattering processes in high-energy collisions, which are the primary means of studying particle interactions. Such work is also being carried out by NCBJ theorists.

Poland's only nuclear reactor celebrates its 50th anniversary. The MARIA reactor supports the development of science, medicine and industry. On the occasion of the jubilee, the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) is organising an international symposium on nuclear power and an exhibition presenting the ‘jubilatee’.

A Summer School was held as part of the GEMINI 4.0 project (Horizon Europe/Euratom). It brought together 70 participants from Poland and Europe, Asia and Africa. They learned about the technology of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and, above all, their application for the generation of process heat between 300 and 550 degrees Celsius, electricity, low-temperature district heat, hydrogen, etc., so-called polygeneration.

With 40 world-class collaborating institutions from 14 countries, ACME brings together the astroparticle and astronomy communities in a joint effort to forge a basis for strengthened long-term collaboration between these research infrastructures irrespective of location and level up access opportunities across Europe and beyond. The National Centre for Nuclear Research node is one of the most active partners of the ACME consortium.

A team of experts from the National Centre for Nuclear Research, based on the experience of the MARIA research reactor operating in Świerk for 50 years and the Japanese High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR), developed a concept for the Polish research and demonstration high-temperature reactor HTGR-POLA (POLish Atomic). The project is currently at a high level of technological readiness, including the basic design with a significant part of the so-called Preliminary  Safety Report (PSR) necessary for its licensing and further design work, commencement of construction and commisioning. This reactor will become the basis for commercial reactors to be used in Polish industry.

The Standard Model describes the fundamental interactions between elementary particles and is one of the best experimentally tested theories of particle physics. However, we know that it is incomplete because it does not describe, for example, the gravitational interaction. Therefore, scientists are constructing interaction models that allow for certain deviations from the Standard Model, such as CPT symmetry breaking. This topic is also being investigated by NCBJ researchers, who in a recent paper obtained 100 times more accurate constraints on breaking this symmetry.

On September 16–17, 2024, a RODOS User Group meeting took place at the National Centre for Nuclear Research. 45 people attended the meeting in person, and 30 participated remotely. The purpose of the meeting was to facilitate the exchange of experiences among RODOS User Group members and to discuss ideas for enhancing the RODOS system and its future development.

On Friday, September 13 2024, a ceremonial meeting was held to mark the launch of a collaboration between Poland’s National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and the IRC for Industrial Nuclear Energy of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by NCBJ’s Director General, Professor Krzysztof Kurek, and KFUPM President, Dr Muhammad Al-Saggaf.

On 13 September this year, the National Centre for Nuclear Research hosted participants of the 2nd Nuclear Power Congress. The guests listened to a presentation by Prof. Mariusz Dąbrowski – Head of the Nuclear Power and Environmental Analysis Department on the design of the Polish high-temperature reactor HTGR-POLA and visited the Maria reactor and the Materials Research Laboratory.

Scientists are trying to better understand how materials, especially metals or their alloys, behave under the influence of extreme conditions, such as those in nuclear reactors. Cooperation between the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the National Centre for Nuclear Research and Warsaw University of Technology has allowed the development of an atomic-level model for such materials, which sheds new light on the processes of strengthening chromium-rich alloys under the influence of nuclear radiation.

Neutrinos are an essential component of the Standard Model and are the second most abundant known particles in the Universe, but their properties are still shrouded in mystery. One of the international experiments studying neutrinos is KM3NeT. A group of scientists from the NCBJ's Department of Fundamental Research are also part of the experiment.

Dr. Karolina Zajdel from the National Centre for Nuclear Research received funding for an extraordinary project under the SONATINA programme of the National Science Centre. Together with her team, she will create universal nano-radiopharmaceuticals that will enable both the detection of cancer and the selective destruction of cancer cells.

Polish Centers of Excellence that have received funding from Horizon 2020 summarized their 5-year activities at a conference dedicated to the "Teaming for Excellence" competition Among them is the NOMATEN Center operating at the National Center for Nuclear Research.

Dr. Mina Torabi will analyze the safety of multi-unit high-temperature reactors as part of the MINIATURA grant funded by the National Science Centre for researchers starting their scientific careers.

In the project implemented by dr Mehdi Assanioussi, who received funding from the National Science Center under the SONATA programme, the key challenge will be understanding gravity. Can it be reconciled with nuclear research, where quantum physics has determined the way of understanding phenomena and interactions for over a hundred years? How does gravity behave in extreme conditions, such as black holes or the initial moments of the universe? How does a quantum field theory in fixed spacetime follow from a quantum theory of gravity coupled to matter fields?

Positron Emission Tomography is primarily used in medicine. However, the properties of this technique may also prove useful in industrial applications. Such an application of the PET technique is being dealt with by specialists from the NCBJ's Department of Complex Systems as part of the IMPET project, obtained from the First Team FENG programme of the Foundation for Polish Science.

We are pleased to invite you to the 11th edition of the International Euratom research and training conferences on fission safety of the reactor systems (FISA) and radioactive waste management (EURADWASTE) to be organised during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU together with the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP), the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), the European Nuclear Society (ENS) and the European Nuclear Society - Young Generation Network (ENS-YGN).

Graphite is widely used in nuclear installations. It is used both in existing reactors and in the design of new Generation IV reactors. Despite its high resistance to extreme operating conditions, after some time, defects develop in it under the influence of radiation, which can alter its properties. Studies of the evolution of these defects have recently been carried out by scientists at the NOMATEN Centre of Excellence at NCBJ.

The heaviest known elements can only be produced under laboratory conditions. For years, nuclear physicists have been pushing the boundaries of the periodic table, trying to find the optimal reactions for synthesizing new elements. Scientists from the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw have succeeded in creating a new theoretical model that describes the key stage in the production of the heaviest atomic nuclei.

The International Radiopharmaceutical Conference NOMRad 2024 is taking place in Warsaw, organized by the NOMATEN Center of Excellence operating in Świerk as part of the National Centre for Nuclear Research. The presentations are focused on four topics: production and separation of radionuclides, radiopharmaceuticals, isotope labeling and biomolecules, and clinical trials. Additionally, a session for industry and presentations by PhD students are planned.

On Monday, June 24, 2024, a Special Colloquium of the Fundamental Research Department of the National Centre for Nuclear Research was held, during which awards for achievements in 2023 were presented. The jury distinguished research on low brightness galaxies and for attempts to explain phenomena occurring during collisions of relativistic ions. Popular science stories and essays in which the author managed to hide his fascination with discovering the universe were also honored.

We know that among the stars visible in the sky with a telescope, we can also see galaxies. These collections of stars and planets, like our Milky Way, are places where stars are born and die. As seen from a distance, they appear in the form of disks or spirals, but it turns out that they did not always have this shape. The beginnings of the existence of galaxies in their present form will be examined by Krzysztof Lisiecki, MSc as part of a project financed by the National Science Center under the PRELUDIUM programme.

Entropy is a measure of disorder. One of the fundamental laws of physics indicates that it increases when the system consists of several different elements of equal or similar concentration. Therefore, the current model for developing new materials was based on the assumption that the alloy should have low entropy, i.e. have one leading element that is responsible for the most important properties of the material. It turns out, however, that high entropy in metal alloys combined with the distortion of the atomic lattice contributes to improving the functional properties of the material and not, as previously believed, to their deterioration. These surprising phenomena will be investigated by an international team of scientists led by prof. Łukasz Kurpaska as part of the project "Production of high-entropy alloys with high radiation resistance and increased mechanical properties at high temperature" financed by the National Science Center under the SONATA BIS program.

"Article, which title can be tranlated as 'Renewable energy sources or nuclear energy - what does Poland need?' was distinguished among many submitted works, which is a great proof of recognition from the jury and the journal's editorial staff. (...) The paper not only enriched the content of the Wiadomości Elektrotechniczne journal, but also contributed to expanding knowledge and inspiration for our readers," we read in the congratulatory letter

Understanding the structure of matter at the smallest scales is the greatest challenge faced by physicists today. Atoms consist of nuclei and electrons, nuclei of protons and neutrons, which in turn quarks bound together exist. In addition, the mass of all these particles is only a "side effect" of their interactions with each other or with the Higgs field, discovered experimentally over a decade ago. These interactions are modeled as the exchange of particles - gluons, photons and other so-called gauge bosons. And it is the properties of gluons that scientists from the National Center for Nuclear Research under the supervision of Dr. hab. Tolga Altinoluk will study in the project "Revealing the multidimensional structure of hadrons in the density saturation regime of high-energy gluonic collisions" financed by the National Science Center under the SONATA BIS programme.

Cancer diseases, which are the result of uncontrolled cell proliferation leading to the formation of tumors and disruption of organ functioning, significantly affect the quality of life and often lead to the death of the patient. Brain tumors are particularly difficult to treat due to their location in a vital organ, which limits surgical and radiotherapeutic options.

Gwiazdy neutronowe są najbardziej ekstremalnymi obiektami pośród tych, które posiadają powierzchnię. Badaniem tych egzotycznych obiektów zajmują się polscy astronomowie, którzy tworzą modele widma promieniowania gwiazd neutronowych. Modele te pozwolą zajrzeć do wnętrza gwiazdy i dowiedzieć się z czego są zbudowane.

W sobotę 15 czerwca na stadionie PGE Narodowym odbył się 27. Piknik Naukowy Polskiego Radia i Centrum Nauki Kopernik. Temat przewodni tegorocznej edycji to „Nie do wiary!”. Interpretacji tego tematu podjął się m.in. Dział Edukacji i Szkoleń NCBJ, który zorganizował stoisko pokazowe NCBJ.

The National Centre for Nuclear Research and the MARIA Reactor represent a great potential that allows us to think with hope about the personnel and technological development of nuclear energy. It is also a unique research infrastructure on the map of Poland and the possibility of producing key radiopharmaceuticals for oncology therapies. These were the conclusions voiced during a visit by representatives of the United States and the Polish Atomic Energy Agency to the Świerk nuclear complex.

On 9-10 June, the 2nd Science for Society Congress was held at the Warsaw University of Technology under the motto ‘This is how science in Poland affects everyone's life’. During the Congress, representatives of the National Centre for Nuclear Research presented, among other things, one of the Institute's latest innovations - the AQURE FLASH (RT) accelerator with ultra-high dose power.

Polish institutions are able to train scientists of the highest competence, but also to produce research infrastructure of the highest level. This is evidenced by our participation in building the capacity of the CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics. This is why it is extremely important that the manufacture and maintenance of scientific apparatus always finds appropriate support in Poland.

When we look at the night sky, we cannot free ourselves from questions. We wonder if it is possible to count the stars. We imagine how great a distance separates us from them. When we realize what a light year actually is, we are surprised to discover that we are actually looking into the further or closer past. Scientists from the National Center for Nuclear Research experience a similar fascination, looking for answers to these and other questions about how the Universe looks and works. In the coming years, this search will be able to be more effective thanks to the project „ Barely visible: low surface brightness galaxies in the LSST era” under the supervision of Prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Pollo financed by the National Science Center under the MAESTRO program.

The materials to be used in future fusion reactors and power plants must exhibit extraordinary resistance, so new candidates are constantly being sought for this purpose. Dr. inż. Damian Kalita from the NOMATEN Center of Excellence received funding under the SONATA programme of the National Science Center for the project „Concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs) – a new insight into the development of radiation-resistant alloys for nuclear fusion applications”.

Dr William James Pearson will investigate how we can more reliably identify galaxy mergers using their morphologies and how mergers influence their dust content, dust attenuation, and metallicity. This will be done by combining artificial intelligence (AI) with more traditional methods to detect galaxy mergers as well as use state of the art. observations and techniques to study the galaxies’ dust and metal. Exploration of this fascinating topic will be possible thanks to a grant from the National Science Center under the SONATA programme.

W ostatnim czasie odbyło się w Brukseli pierwsze plenarne posiedzenie nowo powołanego Komitetu Naukowo-Technicznego Euratomu. Wśród członków Komitetu znajdują się także naukowcy NCBJ zajmujący się energią jądrową.

The European Centre for Nuclear Research CERN is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. As part of its celebrations, the Faculty of Physics of the Warsaw University of Technology, the University of Warsaw, the IFJ of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the NCBJ are jointly organising a multimedia exhibition entitled 'Accelerating Science'. It will be open to the public at the Faculty of Physics, WUT from June 8.

On May 20, at the headquarters of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk, Otwock, the NCBJ and the International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding cooperation in the field of education and training in the nuclear sector. His Excellency the French Ambassador to Poland, Etienne de Poncins, participated in the ceremony.

On 14 May, nominations for members of the Committee on Astronomy of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the term 2024-2027 were announced. Among the members were scientists from the NCBJ's Astrophysics Division. Prof Katarzyna Małek was also elected to the Presidium of the Committee.

In April this year, the call for candidates for the industry alliance for SMRs, established by the European Commission, ended. NCBJ has become a member of this new organisation and will be involved in the work related to AMRs (Advanced Modular Reactors).

On 13 May, the results of the Global 2000 list of the 2024 edition, ranking the world's top universities, were published. On the list compiled by the Center for World University Rankings, NCBJ ranks in the top 4.2% and is seventh among universities in Poland.

Dust represents an important component of the interstellar medium of galaxies and is involved in various physical processes. As a consequence, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence its formation and destruction. In a recent study, a team of scientists led by dr Ambra Nanni of the NCBJ’s Astrophysics Division analysed the effect of photo-evaporation on the survival of dust in the interstellar medium of galaxies.

Seminarium kończące tegoroczną edycję Fizycznych Ścieżek odbyło się 19 kwietnia 2024 r. w kompleksie jądrowym Świerk. Wyróżniono m.in. rozważania na temat możliwości naukowego poznania rzeczywistości, komorę do obserwowania promieniowania, samochodzik szybszy niż wiatr oraz badania plam na Słońcu. W konkursie wzięło udział 111 prac uczniów ze szkół w całej Polsce.

The FLASH therapy may be a promising method of destroying tumours while better preserving healthy cells. An accelerator built at the NCBJ is already supporting research into this treatment modality at the Wielkopolska Oncology Centre.

Electronic systems that are part of space missions are exposed to ionising radiation, which can cause errors or even permanent damage to the entire system. For this reason, it is important to select components with adequate radiation resistance. In NCBJ, tests were carried out on systems to be used in the Polish EagleEye microsatellite.

Już w najbliższy piątek, 19 kwietnia odbędzie się Seminarium Finałowe kończące XIX edycję konkursu Fizyczne Ścieżki. Uczestnicy zaprezentują najciekawsze spośród 111 zgłoszonych prac w kategoriach: Praca Naukowa, Pokaz Zjawiska Fizycznego oraz Esej.

Z nazwiskiem zmarłego we wtorek Petera Higgsa związana jest tzw. boska cząstka – bozon Higgsa. Bez niej nie wiadomo było, jak wyjaśnić, skąd w teorii oddziaływań elementarnych bierze się masa cząstek - tłumaczy w rozmowie z PAP dyrektor Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych prof. Krzysztof Kurek.

Can we see what is hidden in a cloud of dust without the aid of infrared vision? Scientists involved in the largest optical survey of the sky this decade, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), led by a group from the NCBJ’s Astrophysics Division, in a paper published in April in Astronomy & Astrophysics, propose a novel method to extract information about dust in galaxies without actually observing its infrared light.

Having an accurate understanding of the star formation process is essential to comprehend the formation and evolution of galaxies, and this requires to unveil the impact of environment on star formation. In a new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, scientists used a new survey of the outer Galaxy to refine the distance and properties of star-forming clumps and study how star formation behave in comparison with the inner Galaxy.

EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion is a European initiative aimed at helping to develop the careers of researchers wishing to conduct research abroad. The National Centre for Nuclear Research is one of nine Polish institutions that joined the EURAXESS network in March.

Scientists from the National Centre for Nuclear Research predict the possibility of chemical short-range ordering manipulation in multicomponent alloys using point pressure on their surface. They created a new type of ordering (density wave ordering) that might be more visible with experimental tools. Efforts are underway to confirm the numerical result experimentally.

W dniach 11–14 marca 2024 roku odbyła się trzecia wizyta zespołu projektowego z Japonii, która związana była z przekazaniem ostatniej partii dokumentacji technicznej dostarczanej przez JAEA. Spotkanie ekspertów realizowane było w ramach prac nad projektem podstawowym badawczego reaktora wysokotemperaturowego chłodzonego gazem HTGR-POLA. Eksperci odbyli również szereg wizyt technicznych, powiązanych z tematyką wdrożenia i wykorzystania reaktora HTGR w Polsce, m.in. w reaktorze MARIA oraz Laboratorium Badań Materiałowych NCBJ.

Dobiegł końca trwający od 2018 roku program studiów doktoranckich „Nowe koncepcje reaktorów i analiz bezpieczeństwa dla polskiej energetyki jądrowej – PHD4GEN”. Absolwenci programu otrzymali dyplomy doktora nauk fizycznych podczas Uroczystej Rady Naukowej NCBJ.

Dr. Michael Romano, a researcher at the Department of Astrophysics of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), has been honored with the prestigious "Early Career Research Award" by the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics" (A&A). The "Early Career Research Award" is bestowed annually upon young scientists who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in the field of astrophysics.

6 marca 2024 roku w Naradowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych odbyło się uroczyste posiedzenie Rady Naukowej, podczas której zostały przyznane wyróżnienia w trzech kategoriach: naukowo-badawczej, organizacyjno-technicznej, edukacyjnej. Dyrektor NCBJ, prof. dr hab. inż. Krzysztof Kurek wręczył dyplomy nadania stopnia naukowego doktora i doktora habilitowanego oraz wyróżnienia za osiągnięcia instytutu w 2023 roku.

With the possibilities of modern material research, the discoveries of archaeologists can provide valuable information. The latest archaeometric analyses of unique artefacts made of silver have not only brought closer the craft techniques of the Viking period, but also indicated possible routes by which goods were transported in the Polish territories.

Tritium (denoted by 3H or T) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that can originate from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Monitoring its concentrations, as the predominant radionuclide in releases from nuclear facilities, is important to ensure that tritium levels are kept within safe limits (consistent with regulations in place to protect human health and the environment). Work on optimising methods in the study of low concentrations of tritium activity in surface waters is being carried out at NCBJ by scientists of the Radiation Protection Measurements Laboratory

26 lutego w Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ) odbyło się spotkanie inauguracyjne projektu „Wykrywanie i zwalczanie bezpilotowych statków powietrznych (BSP) za pomocą mikrofalowego generatora impulsowego wysokiej mocy (HPM) z emisją kierunkową WEKTOR”. W spotkaniu wzięli udział przedstawiciele konsorcjum, odpowiedzialni za realizację poszczególnych jego części.

W dniach 13–16 lutego 2024 roku odbyła się trzecia wizyta zespołu projektowego Zakładu Energetyki Jądrowej i Analiz Środowiska NCBJ w Japonii, związana z odbiorem kolejnej partii dokumentacji technicznej dostarczanej przez JAEA. Spotkanie ekspertów realizowane było w ramach prac nad projektem podstawowym badawczego reaktora wysokotemperaturowego chłodzonego gazem HTGR-POLA. W ramach wyjazdu odbyły się również dwie wizyty techniczne, w fabryce paliwa jądrowego oraz w fabryce grafitu. Celem wizyty była dyskusja na temat rozwiązań technicznych dla badawczego HTGR i nawiązanie kontaktu z przedstawicielami łańcucha dostaw elementów wewnątrzreaktorowych dla projektowanego reaktora.

Najmniejsze serduszko WOŚP w historii, element logotypu 32. Finału WOŚP "wyrzeźbionego atomami" techniką FIB w srebrnym serduszku, podbiło serca licytujących w całej Polsce. Z przyjemnością informujemy, że podczas licytacji udało się zebrać kwotę 4371 zł. Zwycięzcy aukcji otrzymali srebrne serce i oprawione zdjęcie SEM maleńkiego emblematu z rąk dyrektora M. Kardasa w dniu 14 lutego 2024r.

In December 2023, the National Centre for Nuclear Research signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science. It concerns support for the NOMATEN Centre of Excellence operating at the NCBJ, for years 2024 to 2026.

Theoretical predictions have been confirmed with the discovery of an outflow of molecular gas from a quasar when the Universe was less than a billion years old. The results obtained from the observations of the ALMA telescope are of great importance for understanding the processes of star formation in galaxies. Dr. Darko Donevski from the NCBJ Astrophysics Division participated in the work of the research team.

Framatome announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) to explore and pursue collaborative opportunities in nuclear education and research.

α-alumina, one of the forms of aluminum oxide, is a widely used ceramic material, partly for its adsorption capacity. The understanding of this mechanism has been advanced by recent studies using state-of-the-art DFT calculations carried out by NOMATEN scientists at the NCBJ, which were highlighted on the cover of a special issue of the journal Physica Status Solidi B.

