European Organization for Nuclear Research asks 500 Russian scientists to leave
[ad_1]
Almost 500 Russian scientists are due to complete their work at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) by November. The organization’s member countries made a fundamental decision about this against the backdrop of the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, but yesterday CERN for the first time announced the number of scientists who will have to leave European laboratories. A Russian researcher who collaborated with CERN told Kommersant that he and his colleagues are still not clear whether they will be able to use the data obtained during joint experiments. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation states that refusal to cooperate will harm not only Russian but also world science.
On Tuesday, CERN representative Arnaud Marsollier said that approximately 500 specialists affiliated with Russian scientific organizations are currently involved in research at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). They are obliged to cease cooperation with CERN by November 2024. Mr. Marsollier clarified that the work of these scientists will be continued by researchers from other countries and that Russian specialists are already transferring cases to them. The press service of the Kommersant organization confirmed this information, but did not answer the question about the exact number of Russian scientists working at the LHC.
CERN is the world’s largest high-energy physics laboratory, located on the border of Switzerland and France, near Geneva. It is known to non-specialists thanks to the Large Hadron Collider, a charged particle accelerator. With its help, physicists were able to prove the existence of the Higgs boson and made a number of other fundamental discoveries. About 2.5 thousand people constantly work at CERN, and another 13.5 thousand scientists from 77 countries participate in international experiments. Until 2022, about 1 thousand Russian researchers came to CERN annually; approximately another 200 people with Russian citizenship constantly worked in the laboratory.
On March 8, 2022, CERN condemned the entry of Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine and stopped cooperation with scientific organizations of the Russian Federation. CERN also deprived Russia of observer status for an indefinite period, adding that it was ready to “take any action” depending on the development of the situation. At the end of 2023, the member countries of the CERN Council voted to deprive Russia of the organization’s partner status and terminate the work of Russian scientists at the LHC. At the same time, it was reported that the decision would come into force only in November 2024, after the end of the five-year agreement between CERN and the Russian Federation.
Kommersant spoke with HSE professor Fedor Ratnikov, a participant in the LHCb experiment at CERN. According to him, the current situation is similar to “a divorce of spouses who have to divide property.” The scientist is concerned about the fate of the huge amount of scientific data that was obtained during joint experiments; he is not sure that Russian researchers will continue to be able to access them after November 2024. “Most likely, access to them will simply be closed to Russian specialists,” suggests Mr. Ratnikov, considering this outcome unfair. “We need some serious agreements at the level of the Ministry of Education and Science and CERN. There are many options, but at the moment there is no talk about it,” the scientist complains. He believes that the Russian side “has taken the position of an observer and is not very serious about ending cooperation.” Fedor Ratnikov notes that after the termination of cooperation with CERN, Russian scientists will be able to continue similar research at installations in Russia, China or Japan, “but it is important to maintain access to the data already obtained at the LHC for the development of fundamental science.”
Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky told Kommersant that refusal to cooperate with Russian scientists “does not bring anything good for either world or Russian science.” “This has been a long time coming, but the CERN team had a chance to preserve the existing collaborations until the last,” Mr. Mogilevsky is confident. “Unfortunately, colleagues, obviously under pressure from the political leadership of the West, refused to work together in the interests of all humanity and made a choice in favor of politicization scientific cooperation”. The deputy minister told Kommersant that the Russian side does not intend to respond symmetrically: “In Russia, new world-class scientific infrastructure facilities are operating and are being rapidly created, at which Russian scientists will continue their research and which were, are and will be open to international collaborations.” The head of the Ministry of Education and Science Valery Falkov responded to CERN’s statements by inviting Russian scientists to work at the new synchrotron “Siberian Ring Photon Source,” which is due to open in 2024 near Novosibirsk. The minister also said that Russia is now actively creating MegaScience class installations, “which have no analogues in the world.”
The press service of NUST MISIS reported that about twenty of their scientists will continue to work at CERN until November 1, 2024. “Another eight graduate students will most likely be able to continue their research at CERN further until the end of their studies. This option is being discussed,” the university added. Deputy Director of the Center for Infrastructure Interaction and Partnership MegaScience of NUST MISIS Yulia Krasilnikova called work at CERN “an excellent opportunity to quickly test scientific hypotheses and solutions while receiving feedback from colleagues.” She believes that the ban could affect the quality of research by Russian scientists working in the field of particle physics or creating materials and engineering solutions for large installations. “CERN, however, will also lose qualified researchers of the highest level, which are Russian scientists, many of whom have been collaborating with the organization for decades,” she adds. Nevertheless, Ms. Krasilnikova adds that most of the MISIS team is busy developing new materials, technologies, and engineering solutions for large installations in general, “and this area is also in demand for MegaScience class installations being built in Russia,” so researchers will continue to be able to effectively continue their work .
[ad_2]
Source link
