IFVD RAS

Within the framework of the project “Living Science”, which started in the TRV No. 15 (134) dated 07/30/2013, the deputy became our interlocutor. Director of the Institute of Physics of High Pressures of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dokt. physical. Sciences Valentin Ryzhov . Our correspondent Alexander Gapotchenko talked with him.

Over 90% of the substance of the universe is at pressure, turning 10 thousand atmospheres (10 kbar). In this regard, the importance of studying the properties of substances in a strongly compressed state is difficult to overestimate. Studies at high pressures allow you to obtain fundamental information about the properties of condensed media, model and study the processes occurring in the bowels of the Earth and planets, as well as create new materials with unique properties.

Experimental physics of high pressure operates with pressure from thousands to several million atm., With the equipment used, depending on the pressure range, can be conditionally divided into two groups. With moderately high pressure (up to 100 ÷ 200 KBAR), existing devices allow not only to study almost all the properties of the compressed state of the substance, but also to receive volumetric (the size of mm to cm) samples of high -pressure metastable phases, including substances characteristic of the internal areas of the Earth.

Vivid examples of high -pressure phases are diamond, cubic boron nitride, super -intense silica and a number of other materials. Research at super -high pressures from hundreds of thousands to million atm. They are carried out mainly using high -pressure chambers with diamond anvils. The maximum pressure and temperatures that are currently obtained on this equipment correspond to the conditions of the earth's core.

The micron dimensions of the studied samples do not prevent the use of the most modern experimental methods for studying substances in the megabar pressure range.

Modern trends in this area consist of more and wider use of powerful sources of synchrotron and neutron radiation. In the entire experimentally available pressure interval, research can be carried out in a wide area of ​​temperature: from supernarial (<1 k) to high (several thousand degrees). Note that the pressure of hundreds of thousands and million atm. The compression degree correspond to several times. The structure and properties of a substance with such compression can radically change: materials experience a series of structural transformations to more dense packages of atoms and electronic transitions such as dielectric-metal. A number of molecular substances under these conditions turn into covalent modifications, while in others there is a transformation into metal and superconducting phases. At high pressure and ultra -low temperatures, many substances experience quantum phase transitions with the formation of unusual superconducting and magnetic states. High pressures make it possible to synthesize new ultra -hard materials, including an interesting combination of mechanical and semiconductor or metal properties.

The Russian Academy of Sciences has a unique institution for world practice - the Institute of Physics of High Pressure of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IFVD RAS), in which research is conducted in almost all areas of physics of a compressed state of substance.

IFVD scientists occupy advanced positions in the world in a number of areas of high -pressure physics, including the synthesis and study of metastable phases, on the study of quantum phase transitions, and on the studies of the disordered (liquid and amorphous) state of substances under pressure.

Among the fundamental results obtained at the IFVD of the Russian Academy of Sciences in recent years and the contribution of the institute to large national projects, the following can be distinguished.

Creation and study of superconducting diamond. The results obtained allow us to consider superconducting diamond as one of the most promising materials for the electronics of the future.

In the field of synthesis of new structural and technological materials, it is necessary to note the creation of the compositional material Almaz-Med with record values ​​of thermal conductivity (> 900 W/MK); Obtaining super -hard glass ceramics consisting of an elementary boron, and the synthesis of nanocarbon materials with outstanding mechanical properties.

From the results of the geophysical and geochemical profile, it is necessary to highlight work on growing monocristals of coesite and poisvitis.

Synthesis under the pressure of higher hydrocarbons from a mixture of inorganic substances deserves special attention. This discovery gives good reason to hope for significant reserves of abiogenic oil in the bowels of the Earth.

As part of the study of the behavior of supercritical fluids, which are the basis of supercritical technologies widely used in the industry, a new “dynamic” line in the phase diagram, separating fluid and dense gas in the supercritical area, was opened. When this line is reached, shift waves in the liquids disappear at all frequencies.

The institute has conditions for conducting (with appropriate financing and availability) of applied research as part of national projects “Strategic Materials”, “Oil and Gas of Russia”, “Quality of Life”:

1) development of manufacturing technology using high pressures and small -scale production of parts of drilling and detachment tools from super -hard materials;

2) the development of technology of controlled gas extrusion of high pressure and small -scale production of various parts from brittle materials by gas extrusion;

3) the development of technologies for the synthesis of new diamond composite materials with unique thermal conductive, conducting and frictional properties for the needs of electronics and automotive industry;

4) the development of technologies for the synthesis of new composite materials based on cubic nitride of the boron, including with nanostructure, for their subsequent use in the tools and as parts of high -pressure chambers;

5) the development of technologies for the synthesis of super -paramagnetic nanoparticles based on metals carbids, which are encapsulated under pressure into carbon -based onion -like shells, which can be used as basic nano -sized platforms for numerous biomedical applications;

6) the organization of small -scale production of unique high -pressure devices; individual responsible elements of high -pressure equipment and vacuum equipment;

7) experimental modeling of the processes of abiogenic oil and gas synthesis under conditions corresponding to the upper mantle of the Earth, in order to develop recommendations for the search for new deposits of abiogenic origin;

8) the improvement of the technology for the manufacture of large-sized products of carbon-carbon composite materials and the production of special equipment parts for the needs of defense and aviation industry at a large press with a force of 50 thousand tons.

- Valentin Nikolaevich, what forces are such a vast research program performed?