The Świerk Information Center (CIŚ) the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) has officially achieved Tier 1 status in the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG). This milestone establishes it as a network node for operational data production at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in CERN.

A third comprehensive X-ray scanner for non-intrusive inspection of large-scale goods for the detection of threats or smuggling attempts has been delivered to the Polish border. The new MultiControl CanisMatic Rail device will operate at the Hrubieszów railway border crossing. Like the two previous devices already operating in Kuźnica Białostocka and Korsze, it is the work of the Polish company MultiControl sp. z o.o., and was created thanks to advanced NCBJ technology.

The CERAD cyclotron, designed and built by the Belgian company IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.), has been installed at the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ). The cyclotron will accelerate protons and alpha particles to an energy of 30 MeV and deuterons to an energy of 15 MeV. By bombarding appropriately selected targets with these particles, it will be possible to produce radionuclides such as 89Zr or 211At, which have not been produced at NCBJ to date and have not been widely available in Poland. Thanks to the new device in Świerk, it will be possible to conduct research on new radiopharmaceuticals, in particular those that will be specially designed for the needs of individual patients.

In early December, the ATF Cladding project, jointly submitted by scientists from Poland and South Korea, was approved for implementation. The National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) represents the Polish side, while the consortium includes Seoul National University, the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, and DAEKYUNG TECH & TESTERS on the Korean side. The aim of the project is to perform a detailed study on the structural stability and associated changing functional properties of a new type of fuel cladding jackets coated with a protective layer, designed for nuclear reactors. These materials will enhance the tolerance to nuclear events of such components and are called Accident Tolerant Fuel.

A comprehensive methodology for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been developed in research conducted at the National Centre for Nuclear Research to accurately model turbulent flow and heat exchange phenomena in tightly packed fuel assembly geometry. These efforts were recognized at the international SCOPE conference.

The Main Prize in the 19th edition of the Science Popularizer competition was awarded to the Education and Training Division Team at NCBJ. The award was given "For their longstanding contributions to popularizing knowledge about ionizing radiation, radioactivity, nuclear energy, and natural radioactivity. These efforts are of particular significance in the context of implementing Poland's energy transformation program." The competition has been organized for almost 20 years by the Polish Press Agency. In previous years, the institute and its employees have been nominated and awarded multiple times.

Defects in the crystal structure of semiconductors used in space and nuclear industry can have an impact on the functioning of devices built with them. A master's student from Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal, in collaboration with NCBJ scientists, investigated defects that arise in gallium nitride when bombarded with argon. The use of the McChasy computer program developed in Świerk was a crucial aspect of the research.

The ceremony for the signing of the Polish-Japanese Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGR) between the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) took place on November 16th, 2023. NCBJ is the main implementing institution of the agreement on the Polish side.

A new study has shed light on the intricate cosmic dance between interstellar dust in galaxies, properties of galaxies, and their environments. For a very long time, the relations between dust and the galaxies was investigated. However, the link between dust properties and the neighborhood of galaxies was poorly understood. In the newest work published in Astronomy&Astrophysics, the scientists studied the relationship between the amount of stellar light absorbed by dust, and the environments of galaxies.

On October 27, after a modernization break, the MARIA research reactor resumed operation. Thus, the long-awaited production of radioisotopes began again, mainly for medical purposes. In a special letter, the director of NCBJ thanked the people involved in the complex modernization works.

The team of researchers from France, Poland, and the United Kingdom has proposed a new hypothesis suggesting that interactions between dark matter and neutrinos could shed light on certain anomalies in the distribution of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The details of the analysis have been described in articles published in the prestigious scientific journals, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters and Physics of the Dark Universe.

On October 16, 2023, a change took place in the position of Deputy Director for Science at NCBJ. The former director, Professor Ewa Rondio, passed on her duties to Professor Agnieszka Pollo, an astrophysicist who has been successfully leading the rapidly developing Department of Astrophysics.

Scientists and Engineers of the NCBJ Materials Research Laboratory specialize in analyzes of mechanical, structural and thermal properties and non-destructive tests of modern materials intended for use in Generation IV nuclear reactors. The recently completed modernization of the Laboratory will allow for testing and certification of materials that will be used to construct the first Polish high-temperature gas-cooled reactor – HTGR.

On September 23, during the conference in Warsaw entitled "Directly (wprost) about science. From basic research to development work. The Polish system of higher education and science in the era of modern challenges. Prospects, opportunities, challenges", prof. Wacław Gudowski from the National Center for Nuclear Research received the Eagle "Wprost" award in the "Business and science" category. The award was granted for outstanding scientific achievements and teaching activities in the field of nuclear energy, as well as for involvement in the development of scientific cooperation between Poland and Sweden.

The conceptual design of the Polish high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR-POLA), presented in June in Warsaw, was presented last week (September 27) at the international nuclear forum, at the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

On September 26, 2023, NCBJ was visited by Mr. David Austin Wright, Commissioner of the NRC - the American Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The guest was accompanied by representatives of the Commission and the US Embassy in Warsaw, including the deputy head of mission, Mr. Daniel J. Lawton. The guests met with the Institute's management, learned information about our main research priorities and visited the MARIA reactor.

In the study, the results of which have just been published in the journal "Molecules", scientists have shown that exposing non-small cell lung cancer cells to appropriately selected amino acids can increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy based on local emission of alpha radiation by neutron-activated boron. The so-called BNCT therapy is mainly used to treat particularly sensitive organs, e.g. the brain. The first author of the work is a doctoral student of RadFarm studies conducted at NCBJ.

Material Research Lab and NOMATEN Centre of Excellence study and test, among other things, structural materials and their combinations, using modern, specialised analysis equipment. The laboratories’ research infrastructure now includes a recently launched transmission electron microscope.

Stellar feedback is expected to play a key role in regulating the evolution of low-mass galaxies by producing galactic-scale winds (also known as outflows) that push the gas away from the interstellar medium, eventually preventing from the formation of new stars. In this respect, an international team of astronomers led by NCBJ scientist, have published a work on the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal addressing the impact of galactic outflows on the baryonic cycle of nearby dwarf galaxies

Part of the POLATOM Radioisotope Center operating at NCBJ is the Radioactivity Standards Laboratory (LWR – Laboratorium Wzorców Radioaktywności) accredited by the Polish Center for Accreditation. The technical competence of LWR employees is confirmed by the fact that the laboratory is the depositary of the State Standard for the Unit of Measurement of Radionuclide Radioactive Activity. Employees devote a significant part of their time to monitoring the activity and level of radioactive contamination (radionuclide purity) of radiochemical preparations and radiopharmaceuticals produced in OR POLATOM. They also calibrate dozens of activity meters located in hospitals and diagnostic centers throughout Poland. Scientific and research work is also carried out at LWR. The latest published results concern precise measurements of the activity of 177Lu and 225Ac solutions and the half-life of these radionuclides.

9 września (sobota) Krajowe Składowisko Odpadów Promieniotwórczych (KSOP) w Różanie będzie otwarte dla zwiedzających. To nietypowa okazja, żeby zobaczyć obiekt, który zazwyczaj jest niedostępny dla osób postronnych.

On August 21-23, 2023, a meeting was held at NCBJ as part of work on the preparation of the basic research project of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor HTGR-POLA (High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor - POLski Atomowy). This was the next stage of reviewing the documentation provided by JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) under the contract concluded in March 2023 for cooperation in the preparation of the design of this reactor. The purpose of the talks was also to adapt the documentation provided to the requirements set by the Polish design team and to adapt the reactor design to the research, experimental and application requirements of the HTGR reactor for NCBJ and the Polish market.

In recent years, the popularity of individual energy production using renewable energy sources has been growing rapidly. At the beginning of July this year, the first collective prosumer in Poland began operating. This was made possible by cooperation in which the Interdisciplinary Department of Energy Analysis (IDEA), which is part of the National Centre for Nuclear Research, participated.

Machine learning was used to map the distribution of dislocations in Mg alloys and predict their mechanical properties. A group of scientists from Finland, Spain, and NCBJ trained a deep learning model on a dataset of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) images of Mg alloys with different dislocation densities. This could lead to the development of novel materials with optimized mechanical properties. Their paper appeared in the July issue of Nature Scientific Reports.

At the NCBJ Nuclear Equipment Department, with the participation of the NCBJ Nuclear Equipment and Techniques Department, the accelerator structure for the new FLASH therapy research station was designed and built. The pioneer stand is to use the construction of the AQURE medical accelerator and is ultimately to operate at the WCO in Poznań.

NCBJ has been autho­ri­zed by the Natio­nal Ato­mic Energy Agency, which will allow the insti­tute to sup­port the acti­vi­ties of the Agency’s Pre­si­dent in the field of safety of nuc­lear power plants and nuc­lear phy­sics in prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tions. At the cur­rent stage, these tasks will be pri­ma­rily rela­ted to the pro­ces­ses of licen­sing future power plants and super­vi­sion over their con­struc­tion.

Today at 3 p.m. the pre­miere of a film about the work of the HITEC Nuc­lear Equ­ip­ment Plant and the Depart­ment of Phy­sics and Par­ticle Acce­le­ra­tion Tech­no­logy. It will be the tenth and last film publi­shed as part of the Vir­tual Days of Open Doors pro­ject of the Natio­nal Cen­ter for Nuc­lear Rese­arch and OJ Świerk. We warmly invite you to see all the reali­za­tions!

On June 26, 2023, a Special Colloquium was held, during which awards were presented for the best research and popularization activities in 2022 at the Fundamental Research Department. The winners were Prof. Michał Bluj, a team consisting of Prof. Paweł Ziń and Dr. Maciej Pylak, Dr. Michael Romano, and Prof. Jerzy Kowalski-Glikman and Dr. Miguel Figueira

Dr inż. Tomasz Rajkowski z Zakładu Elektroniki i Systemów Detekcyjnych NCBJ został laureatem nagrody Paul Phelps Continuing Education Grant, przyznawanej corocznie przez Radiation Effects Committee w IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society. Nagroda pozwoli naukowcowi na wzięcie udziału w szkoleniu podczas międzynarodowej konferencji NSREC 2023.

On Tuesday, June 20, a resolution was adopted on a multi-year program called "Program for the modernization of the MARIA nuclear research reactor". The cost of the project will be approximately PLN 91.7 million and will allow the reactor to be operated after 2027. Thanks to the reactor, Poland is at the forefront of the global radiopharmaceutical sector, covering the vast majority of the needs of nuclear medicine in Poland, as well as exporting its products around the world. Radioisotopes produced in the reactor provide Poles with access to cancer imaging and treatment at prices lower than foreign alternatives.

Promising results of the first studies and tests of radiotherapy using ultra-high FLASH dose rates mean that interest in this technique is constantly growing. Research in this field is appreciated, as confirmed by the award received recently for an article on FLASH therapy by scientists from the NCBJ Nuclear Equipment Department.

On June 12, at a conference organized by the Polish Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, the conceptual design of a new Polish high-temperature research reactor developed at NCBJ was presented to the public for the first time. The helium-cooled reactor will provide 30 MW of thermal power, and the helium temperature at the outlet of the primary cooling circuit will reach 750 ⁰C.

Interstellar dust is a key component in galaxies. It favors star formation and drives the chemistry and physics of the interstellar medium. However, it hides the majority of stars in a way that it is impossible to observe them. Astrophysicists use dust attenuation laws that would uncover these hidden stars by reverse-engineering the light from galaxies to quantify how many stars are there.

W dniach 14-15 czerwca 2023 odbywają się ćwiczenia Straży Pożarnej w Świerku. Może wystąpić wzmożony ruch pojazdów służb ratowniczych na drogach dojadowych do Ośrodka.

Nie każdy może zwiedzić NCBJ osobiście, ale już teraz niemal każdy będzie mógł zrobić to „wirtualnie”! Wystarczy dostęp do Internetu. Zapraszamy do wirtualnego zwiedzania NCBJ i OJ Świerk!

Car­ry­ing out an effec­tive energy trans­for­ma­tion requ­ires, among others: com­pre­hen­sive moni­to­ring of the pro­gress of its imple­men­ta­tion, which must be based on cur­rent and relia­ble data ana­ly­ses. Such acti­vi­ties will be car­ried out at NCBJ as part of the „Energy Trans­for­ma­tion Obse­rva­tory” pro­ject that is just star­ting.

Współpraca NCBJ z JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) realizowana jest już od ponad 10 lat. Obok dużych przedsięwzięć, jak działania w obszarze wysokotemperaturowych reaktorów chłodzonych gazem (HTGR), od kilku lat rozwijane są projekty pozwalające na pełniejsze wykorzystanie możliwości reaktora MARIA. Najnowszy z nich dotyczy wysokotemperaturowych sond materiałowych typu JMTR.

W sobotę, 27 maja miał miejsce 26. Piknik Naukowy Polskiego Radia i Centrum Nauki Kopernik. Motywem przewodnim tegorocznej edycji były „Rewolucje naukowe”. Tradycyjnie, Dział Edukacji i Szkoleń NCBJ również przygotował swoje stoisko.

Dni Innowacji NOMATEN miały na celu dialog z przedstawicielami przemysłu i poznanie ich potrzeb dotyczących wspólnych projektów z sektorem naukowym. Podczas konferencji miały miejsce panele i prelekcje inspirujące współpracę badawczo-rozwojową, a także bloki związane z badaniami materiałowymi w szerokich zastosowaniach (m.in.

Nuclear reactions heat the fuel rods in reactor cores. Reception of the heat generated in this way is critical for the safety of the reactors themselves and the efficiency of the steam turbines that generate electricity. Complex physical phenomena occurring during coolant flows between fuel rods can now be predicted faster and more accurately thanks to unique computer simulations carried out at the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk.

It's not a mistake! NCBJ ranks in the top 4% out of 20,531 universities worldwide according to the 2023 edition of the outcome-based Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings, which was published on Monday May 15, 2023 on cwur.org. In Poland, we are in seventh place. Although we do not educate undergraduate and graduate students, we owe our position to the quality of our research.

Znajdujące się w reaktorze MARIA kanały poziome służą do wyprowadzania wiązki neutronów poza rdzeń, celem wykorzystania jej do badań. W ramach nowego projektu przygotowywane jest stanowisko do prowadzenia badań podstawowych w dziedzinach inżynierii biomedycznej, materiałowej, nauk fizycznych i innych.

W dniu 10 maja 2023 r. Świerk odwiedził pan Frédéric Billet, ambasador Republiki Francuskiej w Polsce. Gościowi towarzyszyli m.in. pan François Gauché, wiceprezes CERCA - producenta paliwa jądrowego działającego w ramach przedsiębiorstwa Framatome oraz pan Thierry Deschaux, Dyrektor generalny, EDF - Przedstawicielstwo w Polsce. Współgospodarzem wizyty było Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska reprezentowane przez pana Pawła Pytlarczyka, dyrektora Departamentu Energii Jądrowej.

Rosnący udział OZE, takich jak turbiny wiatrowe, w miksie energetycznym oraz ich zależność od warunków pogodowych sprawiają, że konieczne staje się precyzyjne przewidywanie generowanej przez nie mocy w znacznym horyzoncie czasowym. Wyniki badań nad wykorzystaniem w tym celu metod uczenia maszynowego zostały ostatnio przedstawione w pracy opublikowanej przez naukowców Interdyscyplinarnego Zakładu Analiz Energetycznych NCBJ i Politechniki Śląskiej.

Podczas dwudniowego finału tegorocznej edycji konkursu Fizyczne Ścieżki, organizowanego przez Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych oraz Instytut Fizyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, laureaci po raz kolejny zaprezentowali swoje dokonania w kategoriach: Pokaz Zjawiska Fizycznego, Praca Naukowa i Esej. Po elektryzujących pokazach oraz burzliwych obradach Jury, ogłoszono wyniki XVIII edycji Konkursu.

His Excellency Mr. Akio MIYAJIMA, Ambassador of Japan, visited the National Center for Nuclear Research on April 6, 2023. The guest met with the director of NCBJ, prof. Krzysztof Kurek and visited the MARIA nuclear research reactor.

The first edition of the competition under the „Pearls of Science” program has been settled. One of the scientists qualified for the program is Krzysztof Lisiecki, MSc, a PhD student at the Astrophysics Department of the National Center for Nuclear Research, conducting research in the project „In search of witnesses to the early Universe – studying the properties of red nuggets”.

Valuable items made of wood-based materials, such as old books or sculptures, can be more effectively protected against moisture or rotting. Such an optimistic conclusion can be drawn from research on the implantation of cellulose with metal ions and noble gases, carried out at the National Center for Nuclear Research and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

March 29, 2023 prof. Krzysztof Kurek has signed a second contract for the transfer of subsequent elements of the basic design of the HTGR research reactor from Japan. The documentation will be submitted to NCBJ by the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency by the end of March 2024.

The use of radiopharmaceuticals based on metal isotopes is gaining importance due to the improvement of their production methods. The article by OR POLATOM scientists on the review of the production capacity of the copper-67 radioisotope has been published in a special edition of the international journal „Molecules”.

NCBJ participates in the European project ORIENT-NM. The project aims to investigate the possibilities and critically evaluate the added value that would result from the establishment of a co-funded European partnership (CEP) to support the development of a coordinated European research and innovation program on nuclear materials. It is expected that such a partnership would have a positive impact on Europe's competitiveness in the global nuclear energy field.

The search for materials that retain high mechanical parameters in the environment of the interior of high-temperature nuclear reactors is an extremely difficult task. The latest research by scientists from the nuclear center in Świerk suggests that the material capable of withstanding such extreme working conditions may be hidden among alloys whose basic components are nickel and iron.

Polskie Towarzystwo Nukleoniczne ogłosiło wyniki najnowszej edycji Konkursu na najlepsze prace dyplomowe. Drugie miejsce w kategorii prac doktorskich zajął dr inż. Jakub Sierchuła z Zakładu Energetyki Jądrowej i Analiz Środowiska NCBJ, za pracę dotyczącą reaktorów dwupłynowych.

Badania materiałów, jakie mają być używane w przyszłych reaktorach wysokotemperaturowych, czy instalacjach termojądrowych wymagają specjalnych sond, w których podczas napromieniania panują ściśle określone warunki. Zespół pracowników reaktora MARIA zaprojektował i skonstruował już kilka sond tego typu, w których napromieniano próbki materiałowe. Dokonania konstruktorów nagrodzono właśnie odznaką honorową "Za Zasługi dla Wynalazczości".

8 marca, podczas uroczystego posiedzenia Rady Naukowej NCBJ, zostały zaprezentowane i nagrodzone osiągnięcia pracowników Instytutu, w kategoriach: naukowe, badawczo-techniczne i popularyzatorskie, dokonane w 2022 roku. Serdecznie gratulujemy wszystkim wyróżnionym i życzymy sukcesów w dalszej pracy naukowej!

Zróżnicowany kształt zębów współczesnych tarcz tnących utrudnia modyfikowanie ich powierzchni czynnych. W testach przemysłowych naukowcy i inżynierowie z Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych w Świerku wykazali, że nawet narzędzia o tak skomplikowanej geometrii można z powodzeniem doskonalić za pomocą implantacji jonów azotu. Co więcej, podczas pracy z materiałami drewnopochodnymi zmodyfikowane powierzchnie tnące okazują się nabierać interesujących właściwości.

W dniu 22 lutego 2023 dwaj laureaci Nagrody Nobla z dziedziny fizyki, Prof. Barry C. Barish oraz Prof. Arthur B. McDonald, wygłoszą w Warszawie wykłady publiczne. Organizatorem spotkania jest Międzynarodowa Agenda Badawcza AstroCeNT prowadzona przez polskiego fizyka prof. Leszka Roszkowskiego.

Perfekcja nie zawsze jest najlepszym rozwiązaniem. W przypadku materiałów pewne stochastyczne zaburzenia budowy wewnętrznej mogą korzystnie wpływać na ich właściwości mechaniczne. Artykuły dotyczące roli takiego nieporządku w strukturze atomowej stopów, powstające w Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ) w Świerku w zespole prof. Stefanosa Papanikolaou, budzą zainteresowanie naukowców z całego świata.

Prace dotyczące poszukiwanego od ponad 20 lat egzotycznego stanu materii – kondensatu kolorowego szkła – zapewniły dr. Guillaume'owi Beufowi, teoretykowi z Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych w Świerku, obecność w prestiżowym rankingu Uniwersytetu Stanforda, obejmującym 2% najczęściej cytowanych naukowców świata.

Projekt „Wsparcie polskich użytkowników EuXFEL – Nadzór II (2022-26)” został zaakceptowany do finansowania w ramach programu „Wsparcie udziału polskich zespołów naukowych w międzynarodowych projektach infrastruktury badawczej” Ministerstwa Edukacji i Nauki.

Prawdopodobnie już za kilka lat na rynku pojawią się detektory scyntylacyjne nowej generacji, zdolne do rejestrowania promieniowania jonizującego z bardzo dobrą rozdzielczością energetyczną. Zapowiedzią zbliżającego się przełomu są wyniki najnowszych badań nad kryształami jodku cezu domieszkowanego talem, przeprowadzonych w Zakładzie Fizyki Detektorów i Diagnostyki Plazmy NCBJ.

