I. General considerations

1. The Scientific Council takes note of the information presented by the Director of JINR about the decisions taken by the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiaries at its March 2000 meeting, in particular:

-of the approval of the JINR Directorate's activity on implementing the reform programme of the Institute;

-of the approval of the Topical Plan of Research and International Co-operation for 2000 and the "JINR Scientific Programme for the years 2000-2002" based on the recommendations of this Council and of the PACs;

-of the naming of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems after Professor V. Dzhelepov.

The Scientific Council also regretfully notes the amendment to the list of JINR's first-priority activities made by the CP upon the JINR Directorate's proposal concerning the project IREN: "construction of IREN, with a realistic schedule and an agreed financial envelope, with a view to completion of its first stage in 2002", that is the IREN facility as a whole without one clystron.

2.  The Scientific Council highly appreciates the steps taken so far by the JINR Directorate within the reform programme in the areas of basic facilities, infrastructure, and personnel policy.

At this session it was informed about the Directorate's first proposals of reforms in At this session it was informed about the Directorate's first proposals of reforms in the area of scientific research:

• To preserve the research in nuclear physics with neutrons - fundamental and applied - at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP).

To conduct the research, the facility IBR-30 will be used (before its dismounting) and a new source of resonance neutrons IREN which is under construction at the time.

• To establish a Division of Condensed Matter Physics (DCMP) as the head scientific unit for condensed matter physics research.

To include into the Division scientific departments on the topic in order to conduct condensed matter research using various physics methods. For the research in this field the facility IBR-2 will be used.

The main tasks of DCMP in the near future are the activities on the IBR-2 modernization, the development and improvement of spectrometers at IBR-2.

• To preserve the units for the facilities IBR-2 and IBR-30 and departments and services connected with them, which must afford technically the modernization of IBR-2 and the development of the IREN installation, as well as the exploitation of the existing neutron sources until their dismounting for reconstruction.

These units equally afford technical support of the implementation of orders from scientific departments of FLNP and DCMP, concerned with constructive, electrotechnical and other activities.

• To reorganize the Laboratory of Computing Techniques and Automation (LCTA) into the Laboratory of Information Technologies (LIT).

The main LIT tasks will be the maintenance of operation and the development of the computing and networking infrastructure.

• Directors of Laboratories, Directors of Divisions and their Deputies will be elected by the Scientific Council.

3.  The Scientific Council took note of these proposals and discussed them in detail. While there was agreement on the proposed restructuring of LCTA into LIT, no conclusion was reached on the desirability of splitting FLNP into two units, either two laboratories, or else into a laboratory and a division. It was noted that a division, as opposed to a laboratory, still needs to be defined. The Scientific Council expects such clarifications, as well as a report on the future structures and activities at the January 2001 session.

4.  Concerning LIT, the Scientific Council would like to hear a detailed report on the future activity and structure of this new laboratory created on the basis of LCTA.

II. Recommendations concerning basic facilities

1.  The Scientific Council takes note of the report "Status of development of the JINR basic facilities development" presented by JINR Chief Engineer I. Meshkov.

The Scientific Council highly appreciates the stable operation of the basic facilities according to schedule in 2000 and their further development.

2.  The Scientific Council notes the successful run on 17 March 2000 of the Nuclotron when the deuteron beam was obtained. The Scientific Council looks forward to the development of the Nuclotron to the stage of a routinely operationable accelerator for the use in a wide range of studies.

3.  The Scientific Council expresses its satisfaction with the progress in the IBR-2 refurbishment, DRIBs project and IREN project realization and encourages the JINR Directorate to keep its attention on the projects' schedule fulfilment.

4.  The Scientific Council is satisfied with the JINR Directorate's decision to fund the basic facilities' exploitation and development on the basis of the Directorate's grants.

5.  The Scientific Council asks the JINR Directorate to present for consideration at the 89th session consideration a detailed proposal for the DELSY project after its scrutiny by the appointed "Committee of Three".

