Science & technology development accelerators – are they going to appear also in Poland?

16 September 2012 National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ)

National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk celebrated its first anniversary with a guest lecture given by Professor Sergio Bertolucci, Scientific Director of CERN, the largest research centre of the world. The speaker pointed out significance of large research facilities for the development of science and technology, as well as for the advances of civilization.

National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk celebrated its first anniversary during a so-lemn session organized at the Warsaw University Physics Faculty premises in Warsaw. Professor Sergio Bertolucci, world-class nuclear physicist and CERN Scientific Director, has accepted NCBJ invitation and attended the event. His lecture was the main point of session agenda. He briefly out-lined recent scientific successes achieved in CERN, then discussed some topics related to large research facilities: their development, operation, and influence on development of science, techno-logy, and economy of the countries, in which they are operated.

No truly large research facility is as yet operated in Poland. The MARIA research reactor in Świerk is the sole in Poland currently operated facility of a comparable scale. The Cracow synchrotron is currently under construction. Meanwhile, impact of such facilities on advances in science & techno-logy, on integration of scientific community, on stimulation of national economy, and on education in countries in which they have been already operated for many years is unquestionable. Experience collected during operation of the largest research centres in the world, such as CERN in Switzerland, DESY & GSI in Germany, CEA Saclay in France, RAL in UK, Frascati in Italy, Fermilab in US, or Dubna in Russia unambiguously indicate natural directions of economic development of our country and its largest scientific institutions.

Outlining operations of the CERN European centre, Professor Bertolucci acknowledged Poland’s input into LHC accelerator constructional works and input of Polish scientists into discovery of the Higgs boson. He pointed out that large research infrastructures are indispensable in many coun-tries of the world. „There is a close relation between pure research and the pace at which techno-logy is advancing. Even if many countries are prone to limit expenditures for such research, that would be a strategic mistake” – pointed out Professor Bertolucci – „Knowledge is the most precious asset in our ever globalizing world. Large research facilities quickly prove to be the true accelera-tors of advancements in science and modern technology. They are producing tangible benefits for entire decades”.

As a matter of fact, some research facilities in CERN have been in operation for more than half of a century. Being constantly modernized, they enable successive generations of researchers (inclu-ding those coming from some smaller scientific institutions) to conduct unique experiments. The need to maintain and modernize those facilities necessitates constant technological progress and helps to better utilize potential of cooperating companies. Best university/technology students are trained in those centres, that way gaining an unique opportunity to access state-of-the art technolo-gies frequently developed specifically only for science. Large research facilities are excellent trai-ning grounds for engineers and technicians, which also has some practical beneficial consequen-ces.

Professor Bertolucci’s lecture was supplemented by a speech given by Professor Grzegorz Wrochna, NCBJ Director General. Professor Wrochna talked much about chances to develop large research infrastructures in Poland within the currently binding law regulations and organizational frames. „If the largest research institutions in Poland are to be efficiently operated, a suitable legal framework must be devised” said Professor Wrochna. As an example he pointed out lack of the „national laboratory” institution within the Polish law. „Only that way long-horizon projects and/or projects to create flexible, inter-disciplinary, multi-purpose research infrastructure capable to attract creative researchers from the country and from abroad might be effectively accomplished. That would be an optimal growth path for such large research institutions as NCBJ, which could result in a harmonious cooperation with universities, smaller research institutions, and national economy sector”, he pointed out.

NCBJ has been involved in R&D works on various large research facilities in the world for many years. New accelerating structures for CERN and subassemblies for the XFEL European free electron laser have been manufactured in Świerk. NCBJ has been conducting research for the ITER experimental thermonuclear reactor currently under development in France. The largest research facility in Poland is still the MARIA nuclear reactor designed and constructed by Polish physicists and engineers over 30 years ago and still used for many purposes, including production of radio pharmaceuticals and to train experts who in the nearest future will be responsible for accomplishing the program to develop the first nuclear power plant in Poland.

Development of large research facilities in Poland have been planned in Research Facilities Road Map worked out by Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The map lists 33 projects from var-ious science fields covering majority of scientific institutions in the country. The project to develop the POLFEL free electron laser in NCBJ Świerk is among those projects. Very short light pulses generated by the laser would enable tracking the dynamics of chemical reactions. The POLFEL laser would be the most modern Polish research facility and an integral part of the large European research infrastructure currently under development.

http://www.ncbj.gov.pl/node/1849