We are happy to announce that Prof. Leszek Roszkowski has become a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). EASA is one of the most prestigious scientific and artistic organizations in Europe. Prof. Roszkowski is employed in the Division of Theoretical Physics of the National Center for Nuclear Research and he heads the international research agenda AstroCeNT.

Z dniem 1 stycznia 2023 r. dr Marcin Kardas objął funkcję zastępcy dyrektora Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych ds. innowacji i wdrożeń. Nowy dyrektor będzie odpowiadał m.in. za prace ZdAJ i PNT. Marcin Kardas jest doktorem nauk o zarządzaniu (2009, SGH), a od 2013 r. współpracuje z Wydziałem Zarządzania UW. 

Twenty thousand high quality images from the Hawaii Two-0 (H20)/Cosmic Dawn survey have been released to the public on the most popular citizen science project: Galaxy Zoo. Anyone in the world can become a citizen scientist and help astronomers classify images from the Subaru telescope.

On December 20, at a seminar at CERN, the LHCb Collaboration team presented new tests for the universality of leptons, one of the fundamental principles of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. This rule states that the SM treats the three charged leptons (electrons, muons, and taons) identical except for differences due to their different masses. The results are consistent with MS. Scientists from the Division of Theoretical Physics comment on this important result.

Nie każdy kamień leżący przy drodze ma ziemskie korzenie. Niepozorne znalezisko z okolic wielkopolskiego Antonina okazało się fragmentem świeżego meteorytu, poszukiwanego od momentu sfilmowania jego spadku latem 2021 roku. Jednoznacznych dowodów na kosmiczny rodowód odłamka dostarczyły pomiary radioizotopowe przeprowadzone w NCBJ.

Sześć jednostek naukowych utworzyło Polskie Konsorcjum Ochrony Radiologicznej. Cele Konsorcjum, w skład którego weszło także NCBJ, to współdziałanie i koordynacja badań, kształcenie kadry, wspieranie organizacji rządowych i pozarządowych oraz inicjatyw społecznych, a także promujących wiedzę na temat ochrony radiologicznej.

Kondensaty Bosego-Einsteina pojawiają się w gazach schłodzonych do ultraniskich temperatur. Od kilku lat wiadomo, że mogą się w nich formować krople kwantowe, niezwykłe obiekty wykazujące cechy zarówno gazów, jak i cieczy. Fizycy z kilku warszawskich instytucji połączyli siły, aby dokładniej opisać ich zachowanie.

NCBJ i Koreański Instytut Badań Energii Atomowej (KAERI) podpisały protokół ustaleń dotyczący obszarów możliwej współpracy pomiędzy partnerami. Obejmują one m.in. wymianę danych technicznych, wymianę naukową, wspólne prace B+R i wykorzystanie koreańskich zasobów badawczych.

Radioisotopes essential for modern diagnostics, such as molybdenum-99, are produced in only a few nuclear research reactors in the world. Flat, thin uranium targets play a key role in the molybdenum production process. The European patent, which has just been granted to scientists from the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk, can optimize this production thanks to targets made using spatial printing.

On November 22, in Tokyo, the President of the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Mr. Koguchi Masanori and the Director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ, Poland), prof. Krzysztof Kurek signed an Implementing Arrangement regarding the institution's cooperation in research and development in the field of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors technology.

The program of the current LHC cycle will include measurements of high-energy neutrinos, research into the nature of the interactions that bind atomic nuclei together, and the search for traces of so-called new physics. On November 15–16, the 5th international meeting tentatively summarized the operation of the new FASER and SND@LHC detectors and discussed plans for new facilities.

IOBs support entrepreneurs, in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, in contacts between science and business. They deal with consulting and researching the company’s needs. They offer assistance in applying for programs (related to, among others, technology transfer) on a national and international scale. PNT has been accredited for two years.

Necessary in most branches of physics, detection systems are largely based on electronic systems. Many of such systems operate in conditions of exposure to ionizing radiation, which is why research is constantly being carried out, e. g. on semiconductors, scintillators or photomultipliers in order to better understand their behavior in such an environment.

Two projects implemented jointly with the National Center for Nuclear Research and financed from the funds for science of the Wielkopolska Region were presented at the Wielkopolska Oncology Centre. A completely new solution is the FLASH electron accelerator, which sends microsecond therapeutic impulses with a dose rate of several dozen grays per second. Preclinical trials with the device will begin next year.

In a few years, yttrium oxide gel microspheres manufactured by the National Center for Nuclear Research may be among the agents used to fight liver cancer. The results of the latest research on the impact of new microspheres on biological material appear to be promising. If further tests confirm them, in the future microspheres can be produced quickly and cheaply, precisely matching their characteristics to the needs of a particular patient.

Dr Karol Kozioł z Zakładu Fizyki Detektorów i Diagnostyki Plazmy NCBJ, uzyskał grant NCN w konkursie MINIATURA 6 na realizację pojedynczych działań naukowych. Badania dr. Kozioła dotyczą naruszania parzystości oraz efektów elektrodynamiki kwantowej w spektroskopii jądrowego rezonansu magnetycznego.

Fotony przemierzają Wszechświat z niezmienną prędkością. Tylko czy zawsze wszystkie z tą samą? Aby sprawdzić, czy potencjalne efekty kwantowej grawitacji nie wpływają na prędkości fotonów o bardzo dużych energiach, polsko-chiński zespół naukowców zaprzągł do pracy dwa spektakularne zjawiska kosmiczne: soczewki grawitacyjne i wybuchy promieniowania gamma.

On October 10–14, 2022, an international group of IAEA specialists under the OMARR (Operation and Maintenance Assessment for Research Reactors) mission carried out a review aimed at increasing the efficiency of the MARIA reactor operation and maintenance program.

On October 17, a ceremony Was held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the National Atomic Energy Agency. NCBJ Director sent a congratulatory letter to the National Atomic Energy Agency President on the occasion of the anniversary. During the ceremony, our institute was awarded a commemorative medal, and Professor Krzysztof Kurek received the badge of honor „Meritorious for Energy” from the Minister Anna Moskwa.

The synthesis of super-heavy elements takes place as a result of heavy ion collisions. The resulting super-heavy nucleus can be both strongly excited (hot) and slightly excited (cold). Until now, there were no examples showing that both nuclear reaction scenarios could lead to the same terminal nuclei. The work of an international team of scientists with the participation of Polish physicists, published in September, shows that such a situation is possible.

Zespół naukowy Departamentu Aparatury i Technik Jądrowych NCBJ wraz z ekspertami z Laboratorium Badawczego Armii USA przeprowadzili nową, udaną eksperymentalną próbę produkcji izomerów renu, wykorzystując pola neutronowe reaktora MARIA. Eksperyment zaowocował wyznaczeniem najdokładniejszej do tej pory wartości czasu życia izomeru 184mRe.

Konferencja "International Workshop on Machine Learning and Quantum Computing Applications in Medicine and Physics" (WMLQ2022) odbyła się w dniach 13-16 września w Warszawie i była poświęcona zastosowaniu metod statystycznych, w tym uczenia maszynowego w medycynie i naukach fizycznych. Głównym organizatorem konferencji było NCBJ. Współorganizatorami byli naukowcy z Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, z Uniwersytetu Wiedeńskiego oraz projekt EuroCC.

When accelerated neutrons or ions bombard a material, its surface layer undergoes dramatic physical and chemical transformations. The National Center for Nuclear Research has managed to learn in detail about the processes occurring in such situations in polymers. The collected knowledge was used by physicists to create a method of producing supersealings, they also proposed a simple and quick way to detect dangerous cables whose polymer insulation begins to lose their insulating properties.

Gdy organizm najpierw otrzyma niewielką dawkę promieniowania jonizującego, a po pewnym czasie drugą, wyraźnie większą, ryzyko wystąpienia negatywnych skutków będzie mniejsze niż w sytuacji, gdyby otrzymał tylko tę ostatnią. Zjawisko, znane jako efekt Rapera-Yonezawy, z powodzeniem opisali naukowcy z NCBJ. Ich badania nagrodzono dziś w Gliwicach prestiżową nagrodą Polskiego Towarzystwa Badań Radiacyjnych.

Mgr inż. Tomasz Kwiatkowski z Zakładu Energetyki Jądrowej i Analiz Środowiska NCBJ otrzymał nagrodę Best Paper Award za pracę zaprezentowaną podczas 13th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation, and Safety (NUTHOS-13). Nagrodzona praca dotyczy analizy niepewności modeli turbulentnych przepływu chłodziwa w ściśle upakowanych kasetach paliwowych w reaktorach jądrowych.

W dniach 12-15 września 2022 roku w Kazimierzu Dolnym odbyła się Międzynarodową Szkoła Letnia w trakcie której zaprezentowano wykłady ekspertów ze Szwecji, Włoch, Szwajcarii, Japonii, Holandii i Indonezji oraz z NCBJ. Doktoranci NCBJ mieli okazję przedstawić wyniki swoich badań oraz uzyskać informację zwrotną ze strony zaproszonych gości.

Images of distant galaxies, distorted by powerful gravitational lenses, are visually the most out-of-the-box phenomena photographed by telescopes. Their automatic detection is difficult for many reasons. During the international workshop in Warsaw, dedicated to machine learning, NCBJ scientists demonstrated theoretical models and software that deal with this task with high efficiency and reliability.

NCBJ) signed a framework agreement with the ITER Organization (IO) under which material samples and diagnostic windows for use in the ITER fusion reactor will be tested. Special thermostatic capsules will be designed to recreate the conditions in the place of their final installation. They will be placed in the core of our reactor, irradiated and then tested.

On September 13, NCBJ hosted the participants of the twenty-second National Conference on Radiographic Research. The topics traditionally included, among others contemporary trends in the development of X-ray radiography, interesting cases encountered in the course of research, technical and technological innovations and new areas of application of X-ray imaging.

Two NCBJ scientists were awarded with grants from competitions of the National Science Center. Wenyi Huo, PhD. from the NOMATEN Center of Excellence received a POLONEZ BIS grant for a project on high entropy alloys, while PhD. Ilkka Samuli Mäkinen received a grant from the SONATINA competition for a project on loop quantum gravity.

Aluminum, titanium, nickel, niobium and tungsten – as many as five elements make up the high-entropy layers just produced at the National Center for Nuclear Research. Their production means that the center in Świerk joined the research on coatings considered to be one of the most innovative in contemporary surface engineering.

In connection with the article in Gazeta Stołeczna entitled „Treatment of a patient with cancer was canceled. The reason? The radioisotope is imported from Russia" we explain that the reasons for the described situation do not lie on the part of NCBJ and we do not know anything about that could be associated with problems with supplies from Russia.

Comprehensive research and models of their operation are an important stage in the introduction of the concept of generation IV nuclear reactors. On the basis of the analyzes, the passive safety of the DFRm reactor Was confirmed, thanks to the determination of the temperature coefficient of reactivity. In a recent paper published in the International Journal of Energy Research, the calculation of the transients for such a reactor Was presented for the first time.

Narzędzia stosowane do obróbki w przemyśle meblarskim są narażone na szybkie zużywanie się. Modyfikacja powierzchni może zapewnić przedłużenie ich trwałości, co wpływa na zużycie energii, wykończenie powierzchni oraz szybkość produkcji. Badania wpływu implantacji jonów azotu na trwałość stalowych wierteł przeprowadzili naukowcy Zakładu Technologii Plazmowych i Jonowych NCBJ oraz Katedry Mechanicznej Obróbki Drewna SGGW.

At the end of June, the inaugural meeting of the international ENEN2plus project Was held in Brussels in a hybrid format. The project aims to build competences in the field of nuclear technologies through educational and training activities. The NCBJ Education and Training Department also participates in it.

"My work so far was focused on the formation and evolution of galaxies using modern machine learning methods" - explains Dr. William James Pearson of the NCBJ Astrophysics Division. Dr. Pearson received one of this year's scholarships from the Minister of Education and Science for outstanding young scientists demonstrating significant achievements in scientific activity.

Until now, we have not been able to measure directly and with the appropriate precision how the breaking of CP symmetry manifests itself in the decays of charm mesons. The results of the analysis of the LHCb experiment, presented at the just completed ICHEP conference in Bologna, perfectly fill this gap.

On June 22–23, 2022, a symposium devoted to the development of neutron research in Poland and Europe Was held in Świerk. The symposium initiated cooperation between Polish institutions, universities and scientists on the part of neutron source users (the „Neutrons for Polish Science” consortium) with operators and constructors of neutron generating infrastructure (including the MARIA, DONES, ESS reactor).

On July 5, NCBJ signed a letter of intent with Boiler Factory SEFAKO S.A. on cooperation in the field of research and development activities concerning the preparation of the technical description of the research of the HTGR editor. The task of SEFAKO will be to design and, if a decision is made to start the investment, build a Reboiler Equipment Complex in the conventional part of the installation.

High-energy physicists today celebrate the tenth anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson. On July 4, 2012, the long-awaited results were simultaneously announced by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. NCBJ scientists have made a significant contribution to the construction, collection and analysis of CMS data. The occasional symposium is currently underway and it is possible to follow it remotely.

On June 21 and 22, at the National Center for Nuclear Research in Otwock, a meeting of the participants of the REVaMP Project took place. The main goal of the project is to develop, adapt and apply new metal recycling technologies. The consortium consists of 16 European partners. NCBJ tasks are performed by scientists from the TJ3 Division.

On June 27, the Awards of the Director of the Fundamental Research Department of NCBJ were presented for scientific achievements and popularizing activities for 2021. This year, the following were awarded: PhD. Varvara Batozskaya from the Department of High Energy Physics, prof. Marek Biesiada from the Department of Astrophysics, professors Michał Kowal and Janusz Skalski from the Department of Theoretical Physics and prof. Katarzyna Małek from the Department of Astrophysics for achievements in the area of ​​popularization.

On June 10–13, 2022, 17 Olympic Games of Scientific Institutes took place. This year the organizer Was the CEA Grenoble. Over 1,000 scientists representing 26 research institutes from 10 European countries participated in the competition, including NCBJ employees who won many medals.

Badania z zakresu medycyny kojarzą się w NCBJ z Ośrodkiem Radioizotopów POLATOM. Nie jest to jedyny Zakład zajmujący się w Instytucie tą dziedziną nauki. Duży wkład w opracowanie nowych związków, przydatnych z punktu widzenia medycyny, mają również naukowcy z Zakładu Metod Jądrowych Fizyki Ciała Stałego, dzięki zastosowaniu badań krystalograficznych.

The system for non-invasive inspection of large-size goods CANIS, a joint work of PID Polska and the NCBJ Nuclear Apparatus Department, Was this year’s winner of the Teraz Polska emblem in the innovation category. In Świerk, among others, the heart of the device, i. e. the accelerator being the source of the gamma ray scanning beam. Today, at the ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Agata Kornhauser-Duda presented the representatives of our institutions with the diploma and the statuette of the emblem.

NCBJ delegation participated in the opening ceremony of the PID Poland Research and Development Center. The center conducts research in the area of ​​radiographic inspection and detection. Thanks to cooperation with Polish research institutions, it will be possible to develop proprietary technologies applicable both in industrial X-ray detectors and in cargo scanners.

Today, in the NCBJ area, fire-fighting exercises are held. Increased traffic of emergency services vehicles is expected on the access roads to the Świerk center.

On Saturday, May 21, the 25th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Center took place. The theme of this year’s Picnic was water – its role in nature and human life, as well as its properties and phenomena related to it. The event took place at the Copernicus Science Center. NCBJ also exhibited its stand, prepared by the Education and Training Department.

Today (01/06/2022) exercises in the field of safety are taking place at the Świerk nuclear center. Therefore, there may be difficulties in traffic on the access roads to NCBJ.

Once again, the article describing the research of scientists from the POLATOM Radioisotope Center Was among the five most cited publications of the Nuclear Medicine Review journal in 2017-2021. The diploma awarded by the Editorial Board Was presented to the authors during the 17th Congress of the Polish Society of Nuclear Medicine in Białystok on May 26–28, 2022.

Titanium-based materials are often used in the manufacture of medical implants. For the first time, scientists from the Materials Research Laboratory and the Center of Excellence NOMATEN NCBJ used the Raman imaging research technique to determine the spatial distribution and quantitative proportion of individual titanium oxide phases covering the surface of the material, which determines its properties.

NCBJ organizes the 1st NOMATEN International Conference on Materials Informatics. Materials informatics is a new field of research that uses advanced IT tools to better understand and design materials needed primarily for work in extreme physical and chemical conditions, as well as in medicine. This subject is dealt with, among others, by originators and organizers of the conference – scientists from the NOMATEN Center of Excellence operating in Świerk.

Scientists from NCBJ and UW have published a paper explaining what determines the success of the synthesis of the nuclei of the heaviest elements in fusion reactions. The performed calculations show that the dramatic decrease in the probability of synthesis with the increase in the atomic number of the nucleus formed can be explained assuming that the fusion takes place in the process of diffusion.

Every 6 years, EU countries carry out mutual, thematic assessments of the safety of nuclear installations. In Poland, such an object is the MARIA research reactor. Until 27 May 2022, public consultations of the documents regulating the thematic review of nuclear facilities are ongoing.

In fusion projects it is necessary to use materials resistant to high temperatures and radiation damage. Carbon-based materials, especially carbon nanotubes and graphene, are promising in this respect. Scientists from the NCBJ Reactor Research Department participated in the research on the resistance of graphene detectors to high neutron fluxes.

The results of the 17th edition of the Physical Paths competition, organized by the National Center for Nuclear Research and the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, have been announced. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3 rd place were awarded cash prizes, as well as funds for equipping school laboratories for academic tutors. For the first time, the prof. Ludwik Dobrzyński award Was also granted for the teacher who is the guardian of the competition participant.

For several months, scientists from CERN have been preparing the accelerator complex located there for awakening. After more than 3 years, the so-called Long Shutdown 2 and the successive testing of subsequent acceleration steps, the first proton beam has already appeared in the LHC ring.

High-temperature reactors use modern TRISO (TRIstructural-ISOtropic) nuclear fuel. NCBJ scientists conducted preliminary tests of the resistance of fuel pellets „shields” to mechanical damage. The work is carried out in cooperation with the European Research Center (JRC).

NCBJ scientists are analyzing the concepts of future solutions for new generation nuclear reactors. One of the promising solutions is the two-fluid reactor (DFR). In a paper published in the April issue of the journal Progress in Nuclear Energy, researchers showed that DFR has a negative temperature reactivity coefficient, which is one of the key figures for the passive safety of a nuclear reactor.

Scientists are trying to determine the properties of the graviton – the hypothetical particle that carries the gravitational force. In a study published in the Journal of High Energy Astrophysics, based on the analysis of 12 galaxy clusters, prof. Marek Biesiada and his colleagues presented a new limit on the mass of graviton. It is seven orders of magnitude stronger than the limitations of observing gravitational waves.

Prof. Michał Kowal, Head of the NCBJ Theoretical Physics Department, joined the Scientific Council of the French research center GANIL (French: Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds – Great National Heavy Ion Accelerator). Along with other members of the Council, prof. Kowal will shape the institute’s research program.

The National Center for Nuclear Research takes part in the implementation of the international GEMINI 4.0 project carried out by over 20 institutions from Europe, Asia and the USA. The partners will develop a concept for the use of a high-temperature reactor for emission-free production of process and municipal heat, hydrogen, ammonia and other applications.

Exotic, rapidly rotating objects are of interest to astrophysicists. Polish astronomers are trying to obtain information about the physical conditions inside fast-rotating neutron stars. In a work published in The Astronomical Journal, they enriched the analysis with effects resulting from the phenomenon of gravitational darkening.

In recent years, work has been underway on alternative routes to the production of technetium-99m, used in nuclear medicine. An example is the use of cyclotrons or linear accelerators. One of the stages of obtaining technetium using this method is currently being investigated by scientists from OR POLATOM at NCBJ.

Registration for the 5th edition of the International Conference „Cosmology School – Introduction to Cosmology” co-organized by the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCNR) has started. The conference has already become part of the schedule of Polish astrophysical scientific events and is recognized in the arena of cosmological conferences worldwide.

The works carried out by the MARIA reactor team, related to the study of construction materials for the fourth generation helium-cooled reactors, have been successfully completed. The ISHTAR (Irradiation System for High-Temperature Reactors) capsule has been taken out of the reactor core, and the irradiated samples inside have been submitted for further study.

When a release of hazardous substances is detected, it is most important to locate the source quickly and precisely and predict the direction of further spread. Instead of computationally demanding dispersion models, models based on Artificial Neural Networks can help. This will allow the contamination to be monitored in real time. Scientists from NCBJ are participating in the study of the possibility of using such models.