III. Recommendations for ongoing research programmes

The Scientific Council takes note of the report by LHE Director A. Malakhov reviewing the programme of the research planned for the extracted beam of the Nuclotron facility.

The Scientific Council congratulates the Directorates of JINR and LHE, as well as the staff of the Laboratory of High Energies, on the successful accomplishment of this important milestone in developing the LHE accelerator complex in achievements of slow beam extraction from the Nuclotron and successful extract of the deuteron beam from the Nuclotron to the experimental physics set-ups.

The Scientific Council recommends to continue the first experiments, using the Nuclotron extracted beam, including the projects STRELA and SCAN-2, and also approves the research programme with the extracted beam of the Nuclotron on the set-ups: SPHERE, DISC, MARUSYA, GIBS, FAZA, DELTA, DELTA-SIGMA, SMS MSU, and MRS.

The Scientific Council recommends to continue the concentration of the resources for further improvement of the beam quality of the Nuclotron.

IV. Recommendations in connection with the PACs

The Scientific Council takes note of and concurs with the recommendations made by the PACs at their April 2000 meetings and presented by their Chairpersons.

Particle Physics Issues

The Scientific Council highly appreciates a great accomplishment of the Laboratory of High Energies in achieving slow beam extraction from the Nuclotron to the experimental hall for the physics set-ups. The PAC approves the research programme to be implemented at the Nuclotron extracted beam.

The Scientific Council agrees with the PAC for Particle Physics evaluation of the DIRAC experiment as of high scientific significance, as well as the determining contribution to its implementation made by JINR.

The Scientific Council notes with satisfaction that with an active participation of LPP physicists a new result, having a fundamental meaning for the development of particle physics, has been obtained in the NA48 experiment at CERN: the parameter of direct CP-violation was measured in the neutral kaon decays with high precision Re (e ’/e )=(14.0± 4.3)· 10^-4.

The Scientific Council supports the PAC for Particle Physics recommendation to extend first-priority themes for a term of not more than three years and considers this practice expedient from the point of view of the improvement of the scientific research planning at JINR.

Nuclear Physics Issues

The Scientific Council appreciates the progress of the DRIBs project, specifically the successful completion of R&D for Phase 1 of the project. In view of the fast progress of the upcoming ISOL facilities, the Scientific Council counts that Phase 1 of the DRIBs project should come into operation as soon as possible and, therefore, be financed with highest priority, according to the schedule appointed by the Scientific Council.

The Scientific Council notes with satisfaction that some success in the development of the IREN project was achieved due to the financing efforts of the Directorate. Also, satisfactory results of testing the accelerator system LUE-200 have been obtained.

The Scientific Council stresses again the necessity of a sufficient funding of the project, appropriate to its timely implementation, following the schedule approved by the Scientific Council at its 87th session and by the JINR Directorate.

The Scientific Council appreciates the DLNP efforts to unite activities in order to optimize the support of the Phasotron improvement and instrumentation for the research programme at DLNP, and encourages further steps in that direction.

Condensed Matter Physics Issues

The Scientific Council supports the JINR and FLNP Directorates in the activity for the refurbishment programme of the IBR-2 reactor and is satisfied with the agreement between JINR and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy on the financing of the IBR-2 reactor refurbishment.

Nevertheless, the Scientific Council expresses its concern about the extremely high financial load for JINR foreseen for the refurbishment in 2000-2001.

The Scientific Council strongly supports the first part of the instrumentation programme on the new cold source of the IBR-2 reactor as recommended by the PAC for Condensed Matter Physics. The new instrumentation on the cold source will give a leading role in the neutron scattering. In order to fulfil this programme, a cryogenic liquefier is mandatory and multidetectors, as well as neutron guides have to be developed. The Scientific Council supports mutual efforts of the FLNP and JINR Directorates to satisfy these requests.