Publicly available data is not too popular among scientific breakthrough seekers. Usually they were extensively researched and there is nothing more to discover. However, there are exceptions, such as the quasar HE 0435-5304, which sounds boring by name.

The Materials Structure, Informatics and Function (MASIF) group at NOMATEN deals with the search for relationships between the structure of materials and their properties. The data obtained in an experimental way or generated in various simulations are processed using materials informatics. The work of the group at NOMATEN is led by Ph.D. Stefanos Papanikolaou.

Two scientists from NCBJ received grants from the National Science Center in the next, 11th Sonata BIS competition. Sebastian Trojanowski, Ph.D. presented a project entitled „Investigation of light particles in the dark sector of the Universe”. The second awarded project was submitted by Ph.D. Andrzej Hryczuk. It is entitled „Dark Matter and Baryogenesis in Multicomponent Dark Sectors and Extended Cosmological Models”.

During the meeting, which took place on Thursday, February 17 at the National Center for Nuclear Research, Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa and NCBJ Director Prof. Ph.D. Eng. Krzysztof Kurek raised many topics related to the functioning and development of NCBJ, including extension of the license to operate the MARIA reactor, large CERAD and PolFEL projects and the status of nuclear institutes in the light of the development of nuclear energy in Poland.

A large part of the radiopharmaceuticals produced by OR POLATOM is shipped to recipients around the world by air. Obtaining the certificate of a Known Consignor is a proof of recognition of internal safety procedures and ensures that the preparations will reach patients faster and in a safer way.

NCBJ, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and The University of Tokyo ( UTokyo) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) until the end of January in 2022, which aimed to promote the Hyper-Kamiokande international scientific research project. The Polish consortium of the project included nine institutions. An electron accelerator for beam calibration (NCBJ) and light detectors (PW and CAMK) will be built in Poland.

10 lutego 2022 roku CERN poinformował, że w akceleratorze Linac4, będącym częścią kompleksu akceleratorowego LHC, pojawiła się pierwsza wiązka protonów. Jest to jeden z etapów przygotowywania całego kompleksu do ponownego rozruchu po tzw. Long Shutdown 2, trwającym od 2019 roku. Część struktur przyspieszających akceleratora została wykonana w NCBJ.

An international team of scientists working on the largest working JET tokamak (Oxford, UK) reported a record energy of 59 MJ achieved during a deuterium-tritium fusion lasting 5 seconds. NCBJ researchers contributed to the JET program through detector upgrades and plasma analysis. In Świerk, research is also carried out on materials that may be used in thermonuclear installations.

NCBJ participates in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), in particular the gravitational lensing of their glow. GRBs are one of the most energetic processes in the universe.Scientists propose to extend the search for GRBs with multi-range observations of the glow of these phenomena.

On February 4, 2022, the National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and Synthos Green Energy SA (SGE) signed a letter of intent on cooperation in the use of nuclear technology in industry and energy. The planned cooperation is related to the implementation by SGE of projects related to the construction of small modular light-water reactors (LW-SMR) for the production of electricity and possibly municipal heat and the construction of small modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). The latter would be oriented towards cogeneration, i. e. industrial heat generation and hydrogen production.

The NCBJ Cybersecurity Laboratory has prepared an installation illustrating the hypothetical course of an attack on a controller in a nuclear power plant. Scientists show that devices responsible for even seemingly insignificant elements of the system can cause an emergency shutdown of the reactor when its weaknesses are found and exploited.

The physicochemical analyzes of silver lunula from the early medieval treasury conducted by NCBJ allowed to establish the techniques of soldering necklaces ornaments. The research shows that the main components of the solders were copper compounds, with the addition of resin glue and lead oxide – a component of the solder mixture described in the historical goldsmithing guide – in the 10th Papyrus of Leiden.

NOMATEN, the NCBJ research agency, will conduct material research for Mercedes Benz Manufacturing Poland, which manages the engine and battery factory in Jawor, Lower Silesia. Thomas Kaiser, director of production and maintenance at the factory, has joined the NOMATEN Network of Industrial Advisors.

Long-term research on radiopharmaceuticals targeting certain types of cancer, including medullary thyroid carcinoma that is difficult to diagnose and treat, has finally brought promising results in the preclinical phase. The obtained results give hope for the development of cancer theranostics. Scientists from the POLATOM Radioisotope Center at the National Center for Nuclear Research are also working on this.

The Polish nuclear reactor MARIA was able to rapidly rearrange its work schedule to respond to the shortages of medical molybdenum-99 due to a fault in the Dutch HFR reactor. Molybdenum-99 is a radionuclide widely applied in nuclear medicine to save human life.

"It was important to understand exactly what and why you were doing something, all questions were allowed, but you had to be able to defend your results and the methods used." This is how Prof. Ewa Rondio recalls the collaboration with Prof. Maria Szeptycka.

Wraz z początkiem roku, do infrastruktury reaktora MARIA został włączony nowy element – sonda termostatyczna MAKARONI. Urządzenie pozwoli na badanie materiałów mających znaleźć zastosowanie w technologiach termojądrowych.

For the next 3 years, the NCBJ (National Centre for Nuclear Research) and IChTJ (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology) Graduate School of Physics and Chemistry will participate in the STER program – Internationalization of Doctoral Schools by NAWA. This will allow young scientists from around the world to gain education and conduct research in cooperation with the best research centers.

„Na całym świecie mogłem się chwalić, że nasz Instytut odwiedza rocznie 7-8 tysięcy uczniów i obserwować zachwyt i zazdrość w oczach kolegów z innych krajów" – napisał Profesor Wrochna. Do Świerka napływają kolejne listy i wspomnienia.

NCBJ coordinates Polish participation in the largest observational astronomy project in history. The field of view of a telescope built in Chile will cover an area 40 times larger than the Moon’s disc. The observations planned for 10 years will provide, among others data about variable objects. Scientists from NCBJ working as part of the ASTROdust team are already preparing algorithms that will enrich the set of information obtained from the observations.

In the coming year, we plan to invite everyone to the Open Door Days in Świerk. This time, however, we will open these doors virtually, thanks to which we will show more and everyone willing. We will also extend the campaign of lending detectors to schools that enable them to conduct lessons on radiation.

Astronomers use many methods of determining the distance to celestial bodies, but each of them has limits of its applicability. An international group of scientists, with the participation of Professor Marek Biesiada from the National Center for Nuclear Research, proposes the use of quasars for this purpose. The method could be applied to objects whose image reaches us even 13 billion years ago.

The end of the year is a good time in research institutions to recall the particularly interesting results achieved in the previous twelve months. These undoubtedly include those that are the result of collaboration between scientists of various specialties. Their example is the joint work of archaeologists, chemists and physicists on the archaeological site in Ćmielów, published last year.

Based on the latest research results from the LIGO / Virgo gravitational wave observatories, scientists conducted tests of General Relativity (GRT). Nine different methods were used to verify the consistency of Einstein’s theory with the observational data. No discrepancies were found. Polish scientists from the Polgraw group, including scientists from NCBJ, participated in the research.

At the turn of November and December, a meeting inaugurating strategic consulting under the City with Climate initiative was held. Cities distinguished in the project start cooperation with renowned institutions. One of the advisory institutions invited to this cooperation is the National Centre for Nuclear Research.

In an article published this week in the journal Physical Review D, the FASER experimental collaboration reported on the possible first historic observation of neutrinos at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). One of the initiators of this experiment Was Dr. Sebastian Trojanowski from the International Research Agenda AstroCeNT at the Astronomical Center. Nicolaus Copernicus PAS and the National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ).

Scientists from NCBJ have recently proposed a mechanism for the production of self-interacting dark matter, resulting from decays that occur after the end of the recombination era. The authors showed that self-interacting dark matter can simultaneously solve the problems of the ΛCDM model on small and large scales.

Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Wiślicki, Director of the Complex Systems Research Department at NCBJ, Was nominated by the representatives of the CERN Council as a member of the CERN QTI (Quantum Technology Initiative) Advisory Board. Prof. Wiślicki, as one of the 22 members of the Council composed of experts in the field of quantum technologies, will, together with the Program Management Team, build and conduct both national and international activities and cooperation in the field of quantum technologies.

W dniach 23-24 listopada odbędzie się konferencja „O Lemie i kosmosie” organizowana przez Polską Agencję Kosmiczną POLSA.  Dr Adam Zadrożny oraz mgr inż. Dominik Rybka – naukowcy z Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych, będą mówić na niej o międzynarodowym projekcie POLAR-2 i polskim wkładzie w tę misję.

In the data from the third observatory campaign of Advanced-LIGO and Advanced-Virgo observatories (from November 2019 to March 2020), another 35 sources of gravitational waves were found, thus extending their list to 90 objects. 32 sources come from the merger of two black holes, and 3 from the merger of the black hole system with a neutron star.  Scientists from the NCBJ Astrophysics Department are participating in the work of the LVK consortium.

On November 5, 2021, a ceremonial Symposium was held on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Institute. On this occasion, we have received nice congratulatory letters, for which we would like to thank you! Recordings of the Symposium presentations are now available on the institute’s YouTube channel.

Scientists from NCBJ and the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences have published the results of many years of research on radionuclide concentrations in the polar region and in Poland. The collected data enriches the knowledge about the movement and mixing of air masses on a regional to global scale, and about environmental dust.

Designers ideas can be verified without incurring the cost of building a prototype. Numerical simulations using high-power computers accelerate calculations up to several hundred times compared to standard workstations. The Świerk IT Center (CIŚ) at NCBJ offers such opportunities. They were presented on the example of a simulation of air flow around an electric motorcycle designed by students.

For the first time in the world, the creators of the Krakow-based J-PET showed how to obtain additional valuable information about the location of lesions. The method is based on the analysis of processes involving positronia arising in the patient’s body. The first very promising images have already been obtained, and the results have been published, among others in the journal Nature Communications. Scientists from NCBJ are the co-authors of the new method.

An international team of scientists, including scientists from the POLATOM Radioisotope Center of the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk, proposed the use of a new chemical compound[99mTc] Tc-DB15 for imaging prostate and breast cancer.

Serdecznie zapraszamy do wzięcia udziału w tegorocznym spotkaniu online, które odbędzie się 28 października i wysłuchania wykładów popularnonaukowych na temat ciemnej materii przygotowanych m. in. przez pracowników NCBJ.

An international team of scientists has provided scientists and enthusiasts with the most complete catalog of extragalactic objects to date, covering an area of ​​over 3% of the full angle of the sky’s solid and containing 170 million sources. The modeling of their energy spectra was the responsibility of Ph. D. Katarzyna Małek from the NCBJ Astrophysics Department.

Congratulations! Dr. Trojanowski is an employee of the Department of Theoretical Physics (as well as the Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences). His achievements include co-design of a new experiment at the LHC: FASER is to search for dark matter particles.

NCBJ participates in the European programme of production of medical isotopes – PRISMAP. With our experience in the field of production and research of radionuclides for medical purposes, we will be one of the elements of the communication network for the users of new radionuclides for diagnostics and therapy created within the project.

Na 6 Forum Inteligentnego Rozwoju odbywającym się w tym roku w Toruniu wyróżniono młodych naukowców, których praca i efekty badań mogą skutkować pozytywnymi zmianami w bliższej lub dalszej przyszłości. Tytuł „Naukowca Przyszłości” w dziedzinie nauk ścisłych i technicznych otrzymał mgr inż. Tomasz Kwiatkowski z Zakładu Energetyki Jądrowej i Ochrony Środowiska.

47 Con­gress of Polish Phy­si­ci­sts takes place in Byd­goszcz on 19–23 Sep­tem­ber 2021. On Sep­tem­ber 19, the part of the Con­gress dedi­ca­ted to teaching phy­sics was inau­gu­ra­ted by sen­ding a tan­dem stra­to­sphe­ric probe, which inc­lu­ded cosmic rays detec­tors pro­vi­ded by NCBJ.

Z żalem zawia­da­miamy o śmierci dr Jolanty Wojt­kow­skiej, wie­lo­let­niej pra­cow­nicy IBJ, IPJ i NCBJ, kie­row­nika cyklo­tronu C-30.

"Żegnamy Człowieka o wielkiej wiedzy, ogromnych kompetencjach zawodowych i dużym doświadczeniu, a także osoby o horyzontach intelektualnych wykraczających daleko poza obszar uprawianego zawodu" - pisze w swoim wspomnieniu o dr. Kubowskim pan Janusz Jaroszewicz.

Dr Trojanowski jest jednym z 15 tegorocznych finalistów. Reprezentuje kategorię nauki ścisłe - fizyka. Był on współpomysłodawcą nowego eksperymentu FASER przy Wielkim Zderzaczu Hadronów (LHC). Jego prezentację będzie można zobaczyć na zbliżającym się Warszawskim Festiwalu Nauki

Wrzesień i pażdziernik to tradycyjnie już pora masowych imprez popularyzujących naukę. Naszą obecność na tych imprezach przygotowują przede wszystkim koleżanki i koledzy z Działu Edukacji i Szkoleń. W minioną sobotę był Józefosław, wkrórce rozpocznie się Festiwal Nauki w Warszawie, a w październiku Rzeszów i może Katowice.

"On August 22 (2011), an ordinance of the Council of Ministers was published establishing the National Center for Nuclear Research as of September 1, 2011. The government's decision to merge the POLATOM Institute of Atomic Energy and the Institute for Nuclear Problems ends the nearly 30-year period of the destruction of Świerk. The Institute for Nuclear Research is being reborn under a new name and with new tasks. "

Since 27th of August, 2021 irradiation rig has been successfully operating in the core of MARIA reactor. This installation allows irradiation of material samples at temperature of 1000°C, that’s under conditions prevailing in HTGR reactors. The device was built at Polish National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) as part of the GoHTR project.

Large Data is common across materials science. Cross-correlating and understanding data from material surfaces is very important since there is typically a direct connection to physical properties. Also, it is very important to use this data to reconstruct the actual microstructure and perform simulations in a computer at the molecular or larger scale. However, understanding of Large Data requires the application of statistical and machine learning techniques. Further, simulations require efficient microstructural reconstruction techniques. Stefanos Papanikolaou's group at NOMATEN investigates such issues.

Polish and American scientists have published a paper presenting an attempt to describe a promising process that allows the use of "on demand" energy previously stored in nuclear isomeric states. This process has recently been experimentally observed. The presented approach improves the results of previous theoretical analyzes.

On July 1, 1991, Poland gained the status of a full member of CERN. Located near Geneva, CERN's constantly expanded complex of accelerators and laboratories forms the most powerful research center on Earth. Polish scientists collaborated with him since the end of the 1950s. Our scientists have also been among them for several decades.

Scientists from the NCBJ Reactor Research Department have designed a probe that allows samples to be irradiated at a temperature of over 1000 degrees, which is under the conditions prevailing in HTGR reactors. The first tests in the MARIA reactor turned out to be very promising.

Dr. Paweł Sznajder from the NCBJ Department of Theoretical Physics received a three-year scholarship from the Minister of Education and Science for outstanding young scientists demonstrating significant achievements in scientific activity in 2021. Research interests of Dr. Paweł Sznajder are related to comprehensive studies of generalized parton distributions (GPDs).

In September, the centenary of the Institute of Physics of the University of Warsaw - the precursor of the present Faculty of Physics, will be celebrated. Many of our scientists have been or are associated with FUW as graduates, former employees or associates. Until July 15, you can register your participation in the planned celebrations. The organizers hope that it will be massive.

At the European Center for Theoretical Research in Nuclear Physics, ECT * Trento, a working session entitled 'Hot topics in STRAngeness NUclear and Atomic Physics' took place at the end of May. The organizers devoted one day of the session to papers on the scientific achievements of Professor Sławomir Wycech from ZFT NCBJ.

The Committee of the Director of the Fundamental Research Department Award has announced the list of this year's winners. For scientific achievements in 2020, equal prizes were awarded to: professor Lech Szymanowski, Dr. hab. Paweł Bielewicz and Dr. Artur Ukleja. Dr. Anna Durkalec received the award for popularizing activities. Congratulations to the winners!

9 czerwca 2021 r. instytut odwiedziła grupa posłów na Sejm RP. Goście zwiedzili OR POLATOM, reaktor MARIA, miejsca nowych inwestycji CERAD i PolFEL, a także laboratoria fizyki plazmy i ZdAJ oraz skaner pojazdów Sowa. Parlamentarzystom towarzyszyli: Prezes Państwowej Agencji Atomistyki, który przedstawił działania nadzoru jądrowego w Polsce oraz dyrektor Departamentu Energii Jądrowej w Ministerstwie Klimatu i Środowiska, który przedstawił założenia i stan realizacji Polskiego programu energetyki jądrowej.

The Mini-EUSO telescope is a device that has been floating on board the International Space Station (ISS) since August 2019, enabling the creation of an ultraviolet map of the Earth's nighttime atmosphere and the observation of its variability over time. The project, in which Polish scientists from the National Center for Nuclear Research participate, is the next step of the International JEM-EUSO Collaboration to the study of the atmospheric Extensive Air Showers generated by the highest energy cosmic rays using measurements from space.

Eksperyment PUMA, który ma zbadać powierzchnie szeregu jąder atomowych nie istniejących trwale w przyrodzie, został zatwierdzony do realizacji w CERN. Profesor Sławomir Wycech z Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ podjął się zadania analizy kluczowych pomiarów tego eksperymentu.

Badacze z całego świata będą po raz drugi debatować nad przyszłością nowego kierunku badań w Wielkim Zderzaczu Hadronów pod Genewą, który ma zaowocować szczegółowymi pomiarami wysokoenegetycznych neutrin oraz otworzy nowe drogi poszukiwań ciemnej materii. Współautorem dyskutowanej propozycji nowego eksperymentu FLArE jest dr Sebastian Trojanowski z AstroCeNT i Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ.

The Team of the Cyber­se­cu­rity Labo­ra­tory (Cybe­rLAB) of the Natio­nal Cen­tre for Nuc­lear Rese­arch using so-cal­led fuzz testing detec­ted a vul­ne­ra­bi­lity in com­monly used PLCs. The manu­fac­tu­rer has alre­ady applied solu­tions to eli­mi­nate the detec­ted threat.

Profesor Jerzy Kowalski-Glikman z Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ wraz z trzema współautorami został w tym roku laureatem drugiej nagrody za Eseje o Grawitacji. Konkurs organizowany jest od 1949 roku przez Gravity Research Foundation. Nagrodzona praca nosi tytuł „Fenomenologia kwantowej grawitacji w podczerwieni”.

NCBJ oraz Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki podpisały umowę na realizację kolejnej partii prac projektowych wysokotemperaturowego reaktora chłodzonego gazem (ang. High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor, HTGR). W wydarzeniu, które odbyło się 12 maja 2021 r. w Otwocku-Świerku, uczestniczyli Minister Edukacji i Nauki Przemysław Czarnek, Minister Klimatu i Środowiska Michał Kurtyka oraz dyrektor Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych Krzysztof Kurek.

Warsztaty „Popularyzacja wiedzy o energetyce jądrowej”, które odbyły się na przełomie marca i kwietnia 2021 r. na Pomorzu i w rejonie Bełchatowa, zorganizowało Stowarzyszenie Narodów Zjednoczonych w Polsce we współpracy z Departamentem Energii Jądrowej Ministerstwa Klimatu i Środowiska, Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych i spółką PGE EJ1.

17 kwiet­nia 2021 r. dr hab. Marek Rabiń­ski z Naro­do­wego Cen­trum Badań Jądro­wych został powo­łany na sta­no­wi­sko Pre­zesa Pol­skiego Towa­rzy­stwa Nukle­onicznego (PTN). Pol­skie Towa­rzy­stwo Nukle­oniczne od 1991 roku ini­cjuje i popiera dzia­łal­ność naukową i tech­niczną we wszyst­kich dzie­dzi­nach ato­mi­styki. Infor­muje spo­łe­czeń­stwo o warun­kach bez­piecz­nego wyko­rzy­sta­nia pro­ce­sów i tech­nik jądro­wych oraz działa na rzecz ich wyko­rzy­sta­nia w zakre­sie pozy­ski­wa­nia ener­gii, roz­woju prze­my­słu i rol­nic­twa, a także ochrony śro­do­wi­ska natu­ral­nego.

Wyło­niono zwy­cięz­ców XVI edy­cji kon­kursu Fizyczne Ścieżki orga­ni­zo­wa­nego wspól­nie przez Naro­dowe Cen­trum Badań Jądro­wych w Świerku oraz Insty­tut Fizyki Pol­skiej Aka­de­mii Nauk w War­sza­wie. Lau­re­aci zapre­zen­to­wali wyniki swo­ich prac w kate­go­riach: Praca Nau­kowa, Esej i Pokaz Zja­wi­ska Fizycz­nego. Zdo­bywcy I, II i III miej­sca otrzy­mali nagrody pie­niężne, a na ręce opie­ku­nów nauko­wych zwy­cięz­ców prze­ka­zano środki na wypo­sa­że­nie szkol­nych pra­cowni fizycz­nych.

It’s not a mistake! The just-announced World University Ranking 2021-2022 places the NCBJ in the eighth position in the country, even though we conduct only third-degree studies. Our position was determined primarily by our high scientific results, which gave us 40% of the points in the ranking.

NCBJ od wielu lat jest wiodącym producentem promieniotwórczego jodu, stosowanego w terapii i diagnostyce medycznej. Naukowcy z Zakładu Badań Reaktorowych nieustannie badają i optymalizują procesy tej produkcji. Najnowszy sposób napromieniania pozwoli na zwiększenie aktywności uzyskanego materiału, ograniczy ilość ciepła wydzielanego podczas produkcji i zmniejszy ilość odpadów promieniotwórczych.

Opublikowane dziś wyniki zespołu badaczy z udziałem polskich naukowców pokazują, że prawdopodobieństwo syntezy nowego jądra nie maleje tak gwałtownie ze wzrostem energii wzbudzenia jak dotąd zakładano. Wykonane obliczenia przekonują, że scenariusze, w których nowe jądro miałoby powstać po emisji 6, 7, a nawet większej liczny neutronów, powinny być brane pod uwagę przez eksperymentatorów.

W dniach 20-21 kwietnia2021 roku odbywa się finał XVI edycji Konkurs Fizyczne Ścieżki. Do tegorocznej edycji zostało zgłoszonych 59 prac przygotowanych przez 87 uczniów ze szkół z całego kraju. Wyniki zostaną ogłoszone w poniedziałek 26 kwietnia.

The europejskafirma.pl portal announced the list of Great Modernizers 2020 of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. NCBJ was honored with this title as one of 652 entities with the highest scores among over 85 thousand Polish entrepreneurs. The analysis of financial data covered the years 2018-2019, and the company values were estimated for 2020.

The National Center for Nuclear Research and Tauron Dystrybucja S.A., the largest electricity distributor in Poland, have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at analyzing and assessing the possibility of using dispersed flexibility resources by the Distribution System Operator and developing exemplary business models in a pilot area.

The Muon g-2 experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago announced the first results of measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, which support suspicions that this magnitude is not in line with the predictions of the Standard Model. NCBJ scientists comment on the result.

NCBJ podpisało umowę o współpracy z Klastem Zgorzeleckim (ZKlaster). Celem współdziałania ma być opracowanie nowych modeli biznesowych wykorzystujących elastyczność klastra energii, a także implementacja i rozwój inteligentnego systemu sterowania Chronos stworzonego i rozwijanego w naszym Interdyscyplinarnym Zakładzie Analiz Energetycznych IDEA.

Międzynarodowy zespół astronomów, w którego składzie znajdują się także naukowcy z Polski, opublikował w czasopiśmie "Astronomy and Astrophysics" najdokładniejszą w historii mapę Wszechświata w zakresie niskich częstotliwości radiowych. Mapę stworzono dzięki europejskiej sieci odbiorników LOFAR. Naukowcy wykryli m.in. słabe poświaty radiowe od gwiazd, które eksplodowały jako supernowe w dziesiątkach tysięcy galaktyk.

In mid-March, the so-called yellow report of the new Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), which is to be built in the USA. It was created by scientists from over 150 institutions around the world, including NCBJ. The report formulates expectations regarding the research carried out in the future device and indicates ways to create the best design for this purpose.

If gravitational waves traveled through a medium filled with sticky dark matter, then the wave amplitude would be (weakly) damped. The analysis of this effect could shed new light on the nature of dark matter - argues Prof. Marek Biesiada (NCBJ) together with Chinese colleagues in a work published in the MNRAS Letters journal.

An international team of astrophysicists has discovered a giant black hole hidden among dust in a galaxy that already existed 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. This is one of the first results of a project called Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project (HELP). The lead co-author of the work is dr hab. Katarzyna Małek from the NCBJ Astrophysics Department.

The LHCb experiment at CERN today announced new results which, if confirmed, could suggest a violation of the standard model of particle physics. The results focus on the potential violation of the universality of the so-called the flavor of the leptons. We present a CERN communiqué and a comment by prof. Wojciech Wislicki.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supports women active in the field of radiopharmaceuticals through the Network of Women in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.

Three NCBJ scientists received grants in the 10th edition of the NCN SONATA BIS competition. One of them is Dr. Guillaume Clement Beuf from the Department of Theoretical Physics. The project 'The search of precision in nonlinear high-energy Quantum Chromodynamics' focuses on the theory's regime, which can be studied by high-energy particle collisions without wide-angle scattering or heavy particle production.

Powstaje EuroHPC - sieć superkomputerów eksaskalowych, czyli zdolnych do wykonywania ponad jednego biliona operacji na sekundę wyposażonych w innowacyjne technologie i aplikacje służące społeczeństwu, nauce i gospodarce. Zadaniem NCBJ wchodzącego w skład polskiego konsorcjum EuroHPC PL będzie m.in. rozwinięcie platformy do symulacji kwantowych i obrazowania medycznego.

The map published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics reveals more than 25,000 active supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. It is the result of a survey of the sky carried out over radio frequencies. Dr hab. Katarzyna Małek from the NCBJ Astrophysics Division participated in the preparation of the work.

Ph.D. Anna Durkalec from the NCBJ Astrophysics Division belongs to the group of 12 associate professors awarded in the Institute in 2020. Dr. Durkalec begins the description of her research by asking a few questions.

The NOMATEN group of scientists is looking for configurational entropy and glass transition relationships in high-entropy alloys  (HEA) using dynamic simulations at the molecular level. Dr. Rene Alvarez-Donado presented some of his team’s results in January at the web conference “Recent advances on the glass problem” organized by the Center Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire (CECAM).

Szybka oraz precyzyjna identyfikacja źródła uwolnienia niebezpiecznych substancji to sprawa kluczowa dla odpowiedniego reagowania na zagrożenia. Modelowaniem odwrotnym niebezpiecznych uwolnień zajmuje się dr Piotr Kopka - jeden z 12 adiunktów NCBJ wyróżnionych w 2020 r.

Heavily dust-obscured ultramassive star-forming galaxies in the early Universe contributed significantly to the cosmic star formation rate. But, how did such objects manage to build up their stellar masses at a relatively short time? Were they once starburst galaxies or were they gradually forming stars, exhausting their hydrogen reservoirs?

Three NCBJ scientists received NCN SONATA BIS grants, which will allow them to build or strengthen their own research groups at the Institute. The project entitled "DINGLE - Dust IN Galaxies: Looking through its Emission" was prepared by Dr. Ambra Nanni from the NCBJ Astrophysics Division. The author explains its assumptions:

Three NCBJ scientists received NCN SONATA BIS grants, which will allow them to build or strengthen their own research groups at the Institute. One of the distinguished is dr hab. Enrico Sessolo from the Theoretical Physics Division, who received a grant for a project entitled „Searching high and low: a multi-scale approach to the physics beyond the Standard Model”.

„Opisaliśmy strukturę spektroskopową ośmiokrotnie zjonizowanych atomów wolframu, wyznaczając energię ponad 27 tysięcy poziomów atomowych oraz intensywności ponad 300 milionów przejść między nimi” - informuje dr Karol Kozioł, jeden z 12 adiunktów NCBJ wyróżnionych w wyniku oceny dokonanej w 2020 r.

"Analizując ewolucję gromad galaktyk, doszliśmy do wniosku, że nasze przewidywania dotyczące tych największych gromad różnią się od oczekiwań na bazie standardowego modelu kosmologicznego" - pisze dr Jan Jakub Ostrowski z Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ. Autor - jeden z 12 adiunktów NCBJ wyróżnionych w 2020 r. - wyjaśnia czym zajmuje się w swoich badaniach.

Dra Pawła Sznajdera - jednego z 12 adiunktów NCBJ wyróżnionych w ubiegłym roku w instytucie - interesuje wnętrze nukleonów: protonów, neutronów i podobnych im cząstek. Dr Sznajder nie tylko opracowuje narzędzia teoretyczne, które będą przydatne przy analizie już przygotowywanych eksperymentów, ale potrafi też w bardzo przystępny sposób wyjaśnić co i po co robi. 

NCBJ znalazło się w gronie podmiotów gospodarczych wyróżnionych Diamentami Forbesa 2021. Zestawienie najdynamiczniej rozwijających się firm w latach 2015-2019 przygotowali eksperci Bisnode Polska na zlecenie miesięcznika gospodarczego Forbes. Analitycy wycenili przedsiębiorstwa, stosując metodę szwajcarską, łączącą metodę majątkową i dochodową.

Jednym z ważniejszych wyzwań, przed którym stają naukowcy, jest rekonstrukcja badanego procesu na podstawie niewielkiej liczby dostępnych na jego temat informacji. Dr Lech Raczyński  – jeden z 12 adiunktów wyróżnionych w 2020 r. w instytucie – wyjaśnia jak z tym wyzwaniem radzą sobie twórcy nowego polskiego tomografu J-PET.

18 stycznia 2021 roku odszedł w wieku 92 lat profesor Stanisław Kuliński – człowiek, dzięki któremu w Świerku – jednym z nielicznych miejsc na świecie – konstruowane i budowane są dziś akceleratory liniowe.

Wspomnienia współpracowników i przyjaciół o zmarłym zebrała pani profesor Anna Wysocka-Rabin.

Próbę wykrycia śladów ciemnej materii w naszej Galaktyce podjął m.in. eksperyment neutrinowy Super-Kamiokande prowadzony z udziałem polskich naukowców. Dr Piotr Mijakowski (NCBJ) tłumaczy czego i jak szukamy oraz co wynika z negatywnego wyniku dotychczasowych poszukiwań. Autor jest jednym z 12 adiunktów NCBJ wyróżnionych w instytucie pod koniec 2020 r. 

Międzynarodowy zespół naukowców, w tym dwoje naukowców z NCBJ - Katarzyna Małek i William Pearson - przedstawił dowody na szybki wzrost pyłu w młodych, ale już bogatych w metale galaktykach w odległym Wszechświecie. Badanie, opublikowano właśnie w czasopiśmie Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Dr hab. Łukasz Kurpaska z Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ) został jednym z trzech polskich tegorocznych laureatów konkursu stypendialnego Fulbright STEM Impact Award. Program przeznaczony jest dla aktywnych naukowców, którzy zarządzają projektami badawczymi w obszarze nauka, technologia, inżynieria, matematyka (STEM) w polskich uczelniach i instytucjach badawczych.

Oficjalne ogłoszenie listy zaplanowane jest na 28 stycznia 2021 r. Czekamy z niecierpliwością. Nie wiemy jeszcze, czy będzie organizowana gala.

Fizycy teoretycy z NCBJ i Uniwersytetu Zielonogórskiego wyznaczyli i podali niezwykle istotne parametry dla ponad 1300 jąder, w tym dla jąder pierwiastków superciężkich, które do tej pory nie zostały wytworzone w laboratoriach. Wyniki te zostały właśnie opublikowane w podstawowym czasopiśmie referencyjnym fizyki jądrowej: Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables.

The Cry­stal Brus­sels Spro­uts Prize is awar­ded by a jury appo­in­ted by the Natio­nal Con­tact Point for Rese­arch Pro­gram­mes of the Euro­pean Union. The prize is given for suc­ces­ses in the rese­arch and inno­va­tion fra­me­work pro­grams of the Euro­pean Union. On Decem­ber 18, 2020, at the remo­tely orga­ni­zed Gala, the NCBJ had rece­ived the award in the „science – rese­arch insti­tute” cate­gory, and Dr Jacek Gajew­ski rece­ived an indi­vi­dual award.

On December 8, 2020, NCBJ director, professor Krzysztof Kurek and European XFEL GmbH director, professor Robert Feidenhansl signed an addendum to the cooperation agreement between their institutions. The agreement was enriched with conditional provisions that set the framework and goals of possible collaboration in the Conceptual Project phase of he Scientific Big Data Analysis project.

Wykorzystanie idei instantonowego podejścia do tunelowania kwantowego pozwalaj obliczać szybkości rozpadu ciężkich i superciężkich jąder nieparzystych bez stosowania przybliżenia adiabatycznego. Praca na ten temat autorstwa profesora Janusza Skalskiego (BP2) i doktoranta Wojciecha Brodzińskiego ukazała się w listopadowym numerze Physical Review C.

Spotkanie prowadzone jest w wersji zdalnej i gromadzi naukowców i firmy (zarówno kupujących, jak i dostawców) z całego świata. To wyjątkowa okazja do wygenerowania nowych kontaktów kooperacyjnych i umów. NCBJ jest współorganizatorem tegorocznego wydarzenia.

Stanford University, together with the publishing house Elsevier and SciTech Strategies, has created a ranking of 2% of the best scientists in the world. It contains 159,648 names, including 726 from Polish scientific institutions.

Trzech naukowców z Departamentu Badań Podstawowych NCBJ uzyskało granty w 19 edycji konkursu NCN OPUS. Zaakceptowane projekty dotyczą procesu formowania się gwiazd w zderzających się galaktykach, poszukiwania ciemnej materii poprzez analizę rozbłysków w atmosferze oraz badania struktury nukleonu w ramach współpracy COMPASS.

The MARIA reactor is one of the main irradiation centres for microspheres containing radioactive holmium, which are used in the treatment of liver tumors. The technology developed at NCBJ at the request of Quirem Medical - a global manufacturer of QuiremSpheres therapeutical microspheres - serves patients in several specialized centres in Europe.

The OneNet project aims to meet the challenges faced by Transmission Network Operators (TSO), Distribution Network Operators (DSO) and consumers in the European electricity market. The consortium of contractors consists of over 70 entities. The Interdisciplinary Division of Energy Analyses of NCBJ will develop an algorithm to optimize the TSO-DSO coordination in the Polish demonstrator.

Kilka lat temu jedna z organizacji ogłosiła 7 listopada „Europejskim dniem radonu”. Profesor Ludwik Dobrzyński przygotował komentarz ekspercki na temat obaw co do skutków zdrowotnych obecności niewielkich ilości radonu w środowisku. Bo czy rzeczywiście mamy się czego bać?

Rozwój epidemii koronawirusa zmusza nas wszystkich do jeszcze większej dbałości o zdrowie i bezpieczeństwo w naszym otoczeniu. To od codziennych decyzji nas wszystkich zależy, jak bardzo epidemia wpłynie na funkcjonowanie naszego wspólnego miejsca pracy.

Kolaboracje LIGO i Virgo zaprezentowały dziś nowy katalog GWTC-2 obserwacji fal grawitacyjnych z okresu od kwietnia do października 2019 r. czyli pierwszej części kampanii obserwacyjnej O3 (O3a). Zbiór zawiera w sumie 39 zdarzeń. Jednocześnie opublikowano nowe prace badawcze, a także obszerne popularne podsumowania ich wyników.

This year, the Polish-Japanese Seminar devoted to the technologies of high-temperature rectors took place remotely, just like most events of this type. The organizers of this successful project have prepared a short summary and an invitation to participate in the next edition.

Trwają prace nad cyklotronem, który już niebawem stanie w murach Centrum Projektowania i Syntezy Radiofarmaceutyków Ukierunkowanych Molekularnie „CERAD”. Belgijska firma IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) konstruuje urządzenie przyśpieszające protony i cząstki alfa do energii 30 MeV oraz deuterony do 15 MeV.

The Pre­si­dent of the Natio­nal Ato­mic Energy Agency (PAA), as the regu­la­tory body, appro­ved the Perio­dic Safety Review report of the MARIA rese­arch reac­tor.

W Świerku od 60 lat produkowane są radioizotopy, a na ich bazie radiofarmaceutyki. Zajmuje się tym nasz Ośrodek Radioizotopów POLATOM eksportujący produkty do ok. 80 krajów na wszystkich kontynentach. Przygotowany na zlecenie NCBJ film pokazuje dzisiejszą produkcję i laboratoria POLATOMu. 

Rada Ministrów przyjęła uchwałę w sprawie aktualizacji rządowego programu wieloletniego „Program polskiej energetyki jądrowej”, przedłożoną przez ministra klimatu. W tej chwili dokument oczekuje na ogłoszenie w Dzienniku Urzędowym Monitor Polskim - informuje ministerstwo klimatu.

21 z 70: w realizację tylu projektów z Polskiej Mapy Infrastruktury Badawczej zaangażowani są naukowcy z NCBJ. W przypadku siedmiu projektów jesteśmy ich głównym wnioskodawcą. Cztery infrastruktury mają powstać w Świerku. Informację na temat nowej mapy przedstawił minister Grzegorz Wrochna.

Tegoroczną nagrodą Nobla w dziedzinie fizyki podzielili się Sir Roger Penrose oraz Reinhard Genzel i Andrea Ghez. Prof. Marek Biesiada z Zakładu Astrofizyki NCBJ wyjaśnia za co ta nagroda: jak prace profesora Penrose'a przyczyniły się do zrozumienia sensu osobliwych rozwiązań OTW (ogólnej teorii względności) oraz co i jak zaobserwowały zespoły kierowane przez profesorów Gentzela i Ghez.

Scientists from the NCBJ have been developing an innovative superconducting photocathode, that will allow the currently built Polish free-electron laser PolFEL to operate effectively in a continuous wave mode. This will allow distinguishing PolFEL from other such devices in the world. Detailed information was inclosed in the September issue of Vacuum magazine.

The last issue of PRL has published a paper on the use of the known from thermodynamics concept of a hydrodynamic attractor to analyze the formation processes of quark-gluon plasma. Professors Michał Spaliński and Michał Heller (BP2) together with a doctoral student and co-author from MPI argue that their approach is well suited to treatment by machine learning techniques.

Naukowcy z wielu ośrodków, w tym także z NCBJ, zabiegają o budowę detektorów fal grawitacyjnych kolejnej generacji o dziesięciokrotnie większej czułości w porównaniu z już działającymi detektorami LIGO i VIRGO. Teleskop Einsteina miałby ponad trzykrotnie dłusze ramiona interferometru i - podobnie jak rozważany amerykański odpowiednik Cosmic Explorer - naszpikowany byłby najnowszą technologią. 

Calculations made by Polish scientists in cooperation with a group of scholars from Dubna (Russia) allow predicting with previously unavailable accuracy the possibility of producing new isotopes of superheavy elements. In the article published in the prestigious journal Physics Letter B, they presented the most promising production channels for a wide range of isotopes with the atomic numbers from 112 to 118 in various configurations of nuclear collisions leading to their formation. The predictions appear to be reliable, as they are confirmed with excellent compatibility by the experimental data available for processes already tested.

For the first time, merging pairs of galaxies have been found using an identical method in both simulations and observations of the real universe, using artificial intelligence. The co-author of the pioneering work is Dr. William Pearson from the Astrophysics Department of the Fundamental Research Department of NCBJ.

Virgo i LIGO ogłosiły wykrycie fal grawitacyjnych z układu dwóch czarnych dziur, które połączyły się tworząc czarną dziurę o masie około 142 mas Słońca. Utworzony obiekt znajduje się w zakresie mas, w którym nigdy wcześniej nie obserwowaliśmy czarnych dziur: ani za pomocą fal grawitacyjnych, ani obserwacji elektromagnetycznych. W badaniach biorą udział naukowcy z NCBJ.

Naukowcy z NCBJ wykonali niesłychanie precyzyjne obliczenia poziomów energetycznych i przejść kwantowych pomiędzy dziesiątkami tysięcy poziomów energetycznych jonów wolframu - jednego z najważniejszych materiałów konstrukcyjnych przyszłych reaktorów termojądrowych. Ich praca ukazała się w prestiżowym czasopiśmie Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables.

Prof. Ludwik Dobrzyński, one of the most prominent experts on the field of the influence of ionizing radiation on organisms, states in his text, that small doses of radiation can potentially stimulate the body’s defence reactions in COVID patients. The expert refers to the analogy with pneumonia and explains how the immune system can be supported by radiation provided by equipment commonly used in hospitals

Today in Japan, a collaboration of scientists on the Super – Kamiokande (SK) experiment announced the completion of the modernization of the huge neutrino detector. This modernization opens up completely new research opportunities. Physicists – including those from Poland – will be able to investigate, e. g. neutrino signals from supernova explosions in the distant past.

According to the authors of the latest work published in Physical Review D, the FASER experiment proposed for the LHC by several scientists, including Dr Sebastian Trojanowski (NCBJ), will probably allow confirming the KOTO anomaly.

Pan Oskar Grocholski, student Wydziału Fizyki UW został laureatem Diamentowego Grantu. Celem uhonorowanego projektu realizowanego w Zakładzie Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ jest obliczenie poprawek pętlowych w procesie produkcji dwóch fotonów w reakcji foton + proton: pγ → pγγ′, przy zastosowaniu perturbacyjnej chromodynamiki kwantowej. Student i jego opiekunowie - prof. Jakub Wagner (NCBJ) i prof. Piotr Chankowski (UW) spodziewają się, że osiągnięte wyniki posłużą do udowodnienia twierdzenia o faktoryzacji w przypadku procesów produkcji dwóch cząstek i będą miały znaczenie dla analizy danych przyszłych eksperymentów.