V. Memberships of the PACs

1.  Upon proposal by the JINR Directorate, the Scientific Council re-appoints the following Chairpersons of the PACs for a term of one year:

Ch. Briancon - PAC for Nuclear Physics

S. Dubnicka - PAC for Particle Physics

H. Lauter - PAC for Condensed Matter Physics.

2.  Upon proposal by the JINR Directorate, the Scientific Council appoints the following new members of the PACs:

PAC for Nuclear Physics

H. Borner (ILL, Grenoble, France)

N. Rowley (IReS, Strasbourg, France)

PAC for Particle Physics

H. Gutbrod (Subatech, Nantes, France).

PAC for Condensed Matter Physics

D. Nagy (KFKI, Budapest, Hungary)

VI. 30th anniversary of the journal "Physics of Particles and Nuclei"

Concerning the report of the Editor-in-Chief of the journal "Physics of Particles and Nuclei" A. Baldin, presented by P. Isaev, the Scientific Council notes:

1.  For thirty years the Editorial Board of the journal "Physics of Particles and Nuclei" has been maintaining a high quality of Russian and English publications, their scientific claim and importance, an appropriate selection of authors of highest qualification from both the JINR Member States and many leading centres world wide.

2.  The Editorial Board has widened the initial scope of topics by including reviews in the rapidly developing field of relativistic nuclear physics, as well as owing to a number of new trends in atomic energy, physics of condensed matter and biophysics, informatics and technical problems of physical experiments.

3.  The transformation of the journal "JINR Rapid Communications" into "Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters" will contribute to the coordination of the activities of both Editorial Boards in developing JINR's scientific policy.

4.  It should be noted that the JINR Directorate has provided an important and urgent support to the Editorial Board of the journal "Physics of Particles and Nuclei" in the introduction of computer techniques in its work and the creation of the online version of the journals "Physics of Particles and Nuclei" and "Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters" in the Russian language.

5.  The Scientific Council recommends to include the journals "Physics of Particles and Nuclei" and "Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters" into the Science Citation Index (Institute of Scientific Information, USA) list.

6.  The Scientific Council is grateful to all the members of the Editorial Board for their fruitful work in publishing the journal "Physics of Particles and Nuclei".

VII. Scientific reports

The Scientific Council has followed with interest the scientific reports:

-  "Polarized nucleon strangeness" presented by M. Sapozhnikov,

-  "Search for physics beyond the Standard Model in semi-leptonic processes at low

energy" presented by V. Egorov,

and thanks the speakers.

VIII. Nominations

1.  The Scientific Council elected by ballot:

I. Puzynin as Director of the Laboratory of Information Technologies (LIT),

V. Ivanov, V. Korenkov and A. Polanski as Deputy Directors of LIT

for a term not later than January 2003.

2.  According to the Regulation in force, the Scientific Council announces the following vacancies:

-  Deputy Director of the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics,

-  Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Particle Physics.

The election to these positions shall be held at the 89th session of the Scientific Council in January 2001.

IX. 40 years of research at pulsed reactors

The Scientific Council followed with interest the reports presented at the seminar to mark the 40th anniversary of JINR's research using pulsed reactors.

The Scientific Council is pleased to note that, since the commissioning of the first research reactor in 1960 under the guidance of Professor D. Blokhintsev, JINR has accomplished an impressive programme of neutron-aided research and has acquired a leading position in this field.

The Scientific Council congratulates the staff of the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics on this occasion and wishes it further successful activity.

Equipped today with the IBR-2 reactor, a powerful source of neutrons with unique parameters, JINR has all the prerequisites for preserving and developing in future its scientific traditions in nuclear physics with neutrons and condensed matter physics. The Scientific Council reiterates its standing recommendation about adequate funding, including refurbishment, of the reactor and its instrumentation to ensure its continuing operation.

X. Next session of the Scientific Council

The 89th session of the Scientific Council will be held on 18-19 January 2001.

V. Kadyshevsky
Chairman of the JINR Scientific Council

©  Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Dubna, 2000