Na 40 konferencji ICHEP zespoły eksperymentów ATLAS i CMS ogłosiły nowe wyniki, które zaświadczają (na poziomie 3 sigma), że bozon Higgsa rozpada się na dwa miony. Potwierdzenie tego procesu ma kluczowe znaczenie dla fizyki fundamentalnej - po raz pierwszy wskazuje, że bozon Higgsa oddziałuje z cząstkami elementarnymi drugiej generacji. Wynik i nasz udział w jego otrzymaniu komentuje prof. Piotr Zalewski.

20 lipca 2020 r. gościliśmy w NCBJ Prezesa Państwowej Agencji Atomistyki, pana Łukasza Młynarkiewicza oraz Generalnego Dyrektora Ochrony Środowiska pana Andrzeja Szweda-Lewandowskiego wraz ze współpracownikami. Goście zwiedzili reaktor MARIA i laboratoria Ośrodka Radioizotopów POLATOM.

W dniach 30 czerwca - 1 lipca br. odbyła się Pierwsza Wirtualna Konferencja Naukowa Kampusu Ochota (WKNKO-1) adresowana do doktorantów nauk matematyczno-przyrodniczych oraz wszystkich pracowników Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. Wirtualne spotkanie przeprowadzono w językach polskim oraz angielskim. W konferencji wzięło udział 315 uczestników.

Over 2,500 m2 of research and infrastructure space, worth nearly PLN 117 million, is being built in the nuclear center in Świerk. The investment is carried out as part of a project co-financed by the European Union called Centrum Projektowania i Synetezy Radiofarmaceutyków Ukierunkowanych Molekularnie – CERAD (Design and synthesis of molecularly targeted radiopharmaceuticals – Centrum CERAD).

Ponad 16 mln zł ze środków Agencji Badań Medycznych (ABM) zostanie przeznaczonych na realizację projektu DuoNen pn.  „Zastosowanie terapii tandemowej LutaPol/ItraPol (¹⁷⁷Lu/⁹⁰Y-DOTATATE) jako skutecznego narzędzia w leczeniu nowotworów neuroendokrynnych”.

Detektory LIGO-Virgo zarejestrowały fale grawitacyjne ze zlania się nietypowego układu podwójnego zawierającego czarną dziurę i inny zwarty, dziewięciokrotnie lżejszy obiekt, który może być albo najlżejszą wykrytą czarną dziurą albo najcięższą zaobserwowaną gwiazdą neutronową. Tak duża asymetria masy układu pozwala na nowe, precyzyjne testy ogólnej teorii względności. W badaniach biorą udział Polacy, w tym trzech naukowców z NCBJ.

Tolga Altinoluk, Michał Bluj, Katarzyna Małek, Jacek Rzadkiewicz, Jakub Wagner i Paweł Ziń to sześcioro nowych doktorów habilitowanych w NCBJ, którzy stopień doktora habilitowanego uzyskali w pierwszej połowie 2020 roku. Pracują oni w Departamencie Badań Podstawowych i w Departamencie Aparatury i Technik Jądrowych.

19 czerwca b.r. Rada CERN jednogłośne przyjęła aktualizację strategii dotyczącej przyszłości fizyki cząstek elementarnych w Europie w kontekście światowym. Przyjęte rekomendacje kładą szczególny nacisk na naukowy, ekonomiczny walor fizyki cząstek oraz związany z nią kapitał ludzki.

The European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) is a compact reference document for the quality control of medicines. Its official standards include a specific and legal basis for quality control throughout the entire product life cycle. Ms. Renata Mikołajczak will lead a working group on the development of monographs on radiopharmaceutical precursors (Precursors for Radiopharmaceutical Preparations – PRP Working Party). She is the first person from Poland to whom the European Pharmacopoeia Commission has entrusted such a responsible role.

Nasi naukowcy interesują się także wieloma typami reaktorów jądrowych wykorzystywanych na świecie jako źródła energii. Dr inż. Michał Spirzewski z Zakładu Energetyki Jądrowej i Analiz Środowiska NCBJ poświęcił swoją właśnie obronioną pracę doktorską zjawiskom mogącym mieć wpływ na bezpieczeństwo i efektywność pracy Wrzących Reaktorów Wodnych (BWR). W swoich badaniach wykorzystał m.in. stworzony przez siebie kod komputerowy DARIA.

Jesteśmy trzeci w Polsce w rankingu Nature Index za okres 1 kwietnia 2019 r. - 31 marca 2020 r. W rankingu tym punkt jest przypisany, jeśli jeden lub więcej autorów artykułu badawczego pochodzi z danej instytucji. W obliczeniach brane są pod uwagę najbardziej wpływowe czasopisma naukowe na świecie.

A high – speed inter­net con­nec­tion for scien­ti­fic data trans­fer at 100 Gbps is alre­ady in ope­ra­tion between the DESY rese­arch cen­ter in Ham­burg and the Natio­nal Cen­tre for Nuc­lear Rese­arch (NCBJ) in Świerk. The full func­tio­na­lity of the con­nec­tion was demon­stra­ted on 12th June during a cere­mony atten­ded by Polish and Ger­man Deputy Mini­sters of Science, which took place simul­ta­ne­ously on both sides of the link.

Zespół polskich naukowców z udziałem dr Anny Wawrzynczak-Szaban (UZ3@NCBJ) przeanalizował awarie energetycznych linii przesyłowych, które mogą mieć związek ze zjawiskami pogody kosmicznej. Badacze pokazują, że liczba awarii jest skorelowana z fazami cyklu słonecznego. Pracę opublikowało czasopismo Energies.
 

The IT Cen­ter Świerk (CIŚ) buil­ding ope­ned in 2014 in Natio­nal Cen­tre for Nuc­lear Rese­arch (NCBJ) was deco­rated with a magni­fi­cent mural. Since the insti­tute ope­ra­tes pri­ma­rily during the day, likely, many employ­ees do not even know that lumi­ne­scent paints have been used for pain­tings. The author of the work Olaf Cirut is pre­pa­ring to carry out ano­ther work in Ostrze­szów.

Rozpoczęła się międzynarodowa Letnia Szkoła Reaktorów Wysokotemperaturowych organizowana przez NCBJ w ramach programu kształcenia doktorantów PHD4GEN. Odbywa się ona w trybie zdalnym. Przemówienie powitalne adresowane do jej wykładowców i uczestników wygłosił profesor Grzegorz Wrochna, wiceminister nauki i szkolnictwa wyższego.

Celem konkursu PRELUDIUM BIS jest wsparcie kształcenia doktorantów w szkołach doktorskich. Dr hab. Andrzej Kupść z Zakładu Wysokich Energii NCBJ - autor projektu, który uzyskał finansowanie w konkursie - proponuje przyszłym doktorantom pracę nad problemem łamania sypertii CP w ramach nowego podejścia opublikowanego niedawno w czasopiśmie Nature.

Dr Jan Jakub Ostrowski z Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ będzie starał się wyjaśnić niektóre zagadki kosmologiczne bez użycia rachunku perturbacyjnego lecz w ramach pełnych równań Ogólnej Teorii Względności. Jego projekt zatytułowany „Kosmologia bez teorii zaburzeń” otrzymał grant w konkursie SONATA rozstrzygniętym przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki.

A cer­tain limi­ta­tion of expe­ri­ments aimed at fin­ding new, light, long-lived par­tic­les are the life­ti­mes of the sear­ched objects. In a recen­tly publi­shed article in Phy­si­cal Review D, scien­ti­sts from NCBJ and SLAC have shown that these limi­ta­tions need not apply to more reali­stic ver­sions of the­ore­ti­cal models with more new, long-lived par­tic­les.

Projekt dra Pawła Sznajdera z Zakładu Fizyki Teoretycznej NCBJ zatytułowany „Badanie trójwymiarowej struktury nukleonu w planowanym zderzaczu elektron-jon” uzyskał grant Narodowego Centrum Nauki w ramach konkursu SONATA. Obliczenia będą miały ogromne znaczenie dla przyszłego zderzacza elektron-jon (EIC), który powstanie w USA.

Mgr inż. Małgorzata Frelek-Kozak (LBM) otrzymała grant Narodowego Centrum Nauki przyznany w konkursie Preludium. Projekt pt. „Wpływ rodzaju tlenku wzmacniającego na właściwości mikrostrukturalne i mechaniczne stali ODS” przewiduje wytworzenie i zbadanie stali ODS wzmacnianych tlenkiem glinu Al2O3  oraz tlenkiem cyrkonu ZrO2.

At the Kuź­nica Bia­ło­stocka-Grodno bor­der cros­sing, an X-ray device for scan­ning of rail­way wagons works with full func­tio­na­lity. It was built using solu­tions deve­lo­ped in the NCBJ. The core of the sys­tem is cal­led Canis and it is an elec­tron acce­le­ra­tor with swit­ched energy of 6 and 9 MeV pro­du­ced by the NCBJ Nuclear Equipment Division (HITEC).

Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych pracuje normalnie, biorąc pod uwagę warunki epidemiologiczne. W instytucie nie występują i nie miały miejsca żadne zdarzenia nietypowe czy problemy techniczne, które mogłoby budzić niepokój. Nasze służby ochrony radiologicznej nie rejestrują też żadnych odczytów wskazujących na anomalie w poziomie promieniowania tła.

T2K’s Col­la­bo­ra­tion publi­shed new results in the pre­sti­gious scien­ti­fic jour­nal Nature regar­ding the lar­gest para­me­ter limit to date deter­mi­ning the vio­la­ting phase of sym­me­try between mat­ter and antimat­ter in neu­trino oscil­la­tions. Almost half of the possi­ble values ​​of the para­me­ter δCP were exc­lu­ded, thus reve­aling the basic owner­ship of neu­trinos that had not been measu­red so far.

An inter­na­tio­nal team of scien­ti­sts col­la­bo­ra­ting on the T2K expe­ri­ment today anno­un­ced in the jour­nal Nature signi­fi­cant rese­arch results that bro­aden know­ledge of the lack of sym­me­try between mat­ter and antimat­ter. This is a good time to recall that Polish scien­ti­sts from six cen­ters, coope­ra­ting within the Polish Neu­trino Group, are also con­tri­bu­ting to this expe­ri­ment.

April 2 this year Mini­ster of Cli­mate Michał Kur­tyka has set up a Team for the Deve­lop­ment of the Rene­wa­ble Energy Sour­ces Indu­stry and Bene­fits for the Polish Eco­nomy. It will be a con­sul­ta­tive and advi­sory body that atta­ches to the Mini­ster, who is respon­si­ble for cli­mate and energy. Dr Eng. Karol Waw­rzy­niak from the Inter­di­sci­pli­nary Depart­ment of Energy Ana­ly­sis NCBJ is now in charge of the local energy dimen­sion.

Scientists are once again questioning the accuracy of the hypothesis that any low dose of radiation poses a threat to human health. On the contrary, they say – there are good reasons to believe that small doses have a positive effect on our health. These are the conclusions of the recently published statement by the Scientists for Accurate Radiation Information (SARI) and XNLT foundations.

The Project „The use of the LutaPol/ItraPol (177Lu/90Y-DOTATATE) tandem therapy as an effective tool for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors” coordinated by POLATOM was eligible for funding in the Medical Research Agency’s competition to support non-commercial clinical research.

Tobiasz Zawistowski MSc, a student of the RadFarm interdisciplinary doctorate studies, was an intern at CANADIAN ISOTOPE INNOVATIONS Corp. and carried out experiments at Canadian Light Source related to the accelerated production of molybdenum 99 for medical purposes. Research is ongoing on the possibility of using a similar method in Świerk.

Widać już fundamenty przyszłego kompleksu laboratoriów Centrum Projektowania i Syntezy Radiofarmaceutyków Ukierunkowanych Molekularnie „CERAD”, w którym będzie umieszczony m.in. cyklotron pozwalający na produkcję radionuklidów poprzez bombardowanie tarcz rozpędzonymi protonami, deuteronami i cząstkami alfa. Pracom sprzyja dobra pogoda.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the European Space Agency (ESA) invite you to participate in the information day, which will take place on February 6, 2020 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education at ul. Hoża 20. The information day will be devoted to the ESA scientific program and the PRODEX research instruments development program.

In early January, the US Department of Energy announced the location of a new powerful high energy physics research device. The Electron-Ion collider (EIC) is to be built in Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY) at a cost of approx. 2 billion. dollars. The research program of planned experiments is co-created by scientists from the NCBJ.

On January 14th, Minister of Science and Higher Education published a list of strategic research infrastructures present on the Polish Map of Research Infrastructure. Among 70 approved projects, 7 proposals were prepared by scientists form NCBJ. These include four projects for the new national research structures and three projects of participation in international projects.

CERN zatwierdził nowy eksperyment, który będzie badał własności neutrin. Jest to pierwszy tego typu eksperyment przy Wielkim Zderzaczu Hadronów (LHC), który rozpocznie nową erę badań nad neutrinami. W pracach nad projektem istotną rolę odegrał dr Sebastian Trojanowski z Departamentu Badań Podstawowych.

On December 16th, Professor Grzegorz Wrochna, a long-time Director General – first, of the Institute of Nuclear Problems, and then of National Centre for Nuclear Research – has been appointed Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Congratulations!

Closing ceremony for the International Year of the Periodic Table of Elements, established by UNESCO on the 150^th anniversary of the publication of the first version of the table of elements by Dmitry Mendeleev, has been held in Tokyo. On the conference preceding the celebration, Professor Michał Kowal (NCBJ) presented new theoretical analyses crucial to the possibility of production of superheavy nuclides in laboratory conditions.

Young scien­ti­sts from NCBJ have obta­ined pre­sti­gious funds to con­duct their work. Seba­stian Tro­ja­nowski, PhD, has rece­ived a scho­lar­ship from the Mini­ster of Science and Higher Edu­ca­tion for out­stan­ding young scien­ti­sts, Łukasz Bar­to­sik, PhD Eng, rece­ived a NCN Minia­tura grant, and Tomasz Kwiat­kow­ski, MSc Eng, reviened a NCN Preludium grant.

Ciekawą relację z wizyty w CERN przygotował red. Grzegorz Jasiński z RMF. Główną rolę odgrywa w niej LINAC4, który zasilać będzie w protony cały kompleks akceleratorowy w Genewie. To nowe urządzenie powstało przy naszym znaczącym udziale, co zostało sympatycznie docenione.

On October 23^rd, Pro­fes­sor Robert Feiden­han­s’l, Exe­cu­tive Direc­tor of Euro­pean XFEL GmbH and Pro­fes­sor Krzysz­tof Kurek, NCBJ Direc­tor Gene­ral have signed an adden­dum to the NCBJ-XFEL agre­ement, as well as an agre­ement on imple­men­ting the Scien­ti­fic Big Data Ana­ly­sis pro­ject. The XFEL dele­ga­tion also met with the poten­tial Polish users of the laser and with the representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The process of creating the NOMATEN Center of Excellence is entering a decisive phase: Professor Mikko Alava has assumed the position of director and will soon start completing research teams. CoE NOMATEN is to explore new functional materials. It was created thanks to a grant in the Teaming for excellence competition and thanks to the support of the Foundation for Polish Science.

Today J-PET, a posi­tron emis­sion tomo­gra­phy scan­ner, desi­gned and con­struc­ted in the Marian Smo­lu­chow­ski Insti­tute of Phy­sics on the Jagiel­lo­nian Uni­ver­sity, has been pre­sen­ted in Cra­cow. Employ­ees of Natio­nal Cen­tre for Nuc­lear Rese­arch were among the team resposible for this project. The device allows for uti­li­zing com­ple­tely new methods of body ima­ging based on multi-pho­ton decays. So far, those types of decay have never been uti­li­zed for this pur­pose.

On the 20^th Sep­tem­ber 2019, a dele­ga­tion from the Japa­nese Ato­mic Energy Agency, with its pre­si­dent, Mr. Toshio Kodama, visi­ted NCBJ. During the visit an imple­men­ta­tion con­tract for the coope­ra­tion agre­ement, which was signed two years ago, was conc­lu­ded. The con­tract put an empha­sis on the field of high-tem­pe­ra­ture reac­tor tech­no­logy. The guests also went on a tour aro­und the Insti­tute.

Ogłoszona rekrutacja trwa do 15 września. Więcej informacji na stronie studium: https://www.ncbj.gov.pl/radfarm

On August 22, 2019, a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-14 module launched towards the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Among the loads there is the Mini-EUSO telescope. The device makes it possible to create an ultraviolet map of the Earth’s atmosphere and allows to observe its variability in time. The project is attended by the scientists from NCBJ.

On 31 July 2019, a delegation from the French company FramAtome, with its president, Mr. Bernard Fontana, visited the NCBJ. The French guests traveled to Poland at the invitation of the Warsaw University of Technology. In Świerk, they were accompanied by the WUT delegation with Professors Janusz Frączek – Dean of the WUT PAE Faculty. The delegations also visited the the Maria research reactor, which is located in Świerk

On 14th July 2019, Mr. Jerzy Kozieł, who was associated with our institute for a few decades, passed away. He finished his career on NCBJ as the Director for Radiological Safety and Protection of the Świerk Institute. Janusz Jaroszewicz, Deputy Director of NCBJ Nuclear Facilities Operations Department, reminisces the late, who will forever remain in the memory of older employees.

Euroean XFEL press release: Data from experiments will also be processed at partner institute NCBJ in Otwock-Swierk.

Meeting of the JPNM EERA working group (Joint Programme for Nuclear Materials European Energy Research Alliance) was held in Warsaw from 17^th to 19^th June. EERA is an advisory unit of EC, which handles funding of research related to power generation. JPNM is a platform which handles research of materials for nuclear power industry.

19 kwietnia 2019 roku Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych zaprosiło do składania dalszych zgłoszeń na studia doktoranckie z fizyki reaktorowej w ramach projektu “New reactor concepts and safety analyses for the Polish Nuclear Energy Program” POWR.03.02.00-00.I005/17. Projekt jest poświęcony badanion nad nowymi technologiami reaktorów wysokotemperaturowch HTGR. Studia obejmują wszystkie aspekty czwartej generacji reaktorów, a więc fizykę neutronową i reaktorową, procesy cieplne i analizy bezpieczeństwa.

Doctoral project of Tomasz Kwiatkowski, MSc Eng, has been nominated by the international association NUGENIA to be presented in the young scientist competition at the periodic world conference FISA 2019 / EuradWaste’19 beginning on the 4^th June in Romania. The Polish scientist researches impact of turbulent flow of the coolant on safety of nuclear reactors.

Researchers from Faculty of Physics UW (University of Warsaw) and National Centre for Nuclear Research point out, that, within a short time there, might be a possibility of creating two new superheavy elements, as well as a few isotopes of elements, which have already been discovered. The calculations which led to this conclusions used theoretical model created in Warsaw and took into account previously omitted processes.

11 maja NCBJ weźmie udział w tegorocznej 23 edycji Pikniku Naukowego (stoisko A41). Tematem przewodnim Pikniku jest hasło „My i Maszyny”. Wybraliśmy strefę przyszłości i skupiliśmy się na reaktorze jądrowym, ale pokażemy też akcelerator IntraLine i system CANIS. Naszym gościem specjalnym będzie European XFEL prezentujący wirtualną wycieczkę po najpotężniejszym laserze na świecie. 

Zakład Transportu Samochodowego NCBJ obchodzi dwudziestolecie swojej działalności. 33 pojazdy wożą nas do pracy i świadczą usługi dla wielu podmiotów. Załodze ZTS życzymy, by woziła nas szybko i bezpiecznie - miejmy nadzieję, że wkrótce po znacznie lepszych drogach.

The recruitment conditions for the PhD School, jointly coordinated by National Centre for Nuclear Research and Institute for Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, have been announced.

On the 23^rd April Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki and Jarosław Gowin have visited Świerk. The visit was concluded by a joint press conference with NCBJ Director General Krzysztof Kurek. The topic of the conference was awarding Polish applicants with 3 out of 13 EU grants in the Teaming for Excellence competition. The grants were expected to aid in creation of Excellence Centres and our NOMATEN project was one of the winners.

ZAPROSZENIE NA KONFERENCJĘ PRASOWĄ ZWIĄZANĄ z ogłoszeniem zwycięzców prestiżowego konkursu Teaming for Excellence w ramach programu Horyzont 2020. W wydarzeniu wezmą udział: Mateusz Morawiecki, prezes Rady ministrów i Jarosław Gowin, wiceprezes Rady Ministrów, minister nauki i szkolnictwa wyższego. Miejsce i czas: 23 kwietnia 2019 r, NCBJ Świerk g. 12:30.

Today, Minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski has awarded NCBJ Professor Andrzej Strupczewski and Professor Grzegorz Wrochna with Independence Centenary Medals. They were given to the honoured researchers by the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

NOMATEN Centre of Excellence, created in Świerk in NCBJ, will receive 15 million euro of assistance from European Union. The project was prepared in NCBJ with the contribution from the French CEA and Finnish VTT company. The scientists from the Centre will research materials intended for use in extreme conditions.

With great satisfaction we would like to inform, that on the 2nd April 2019 in Presidential Palace there was a ceremony of presenting professor nominations. The title of professor of physical sciences was awarded to NCBJ Director General, Associate Professor Eng. Krzysztof Kurek, now Professor Eng. Krzysztof Kurek. Sincere congratulations!

An intraoperative accelerator produced in Świerk will be installed in Greater Poland Cancer Center until the end of 2020. Accelerator will be installed in a dedicated room and will utilise current achievements of NCBJ and WCO (Greater Poland Cancer Centre), attained during the implementation of AiD and INTRADOSE projects. The creators of this device take into account both the technological advancement related to accelerator-based solutions and current worldwide experience in intraoperative irradiation.

For the first time, scientists from NCBJ were awarded with a grant from NCN Miniatura competition in the field of Life Sciences. The receivers of these grants, Dr Kamila Maliszewska-Olejniczak and Dr Karolina Wójciuk, are working in Nuclear Facilities Operations Department and their projects are related to the research for boron-neutron therapy (BNCT).

He combined talent with great diligence and enthusiasm. He had a particular ability to create and perform detailed analyses of complex mathematical models for practical physical problems. He was also a humanist, he was familiar with literature and art. He was a man of thought, inspiring for his surroundings. Always smiling, with great sense of humour. He was kind and patient towards everyone. He passed away on 14^th March 2019. We will truly miss Him.

The last professors have carried out last desks from the previous NCBJ pavilion at Hoża 69. Now our Warsaw divisions will be placed Pasteur Street 7 on the Ochota Campus. Specifically, on the second, fourth and fifth floor of a building shared with Faculty of Physics and other units of University of Warsaw.

Work for preparing the construction site of Centre for Design and Synthesis of Molecularly Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals „CERAD” has been done. The whole investment is to be completed in 2021.

Results of the most recent competitions from National Science Centre MAESTRO, HARMONIA and SONATA BIS. HARMONIA grant will be given to Professor Agnieszka Pollo for project VIPERS and furthermore… SONATA BIS grants will be given to Professor Justyna Łagoda (Precise measurement of neutrino oscillations… T2K), Dr Katarzyna Małek (ASTROdust project…) and Dr Przemysław Małkiewicz (for research on quantum origin of cosmic expansion and primordial structures).

On 13^th February, Science and Technology Park „Świerk” held a presentation of a relocatable automobile scanning system Sowa, which was designed in NCBJ. Guests of the presentation included journalists, customs service representatives, as well as potential distributors. Sowa is the first relocatable automobile X-ray scanning system in the world, which ensures safety, high speed and precision of inspection.

The National Centre for Nuclear Research announces the further round of applications for doctoral studies in reactor physics within the framework of the project “New reactor concepts and safety analyses for the Polish Nuclear Energy Program”. All the candidates with both science and engineering undergraduate degrees are welcome to apply though a very strong educational background is expected from the candidates. The deadline for applications is 25th of March 2019.

CyberLab cybersecurity laboratory in Świerk is expanding their research work and international cooperation. At the end of last year the lab generated examples of network traffic that happens during a cyberattack on an industrial network. The data will serve to train security experts by European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and were recently added to Agency’s training materials.

On 28^th January Professor Tatsuya Okubo, Dean of School of Engineering, University of Tokyo and Professor Krzysztof Kurek, Director General of National Centre for Nuclear Research have signed an agreement on academic exchange between institutions they represent. The agreement was signed during Polish-Japanese seminar on high temperature reactor technology, which was held in Warsaw.

POLAR detector was launched in September 2016 on board of the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2. Scientists just published the first research results in Nature Astronomy. POLAR is the result of cooperation between Switzerland (University of Geneva and Paul Scherrer Institut), Poland (National Centre for Nuclear Research) and China.

On 11th January in Świerk the grand inauguration ceremony of new PhD studies PHD4GEN, devoted to newest nuclear reactor technology, was held. A cycle of 15 lectures led by an international team of specialists is provided for 11 students, along with educational trips, conferences… and high scholarships.

High temperature nuclear reactors (HTR) are on the list of National Smart Specializations (KIS) in group KIS 4: Highly efficient, low-emission and integrated systems for production, storage, transmission and distribution of energy. This opens a way for NCBJ to conduct research in this field with aid from the EU funds, among other things.

Mission of the European C-BORD project, finalised in November 2018, was to develop and test a complex, affordable solution for inspecting containers and large cargo on EU borders. The project involved five control methods and the obtained results prove, that their integration into a functioning system is entirely possible. The participants of the project were, among others, scientists from NCBJ and the National Revenue Administration.

Scientists from NCBJ and ITME have patented an innovative method of titanium nitride layer production on metallic bases. Using this invention, the layer of titanium nitride has uniform phase composition, high durability and is characterized by low friction coefficient. This method can find its practical use in production of bearings, for example.

Associate Professor Engineer Renata Mikołajczak (POLATOM@NCBJ) joined the International Scientific Committee of ARRONAX institute in France. Institute, the name of which is an abbreviation of Accelerator for Research in Radiochemistry and Oncology at Nantes Atlantic possesses a cyclotron with energy up to 70 MeV used mainly for production of strontium-82, as well as germanium-68 and astatine-211. Experience in production of the last of these isotopes can be very valuable for cyclotron CERAD constructed in Świerk.

Analysis of data from Advanced LIGO detectors revealed four new sources of gravitational waves. The signal GW170729 is connected to the most massive and distant source that was observed so far. Another one, GW170818, was discovered thanks to global network of three LIGO-Virgo detectors. It corresponds to the binary system located around 2,5 bilion light years from Earth.

On 26^th – 29^th November 2018 in Warsaw, Świerk and Różan, lectures and workshops of tenth edition of School on Nuclear Power were held, organized by NCBJ, Faculty of Physics University of Warsaw and ZUOP. The attendees had a chance to listen to presentations of 20 lecturers from the whole world, discuss the project „Polish Power Policy to year 2040 [Polityka Energetyczna Polski do 2040]” and take part in educational excursions.

On 12th November 2018 Professor Marek Moszyński was given an award of Glenn F. Knoll in Sydney on annual Nuclear Science Symposium of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE-NSS). In the inscriptions of this award it was stated: "For outstanding contribution to the modern scintillation detectors in application to physics, medicine and homeland security". Professor Moszyński explains what this award is (YT).

... We have gotten a permission for purchase from USA, but under condition, that the computer would be frequently inspected by the Americans, which in turn required to break the local reluctance. This was achieved and in 1973 CYBER 72 was placed in Świerk in the CYFRONET computing centre, that was led by Professor Żelazny. The institute employed about 100 people, both with Reactor Computing Division. ...

NCBJ Director General Professor Krzysztof Kurek and Director of National Information Processing Institute Dr Olaf Gajl, have signes an agreement on funding the construction of Polish free electron laser in Świerk. It is the next step in implementation of this investment. Professor Kurek mentioned this project during an inauguration on cybersecurity conference (video).

On 16th October 2018 an agreement on scientific and educational cooperation between Kozminski University and National Centre for Nuclear Research was signed. The range of the agreement includes, among other things, joint leadership in research projects, development of analytic tool and implementation of artificial intelligence in analysis of huge sets of data.

Work of a team of theoreticians from NCBJ and University of Zielona Góra points, that some isomeric states of superheavy elements can have half lives measured in seconds, so tens of thousands times longer than half lives of their very unstable ground states. Should such exotic nuclear states be produced experimentally, they will be stable enough to research their chemical properities.

Recently launched NCBJ's Laboratory of Cybersecurity has recorded its first success: the scientists discovered a dangerous loophole in default software of a widely used logic driver PLC utilized, for example, in nuclear installations. The manufacturer has already fixed the issue and recommended the necessary adjustments to all its clients.

The cyclical world conference on high-temperature reactors HTR 2018 is happening in Warsaw. Thie year's ninth edition is organized by National Centre for Nuclear Research. Scientists, practicians and decision-makers from five continents are discussing, among other things, the perspectives of quick implementation of HTR technology in countries with advanced chemical industry, such as Poland.

On 4th October doctorate studies were inaugurated in Świerk under RadFarm project - Radiopharmaceuticals for molecularly targeted diagnostics and medical therapy. 17 listeners will be attending the lectures and led their own research in four cooperating scientific units. The course is co-funded by National Centre for Research and Development's POWER programme.

Monika Panfil, Nuclear Chemistry and Power Engineering graduate (the course led thgether by Faculty of Physics and Faculty of Chemistry of University of Warsaw) has won the 3rd award in this year's competition of Polish Nucleonic Society for best papers in the field of atomistics, master's theses category, for the work "Research on effects of daily ambient temperature fluctuation on reactivity supply of MARIA reactor".

We have published the newest six-minute version of a promotional film of the MARIA reactor on our Youtube channel. It was prepared in two language versions (pl: https://youtu.be/JSgyYTqTKvE, en: https://youtu.be/tPHRjmQYXuY). NCBJ Communication and Promotion Office provides files with HD version of the movie to both employees and the media. The movie can be also watched by expanding this article.

On 22nd September, Saturday, during an international conference Near Space 2018 in Toruń, a weather balloon sent a capsule with specially adapted set of two educational detectors CosmicWatch into near outer space. The capsule was prepared by scientists from National Centre for Nuclear Research.

W dniach 6–7 października NCBJ wraz z PPUP ZUOP zaprasza na Dni Otwarte ośrodka jądrowego Świerk. Dla chętnych przygotowaliśmy 12 tras zwiedzania, wystawy, konkurs i pokazy filmów. Do ośrodka będzie można dojechać specjalnym transportem z Warszawy, Garwolina i Otwocka. 24 września uruchomimy rezerwację internetową na ok. połowę miejsc.

The organizers of doctoral studies on new generation nuclear reactor would like to inform, that despite a very attractive scholarship offer, there is still a few spots left. With this in mind, recruitment is prolonged indefinitely. For more information please refer to the announcement.

The project of creating a Centre of Excellence in new materials NOMATEN, prepared in NCBJ, will receive funding from Foundation for Polish Science – as predicted by the agreement signed in Warsaw on September 6th. According to the rules of MAB PLUS competition, the proposal to FNP was submitted by two scientific leaders of the project: prof. Sergio Bertolucci, and prof. Paweł Sobkowicz. The competition was addressed towards beneficiaries of the Teaming programme, led by the European Commission.

Research work with metastable isotope of rhenium-186m has started in National Centre for Nuclear Research. Half-life of this isomer is approx. 200 thousand years, but it can be forced into a fast decaying nuclear state, which releases a much greater energy in its decay than the energy required to initiate the process. Because of this property, rhenium nuclei can be a viable energy storage. This research in Świerk will be funded by U. S Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

You may book an educational excursion to Świerk for the September-December 2018 period by phone (+48 22 273 16 12) starting August 20, 2018 8:30AM.

Dotacja MNiSW na utrzymanie potencjału badawczego NCBJ będzie zwiększona o 50% – wynika z decyzji, która właśnie dotarła do Świerka. To bezpośredni skutek uzyskania przez instytut najwyższej kategorii naukowej A+ w zeszłorocznej ocenie jednostek naukowo-badawczych. Choć dotacja to tylko jedno ze źródeł przychodów Instytutu, jej wzrost pozwoli na zwiększenie wynagrodzeń pracowników.

The second recruitment for doctoral studies in the field of new concepts of nuclear reactors (HTGR, DFR) is in progress. Applications for candidates can be sent by September 3; two weeks later an exam is provided. The studies will start from October 2018.

The decision on allocating over 118 million zł on this project has reached NCBJ, where the before-mentioned device will be constructed. The project will receive scientific and technological support thanks to, among other things, cooperation of NCBJ with the creators of the most powerful device of this type in the world, operating in Hamburg for a year.

Naukowcy z NCBJ zgłosili do opatentowania metodę zapisu danych, która nie ulegnie próbie czasu. Zapisane dane przetrwają pożar, zalanie czy nawet impuls elektromagnetyczny powstały w wyniku wybuchu jądrowego. Wynalazek zdobył drugą nagrodę w konkursie „Eureka! DGP”.

Today OPI has announced the authorised ranking list in POIR comperition No 2. Our project has reached second place and will recieve funding on the level over 118 million zł. Soon we will provide more information on this new, important device.

Artur Miroszewski, doktorant w Zakładzie UZ3 w Departamencie Badań Układów Złożonych, otrzyma finansowanie projektu pt. "Mechanika kwantowa i kwantowa kosmologia w formalizmie rozszerzonej przestrzeni fazowej". Projekt jest jednym z laureatów konkursu NCN PRELUDIUM 14.

For a few days, the only deep-water container terminal in Poland (DCT-Gdańsk) has been a place for testing of the dangerous and illegal cargo detection system, designed during the C-BORD project, which has been funded by the EU programme Horizon 2020. 

Joanna Zalipska, PhD, who carries out a research grant from the OPUS programme of National Science Centre, is looking for people eager to cooperate in a MSc or PhD scholarship. The project funded by the Centre is titled „Correlated nucleon pairs in neutrino interactions” and is led by Prof. Jan Sobczyk from University of Wrocław.

As many as three papers, whose authors are from Radioisotope Centre POLATOM, appeared on the list of five most frequently cited publications that could be found in Nuclear Medicine Review between 2015 and 2017. Their authors were awarded with diplomas granted by the officials from Nuclear Medicine Review (published via Medica) and the President of Polish Society of Nuclear Medicine.

On the 14th June 1958 the first nuclear reactor in Poland Was launched. EWA (Experimental, Water, Atomic) begun its work in the Institute for Nuclear Research, created three years prior (predecessor of NCBJ). The reactor Was bought from USSR and its construction assumed thermal power of 2 MW and thermal neutrons’ flux density of 2*10¹³ neutrons/s*cm².

At the beginning of June, during the „Neutrino 2018” conference in Heidelberg, young scientists were given awards in a poster session. Professor Ewa Rondio, the scientific director at the NCBJ, reports: „There were altogether almost 400 posters. More than 200 participated in the competition and a poster from Poland, from NCBJ won. The author is Katarzyna Frankiewicz, who has just submitted her PhD thesis. The poster contains partial results from her PhD thesis and its subject is search for dark matter annihilation in the interior of the Earth. The prize Was funded by the Hamamatsu company and awarded by prof. Kajita – Nobel laureate from 2015".

On Monday, June 11, the Ambassador of the French Republic in Poland, His Excellency Mr. Pierre Lévy, honored four NCBJ employees with Order of Academic Palms. The award is an expression of recognition for merits awarded to the development of scientific cooperation between France and Poland. The persons honored are: Prof. Grzegorz Wrochna, Mr. Tomasz Jackowski, Prof. Jacek Jagielski and Prof. Krzysztof Kurek.

Important message related to Ph.D. studentships application deadlines in the project “New reactor concepts and safety analyses for the Polish Nuclear Energy Program”: Because of some formal reasons the deadline for the first round of applications is extended to 28th June 2018, 17.00 CET. The exams will start on 11th of July 2018. The results will be announced on the 17th of July 2018.

On May 29, Mr. William D. Magwood, IV, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Director General, together with a delegation visited Świerk. The meeting at the NCBJ was chaired by Mr. Andrzej Piotrowski, an adviser to the Minister of Energy. Professor Andrzej Chmielewski, Director of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (IChTJ) and the meeting hosts - NCBJ management including the director, professor Krzysztof Kurek also attended the meeting.

During the three-day NOMATEN Scientific Workshop (Świerk, 15-17.05.2018), a parallel session was organized for young radiopharmaceutical researchers as well a plenary session on radiopharmaceuticals, which ended with a round table discussion. Over 10 presentations were delivered, including three plenary talks.

National Center for Nuclear Research invites candidates for a 5-year doctoral studies in reactor physics within the framework of the project “New reactor concepts and safety analyses for the Polish Nuclear Energy Program”. See details at phd4gen.pl

NCBJ hosts a three-day working conference dedicated to a project of creating centre of excellence for materials applicable in extreme conditions, NOMATEN. The project is a joint initiative of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and National Centre for Nuclear Research. The centre was included in an exclusive group of projects, which gained recognition in the first phase of the EU competition Teaming for Excellence.

Work is ongoing on the construction site of Centre for Design and Synthesis of Molecularly Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals “CERAD” in Świerk. In the site, where the three-story building and a laboratory will be situated, an old boiler room has been already demolished and its fundations are being removed. 

NCBJ, in cooperation with IAEA, has organized a workshop on conducting assessment on the state of cyber security in nuclear installations. Invited experts will meet in Świerk with workshop attendees, delegated from government agencies, scientific institutes and commercial organizations. They will present cyber security assessment methodology and recommended practices for identifying in advance cyber vulnerabilities and threats and taking appropriate prevention measures.

A large portion of radioactive iodine-131 used in nuclear medicine all over the world is manufactured in Poland. Radioisotope Centre POLATOM, which operates within National Centre for Nuclear Research, exports iodine reagents and ready-to-use medical products to recipients on six continents. Isotopes needed to produce the radiopharmaceuticals are created in research reactor Maria. Products containing iodine-131 are used mainly in therapy and diagnostic of thyroid conditions.

A team of Polish researchers won in the first round of remote-access international competition Global Legal Hackathon 2018, which promotes innovative digital solutions in the area of law and legislation. The solution presented by dr Adam Zadrożny (NCBJ) and associates is based on blockchain technology and is meant to help the taxpayers document, that their business partner was a VAT taxpayer during the transaction.

O najbezpieczniejszej i najbardziej obiecującej technologii reaktorów jądrowych – HTGR  – dyskutować będą przedstawiciele świata nauki i przemysłu podczas Międzynarodowej Konferencji HTR 2018. Być może już wkrótce wysokotemperaturowe reaktory jądrowe będą wytwarzać w Polsce energię cieplną dla przemysłu, a w dalszej przyszłości wytwarzać wodór.

On March 1 in Warsaw, Polish Product of the Future recognitions were awarded in this year 20th anniversary competition organized by PARP and NCBiR. The winner was the IntraLine-IOERT intraoperative accelerator built at the NCBJ. The competition promotes innovative products and technologies which have a chance to appear on the domestic and the global market.

Soon, the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk will receive more than 17.6 million PLN from European Union toward setting up a research and implementation centre for CentriX industrial radiation techniques. On Monday, February 26, an agreement on financing the project Was signed by the Deputy Marshal of the Masovian Voivodeship, Ms. Janina Orzełowska, by a Member of the Masovian Voivodeship Board, Ms. Elżbieta Lanc and the Director of NCBJ, prof. Krzysztof Kurek.

In the latest edition of the National Science Center’s grant competitions, six scientists from the NCBJ have been successful. The most valuable achievement is in the SONATA BIS 7 competition. Dr Kamila Kowalska from the Theoretical Physics Division will receive almost 2.5 million PLN for her research on „Extensions of Standard Model with vector-like fermions.”

The first blood donation event in Swierk will take place on February 16 (Friday) on the initiative of the NCBJ A-To-My sports club. All people working in the Institute can take part in it. We offer a special gift - the gift of life.

Wstęp na teren ośrodka jądrowego w Świerku podlega ograniczeniom ustalonym zgodnie z zaleceniami instytucji odpowiedzialnych za bezpieczeństwo państwa. Obywatele polscy mający powód do wejścia na teren ośrodka, są wpuszczani po ustaleniu ich tożsamości.

For the first time it was experimentally shown that atomic nuclei can be excited by catching an electron on unfilled atomic electron shell. The result can have both theoretical and practical application. The latest issue of Nature magazine reports about the discovery. Co-authors of the work are Polish scientists.

Three researchers from NCBJ will receive a scholarship for outstanding young scientists from the Minister of Science and Higher Education. Signing appropriate agreements with them will be finalized shortly. NCBJ is one of the 12 research institutions in Poland with the highest number of the honored scientists.

The main prize in the PAP and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Competition for science promoters – for the achievements related to science popularization – Was awarded to prof. Tadeusz Wibig from the Faculty of Applied Physics and Computer Science at the University of Łódź and from the Astrophysics Division at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Łódź.

The Ministry of Energy informed that the Department of Nuclear Energy of the European Commission published a report by the departmental team for analysis and preparation of conditions for the implementation of high-temperature nuclear reactors. The team carried out a detailed analysis of the use of this type of reactors to cover the domestic demand for industrial heat with a temperature up to 700 ° C.

A new Road Map concerning European astroparticle phisics development for the years 2017-2026 was published on 9th January 2018. At the top of this strategy one may find such directions of research as gravitational waves, neutrino, dark matter and gamma ray research.

The Cracow-based CP OK2 Sp. z o.o. company has won EU tender proceedings to build in Świerk a centre for design and synthesis of new molecularly targeted drugs (CERAD). The company has signed the contract to build the facility before July 2021. Facility equipment will include a modern proton/deuteron/alpha particle cyclotron dedicated to produce radioisotopes.

Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education officially rated NCBJ as a category A+ scientific unit. That highest category has been granted to a group of only 47 units selected among about 1,000 evaluated ones from all science fields. We have been included in a really elite group!

NCBJ-developed radiographic cargo scanner was presented during a two-day-long meeting organized in Świerk for some representatives of the Polish customs authorities and of the PiD Polska sp. z o.o. company. The meeting was an occasion to discuss capabilities of modern cargo scanners, as well as practical needs of Polish customs officers in respect to such systems.

About 200 students from different institutions located in varios regions of Poland attended 9th International School on Nuclear Power (November 15-16, 2017) organized jointly by NCBJ and Polish Ministry of Energy Department of Nuclear Power in cooperation with the Faculty of Physics of Warsaw University and State Enterprise Radioactive Waste Management Plant. Summary report has been worked out by Prof. Andrzej Strupczewski.

Last week NCBJ and European XFEL GmbH signed a framework agreement on cooperation. The agreement specifies legal terms on which NCBJ will participate in operation of and research conducted at the XFEL free electron laser newly constructed in the Hamburg area. That most powerful in the world laser is capable to produce ultra-short pulses of X-ray radiation that can open up new perspectives in research on matter in the microscale, in particular on biological and chemical micro-systems.

On an assignment from the Polish Ministry of Energy, NCBJ Material Research Lab has worked out guidelines for Polish companies involved in construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs). Guidelines how to conduct non-destructive and destructive tests of elements to be deployed in such plants have been compiled into a 50-page report.

The Astrocent proposal to establish in Poland an international scientific centre to conduct research on gravitational waves/dark matter/other aspects of the “hidden Universe” using advanced technological instruments has obtained funding amounting to over PLN 37 million in the International Research Agendas Programme (IRAP) competition implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science and co-financed from the EU’s Smart Growth Operational Programme (POIR).

NCBJ is interested in the NICA project run in Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia (JINR). On the first day of 2nd international conference NICA Days 2017 held in Warsaw (November 6-10), a consortium of Polish research institutions interested in the project was established. On November 8 conference attendees were given an opportunity to visit some NCBJ labs in Świerk that may contribute to the project.

Wyjaśniam, że cytowane przez media opinie na temat możliwych dostawców technologii jądrowych dla Polski zawarte w relacjach z debaty „Polski Mix Energetyczny” nie są oficjalnym stanowiskiem Narodowego Centrum Badań Jądrowych.

Delegation of the Chinese National Energy Administration (NAE) headed by Mr. Liu Baohua, Deputy Director for Electricity and Nuclear Power, visited Świerk on November 6. The guests met with NCBJ management, were briefed by professor Krzysztof Kurek, NCBJ Director General, on NCBJ current operations and growth perspectives, visited the Maria research reactor and the Accelerating Structure Lab.

Pana Profesora Adama Sobiczewskiego po raz pierwszy spotkałem na początku lat osiemdziesiatych podczas egzaminu na Studium Doktoranckie przy Instytucie Badań Jądrowych w Świerku. Pamiętam, że zadał mi pytanie – dlaczego jedne  jądra atomowe są stabilne, a inne podlegają rozpadowi. Dzisiaj wiem, że odpowiedzi na to pytanie pan Adam, tak go nazywaliśmy, szukał przez całe życie. 

For the first time, scientists have directly detected gravitational waves in addition to light from the spectacular collision of two neutron stars. This marks the first time that a cosmic event has been viewed in both gravitational waves and light.

INNOMAZ 2017, the 1st Forum for cooperation between local authorities/science/business, will start on October 13, 2017 at 10 am at NCBJ premises in Świerk. The Forum has been organized by the Innomaz Association for the Mazovia Region Development in cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology Faculty of Material Science and Engineering and with the Świerk Science & Technology Park.

9^th International School on Nuclear Power organized by Polish Ministry of Energy and NCBJ in cooperation with Warsaw University Faculty of Physics and State Enterprise Radioactive Waste Management Plant will be held on November 15-16, 2017 in Warsaw with two workshops organized on November 14 and November 17 in Świerk and Różan. Attractions for attendees include the "Direction: Mars" session and Professor A. K. Wróblewski's lecture commemorating 150^th anniversary of Maria Curie-Skłodowska's birthday .

NCBJ is constantly monitoring radioactivity of atmospheric air around Świerk. Recently Ruthenium 106 at trace concentrations comparable to those reported by other radiation protection stations operated in Poland was found. No other radioisotope at an increased level was found. That confirms Polish National Atomic Energy Agency conjectures concerning source(s) from which the isotope was released into the air. The observed small concentrations do not pose any threat to population health.

First simultaneous detection of a gravitational wave by the two US-based interferometers and the Advanced VIRGO European interferometer was announced during the meeting of Ministers of Science from the G7 countries. The observation made possible to roughly locate source of the emission, which marks a new era in astrophysics. PolGraw, a team of scientists from 8 research institutions in Poland, is a member of the VIRGIO collaboration.

International consortium established to accomplish the GEMINI+ R&D project will convene on its inaugurating meeting in Warsaw on 27 and 28 September. The project will focus on new technologies for high-temperature nuclear reactors capable to deliver technological (industry-grade) heat. Polish chemical companies are particularly interested in the project funded from the Horizon 2020 European Union programme.

NCBJ and the Kubara Lamina S.A. company have reached framework agreement on cooperation, according to which NCBJ will conduct research, make test measurements, and technically evaluate microwave equipment produced by the partner, including parts ordered for the LCLS free electron laser currently under development at Stanford University in California.

Professor Andrzej Czachor, a long-time NCBJ employee, top-class scientist, patriot and social activist dedicated to his ideals passed away on September 8, 2017. His works in the field of crystal lattice dynamics, crowned with the Drgania atomów w ciele stałym (Solid state atoms vibrations) monograph, are classical references to this very day. His scientific interests were initially focussed on problems caused by disorder within crystal and/or magnetic lattice. Over the years he became interested in some more universal problems. Ability to ask simple questions for which answers were by no means simple was among his distinctive features.

Scientists from NCBJ have started the NOMATEN project to establish in Świerk a Centre of Excellence with the mission to develop new materials for medicine, chemistry, nuclear industry and Hi-Tech. The project was granted 1 year-long funding from the European Union Teaming for Excellence programme. The funding will be used to develop detailed research agenda and a business plan for the Centre.
 

INCBJ has neither been notified of any accident/accident hazard in the Tihange nuclear power plant operated in Belgium nor was observing any increase/anomaly in background radiation levels during the last week.

Memorandum of Understanding in the matter of computing in NCBJ’s Computer Centre in Świerk scientific data acquired during experiments run at XFEL was reached between NCBJ and European XFEL GmbH on September 1, 2017.

European XFEL free electron laser built in Hamburg was inaugurated on September 1, 2017. The laser has brought about quite new experimental opportunities to physicists, chemists, biologists, and engineers all over the world. NCBJ co-owns the facility.

Preliminary analysis of the most recent T2K data indicates that the hypothesis of equal probability of oscillations of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos may be rejected at the 95% (2σ) confidence level. Twice as much data for nuetrinos became available in 2017 as compared with 2016. T2K re-analysed all available data using a new algorithm of reconstruction of events recorded by the Super-Kamiokande far detector. The result have just been presented in KEK (Tsukuba, Japan).

The project to upgrade VIRGO, European detector of gravitational waves, has come to end after a few years of accomplishment. On August 1, 2017 VIRGO officially joined Observational Run 2 to acquire data jointly with the two US-based LIGO detectors. Scientists running the VIRGO experiments include some researchers from NCBJ.

NCBJ Świerk Science & Technology Park (PNT) reached an agreement with the Cryptomind S.A. company. It will be the 33^rd business entity located in PNT. The company is going to run CryptoLab, a cyber security lab.

A new technology of extracting uranium from seawater at a cost merely twice as high as the currently accepted upper limit of economically justified costs of mining uranium from shallow deposits in Earth crust has been developed in the USA and in Japan.

NCBJ scientists have presented some promising results of research on targets suitable for production of technetium-99m, one of the nuclear medicine more important isotopes, in accelerators. Their paper appeared in the June edition of the Applied Radiation and Isotopes journal.

European Spallation Source (ESS) is a large research facility currently under development in Lund, Sweden. Delegation of  ESS Council with John Womersley, ESS Director General, visited Świerk on June 1, 2017. NCBJ is significantly involved in neutron research in Poland and has contributed to ESS development.

The Advan­ced LIGO research consortium (in which some NCBJ scientists participate) has reported the 3^rd instance of direct observation of gravitational waves. The logged waves were emitted just before two black holes merged into a single spinning larger hole of a mass 49 times larger than the mass of our Sun and about 3 billion light years away the Earth.

Professor Grzegorz Wrochna has been appointed Chairman of the Scientific Policy Committee, an advisory body at Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, for six months starting June 2, 2017

Developers and users of the DIRAC computational platform have met in Warsaw on a conference organized by NCBJ. Topics discussed during the conference included monitoring of performance of global network resources and message queuing technology (already used by Instagram, Cisco, Ford and other global concerns).

The programme to sponsor Polish filmmakers set up jointly by NCBJ and Polish Film Institute (PISF) is going to support production of the “Pelican” animated cartoon, a tale of an unusual friendship, dreams, discovering and accepting who you are. The production won in 2016 a PISF grant. The producers will be able to purchase at some significant discounts services of Renderownia Świerk, a part of the NCBJ-operated Świerk Computing Centre (CIŚ).

Modern centre for design and synthesis of new radiopharmaceuticals is going to start operations in Świerk in three years. Scientists working in the centre will have at their disposal a new cyclotron, the Maria research reactor, a group of research labs, and the CIŚ supercomputer. To this end European Union will co-finance the CERAD project.

More than 160 experts from around the world discussed on how to keep nuclear power plants safe even in case of extremely improbable failures during the prestigious ERMSAR2017 international scientific conference organized by NCBJ in Warsaw.

On May 18, 2017 NCBJ reached an agreement on cooperation in development of high temperature reactors with the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency. It is another sign that interest in the Polish HTR programme is growing.

CERN celebrated inauguration of the Linac 4 accelerator on May 9, 2017. The last of the machine four accelerating stages was manufactured in Świerk. Linac 4 will make possible to improve performance of LHC, the largest research facility on Earth.

Informujemy, że w dniu 22.05.2017r. na terenie Białostockiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego odbędą się III warsztaty naukowe dotyczące terapii borowo-neutronowej (BNCT). Wśród zaproszonych prelegentów będziemy gościć naukowców i lekarzy z Japonii, Argentyny, Finlandii, Rosji i Włoch. Zaprezentują m.in.

NCBJ is taking part in development of J-PET scanner presented within the SciTech Poland exposition organized at the Hannover Messe 2017 fair: we have developed some image reconstruction algorithms. Besides, Świerk supercomputer has simulated operation of detectors employed in the scanner and is used to store/compute the acquired data.

Hannover Messe, the world largest industrial fair, was held between April 24 and April 28, 2017. NCBJ was among several Polish companies and research institutions that brought with them some innovative solutions. Two systems presented by NCBJ included CANIS, a large-size cargo scanner, and SMOC, a mobile industrial radiography device.

DESY and European XFEL GmbH company have jointly announced that commissioning of a superconducting accelerator that is to feed the European XFEL laser has just been concluded in research centre in Hamburg. The team that built the accelerator included scientists and technicians from Poland. NCBJ is a partner in the project.

The level of the 12^th finals of the Paths of Physics contest organized jointly by NCBJ and Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics in Warsaw was exceptionally high. The winners received their prizes during a ceremony held on the Copernicus Science Centre premises in Warsaw on Sunday April 2, 2017. The top winners were rewarded with minicomputers funded by the Format company, a contest sponsor.

Malignant cells that might be left over in patient’s body after surgery of a tumour may be effectively destroyed just during the surgery. IntraLine, a new electron accelerator dedicated to such intra-operative treatment, was presented to oncology physicians who attended a conference organized in NCBJ Świerk on the occasion of conclusion of the INTRA-DOSE project.

Objective of the Advanced Virgo project officially concluded on February 20, 2017 in European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in Pisa (Italy) was to modernise the Virgo interferometer. Polish scientists participated in the project. It is hoped that the Advanced Virgo detector will significantly advance research on gravitational waves, so far the largest discovery in physics of the 21^st century.

Four modern instruments dedicated to neutron studies will soon come to Świerk according to an agreement reached between NCBJ and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. The instruments will certainly expand opportunities to conduct neutron experiments at the MARIA reactor research lab.

NCBJ will coordinate R&D works on High Temperature Reactors (HTR) to be conducted within the “GEMINI+” European-US cooperation project. GEMINI+ is one of the five projects from Świerk accepted for financing in the most recent Horizon 2020 EURATOM call for proposals.

A group of Polish Ministry of Energy officials has visited USA. During that visit NCBJ has reached an agreement with X-energy, an US start-up company. That company will be another valuable partner in our plans to develop High Temperature Reactors (HTR) in Poland. Polish scientists seek to construct the first Polish pilot plant in NCBJ Świerk.

NCBJ has reached an agreement on collaboration with Joint Research Centre (JRC), one of the Directorates General within the European Commission. JRC scientists carry out research to provide European Union with independent advice and support to EU science & technology policy.

All high school students interested in physics are invited to attendee two open workshops organized by scientists from NCBJ, Warsaw University (UW) Physics Faculty and Warsaw University of Technology (PW) Physics Faculty. During the events, the attendees will get an opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes of the two largest experiments run at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in CERN (Geneva): CMS and ALICE.

In connection with plans to start a programme to irradiate some US-origin targets containing highly enriched uranium in the NCBJ-operated MARIA reactor, the reactor has just been visited by some nuclear security experts from USA. They positively verified the implemented system of physical protections as compatible with recommendations issued by International Atomic Energy Agency.

On January 9, 2017 a seminar on nuclear power costs and its role in power balance in Poland was held in NCBJ. Ideas presented by Professor Strupczewski in his lecture were confronted with some critique. Dr. Weissbach concluded the seminar with a lecture on the ratio of energy supplied/energy produced typical for various technologies.

All interested persons are kindly invited to come to Świerk on January 9, 2017 to participate in a hopefully vivid discussion on nuclear power. The  "Nuclear power costs and role in power balance" seminar will be held in the Świerk Science and Technology Park building. The event will start at 11:30 on Monday, January 9, 2017. Experts from some anti-nuclear NGOs are expected.

NCBJ has been cooperating with the Warsaw-based Railway Institute to comprehensively evaluate quality and safety of engine rails. Some nationwide unique competencies are among outcomes of that tight cooperation.

An international team of astronomers (composed also of some Polish scientists) running the VIPERS (VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey) project has just presented the largest 3D map of the Universe as it was 7 billion years ago, and made available the data, on which the map was based.

NCBJ and NRG have just started a joint 3-year-long R&D project concerning safety of modern nuclear power plants. The to-be-researched topics include vulnerability of nuclear reactor vessel walls to temperature shocks. Computer simulations are planned for one year. They are to be done using the 5,000 cluster supercomputer operated in NCBJ Świerk Computer Centre (CIŚ).

Delegation of the government of Islamic Republic of Iran headed by Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, Vice-president of Iran and President of Iranian National Atomic Energy Agency, visited Świerk on November 9, 2016. The talks concerned perspectives of tightening scientific cooperation between Iran and Poland.

A group of filmmakers visited NCBJ on November 4. Our guests saw the MARIA research reactor and Świerk Computer Centre (CIŚ) with its powerful supercomputer. The Centre runs a programme to sponsor Polish film art, within framework of which the filmmakers may use the CIŚ supercomputer power to render their films at reduced prices. The services are available via NCBJ Rendering Centre (https://renderownia.pl).

NCBJ and the PID Polska company have reached a cooperation agreement on commercialization of the NCBJ-developed CANIS Cargo Scanning System. This is a milestone towards commercialization of that unique Hi-Tech technology.

For the third time Świętokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce jointly with Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce are organizing the so-called University Concert. The concert is traditionally preceded by a lecture given by a carefully selected academic. Professor Stanisław Mrówczyński, NCBJ Fundamental Research Department Director, will be the speaker this year.

The largest in Europe nuclear conference held in Warsaw between October 9 and 13, 2016 is a forum where experts, decision-makers, and representatives of nuclear industry from all over the world can share their experience and discuss innovations, nuclear safety issues, applications, and generally the future of nuclear industry. NCBJ co-organized the conference and attendees are expected to visit Świerk.

3^rd Symposium of the Division for Physics of Fundamental Interactions of the Polish Physical Society will be held in NCBJ Świerk on October 8 and 9, 2016. The symposium is entitled “Va­rio­us Fa­ces of QCD 2”

XXIII Nuclear Physics Workshop Marie & Pierre Curie is an annual meeting of scientists involved in research on structure and decays of atomic nuclei organized by the Theoretical Physics Chair at Physics Faculty of the Maria-Curie Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin. This year event was held between September 27 and October 2, 2016 in Kazimierz Dolny. NCBJ co-organized the event to better commemorate work and achievements of Professor Janusz Wilczyński, a world-class expert in nuclear physics.

On its 5^th anniversary NCBJ has received congratulation letters from Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister; Director of Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Nuclear Physics; and from Ministry of Energy.

This year NCBJ Symposium had somewhat festive character on the occasion of NCBJ 5^th anniversary

Eu­ro­pe­an XFEL (X-ray Free Elec­tron La­ser) commissioning procedures started in DESY research centre in Hamburg on October 6, 2016. Poland has met its obligations as the first among 8 shareholders of the Eu­ro­pe­an XFEL GmbH company established to accomplish that €1.2 billion-worth project. On that occasion a small celebration was held in Hamburg with participation of Dr. Piotr Dardziń­ski, Polish Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education.

During this year event NCBJ is going to present several exhibits/presentations/physical experiments familiarizing the general public with ionizing radiation and its major applications.

17 teams participated in Hackathon, a programing contest organized for the first time by Ministry of Digital Affairs on premises of National Library in Warsaw. 90 contest runners included 2 astrophysicist from NCBJ: Adam Zadrożny and Arkadiusz Ćwiek. Contest runners’ task was to develop software applications designed to facilitate everyday life of ordinary people by making use of data openly published by various institutions in the Internet.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 60^th General Conference is accompanied by the POLSKA Safe and Innovative exhibition organized jointly by National Atomic Energy in Poland and Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the Unite Nations Office in Vienna. The exhibition presents Poland as a country, in which ionizing radiation is safely utilized in numerous modern and innovative applications.

A series of discussion panels, lectures by recognized guests from abroad, and presentations organized within the framework of the 41^st Film Festival in Gdynia by Polish Film Institute (PISF) and its partners for several hundred filmmakers (artists, producers, other professionals) has been dubbed Gdynia Industry. NCBJ is among the partners.

The Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars report published in special edition of the Nature journal has identified Poland among 10 top countries qualified as “rising stars in science”. The ranking was based on rate of increase of the WFC (weighted fractional count) index calculated for 68 prestigious journals active in natural sciences for the last 4 years. The index for Poland has risen by as much as 34% between 2012 and 2015.

Equipment developed and produced by NCBJ scientists and engineers may help to reveal nature of some of the most powerful explosions occurring in the Universe. The equipment launched on September 15, 2016 by the „Tiangong-2” (TG-2) Chinese space station is going to measure polarisation of gamma rays in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). The equipment was developed within framework of the POLAR project, one of the projects run under the Swiss Contribution research programme.

Dr. Seyed Hassani Ghazizade Hashemi, Iranian Minister of Health with some accompanying officials paid a visit to NCBJ to discuss various aspects of mutual cooperation in nuclear medicine, in particular a contract to deliver 20 NCBJ-manufactured medical accelerators to Iran.

Professor Tieshan Wang, Director of Institute of Material and Radiation Physics at the Lanzhou University in China has visited Świerk as a NCBJ invited guest. Mr. Dariusz Szymański from Polish Ministry of Energy has also attended the meeting.

The T2K interantional collaboration has announced new results on neutrino/antineutrino sy­mmetry in neutrino oscillations. The discovery that neutrinos and antineutrinos behave differently should help to understand why matter is dominating in the Universe over antimatter. If laws of physics were identical for both matter and antimatter, the Universe would be filled up only with annihilation radiation. But that’s not the case as we are existing.

Agreement on prolongation of NCBJ-DESY (Deut­sches Elek­tronen Syn­ch­ro­tron) cooperation was recently signed in Hamburg by Dr. Krzysz­tof Ku­rek, NCBJ Director General. Polish delegation led by Prof. Ma­ciej Cho­row­ski, Director of National Centre for Research & Development (who represented also during that visit Polish Mi­ni­stry of Science and Higher Education) witnessed also the delivery of a next batch of elements manufactured in Poland as “in-kind” contribution to development of European Free Electron Laser (XFEL).