- Now there are 199 people at the institute (there were 239 of them in 2007 - such is the tendency), of them, researchers - 62, including doctors - 13, candidates of sciences - 37. Oddly enough, by publications from 2007 to 2012 we hold on about the same level, and in terms of the employee - even grown up. The average impact factor of the magazines where our articles are published are quite high (in 2011, for example, 2.41, this is a lot, given that it is 3). We publish a traditional collection of scientific works annually. In 1989, we organized a school of young scientists in high -pressure and solid physics and have been holding a conference in Tuapse for 25 years. Many participants grew up not only at age, but also in scientific degrees, up to member scores and academicians, we support the level of high level, people willingly drive. We get grants for this purpose, so we even partially pay for trips. We also hold other conferences: in physics of a strongly compressed substance, etc.

The basic salary rate for the candidate, without different types of grants, is 17 thousand rubles. At the expense of the latter (at the institute, about 16-17 grants only RFFIFA every year) the average salary of a researcher-30 thousand. There are good students and young employees, go to internships abroad, but, unfortunately, they often leave science, since in oil, etc. They receive companies significantly more.

- How is the budget of the institute formed?

- The situation with financing at the institute, I think, is quite typical for the institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The formation and structure of the institute’s budget can be considered on the example of 2011. The basic budget that we receive from the Academy in 2011 amounted to 82 million rubles. Its main part goes to salaries, as well as utility bills and maintenance, minor repairs. Almost nothing is allocated to the purchase of scientific equipment in this budget. The basic budget is 65% of all the funds that we receive. In addition to them, 6.9 million rubles. We have a canopy, primarily on a large press, work on the manufacture of special equipment-we make carbon-carbon composites, from which parts for rocket and aviation equipment are produced.

5% of the budget is received from renting premises. Rent always takes place in the competition, these funds are tightly controlled. We can only spend them on maintaining the material base of the institute (repair, slightly equipment and allowances for maintenance personnel). RFFI and grants under the program “Scientific and Scientific and Pedagogical Personnel of Innovation Russia” are 15 million (12% of the entire budget), plus 16 million-programs of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, comprehensive programs of the departments. Programs are our salvation, because less than 50% of the funds goes to salaries, the rest for equipment. A considerable amount of large equipment, which we purchased over the past five years (only 77 million rubles, of which in 2011 by 29 million) - mainly due to such programs and grants. The guys from the Ministry of Medical Sciences say that in recent years, the financing of science has increased by 3 times, but if you look specifically, we will see that the main part went to the Kurchatov Center, Rusnano, Skolkovo. But it is well known that the effectiveness of investments in these structures is much lower than in the academy. And the level of research in the Russian Academy of Sciences is much higher than in most universities. In 2007, the salary employees of the Russian Academy of Sciences (up to ~ 30 thousand rubles) were noticeably increased, which allowed people to preserve. The Minister Livanov reproached the academy that, despite the increase in financing, the number of publications did not grow in terms of investments, but we can say with confidence that otherwise the number of publications would have fallen catastrophically. Financing still did not reach a level comparable to developed countries with which we are constantly compared. But these are the minimum necessary investments to support the existing science afloat. But in order to make a jump, to ensure the real growth of Russian science this is completely not enough.

- Despite difficult times, almost all institutions have been preserved. But are everyone able to work at the world level and have real prestige? Or is there any differentiation?

- A difficult question. It is difficult to deal with specific people, fire them. Of course, you need to somehow differentiate institutions. Now, as always, physicists are most active, apparently because they feel more confident. Our department, according to all criteria, is the strongest in the academy, and Russian physics, I think, is at the world level. If we have a salary of 100 thousand rubles, then we can not only gain, but also take people away, there will be a serious competition when hiring, which is practically not. This is an emergency measure, there is still time to grow a new generation of researchers, but it quickly leaves. There are capable guys, but they leave, and you need to fight large salaries abroad. This is the current situation ...

- Do I need publicity in scientific activity?

- Certainly! More precisely, the maximum openness and active attempts of popular explanation of the essence of scientific research and the results obtained. In addition, it is necessary to clearly formulate the role of fundamental science (about it in the first place) in modern society. Over the past 20 years, events have occurred that have fundamentally changed the situation in Russian science. In the country, applied science is almost completely destroyed, which was engaged in the introduction of fundamental results into practice. Now there has been a displacement of concepts, they began to look at fundamental science as a source of applied results, and this is wrong. Institutes of the Academy should not, figuratively speaking, the production of “iPhones”-in the scientific sense, it is still yesterday (if not the day before) the level of development of science, and the Academy should focus on what should be “the day after tomorrow”. This difference needs to be clarified. In the meantime, the Academy loses the "information war".

An experimental model of inorganic oil synthesis has been implemented. In a mixture of simple compounds of Caco3-Feo-H2O at a pressure of 30-50 KBAR and temperatures 1000-1200 ° C, which corresponds to the conditions of the upper mantle of the Earth, a mixture of hydrocarbons of alcanum, alkenic and arena homological rows (SN, C2N6, C2N4, C3N6, C4N40, C5N12, C5N12, C5N12, C5N12, C3N12 C6N14), similar in composition with natural hydrocarbon systems. It was established that the choice of initial substances does not significantly affect the reaction of hydrocarbons synthesis, and that slow cooling contributes to the synthesis of heavier hydrocarbons. The synthesis model is proposed, according to which, as a result of the reaction, methane is formed mainly, and its subsequent slow cooling leads to a synthesis of heavier hydrocarbons. This discovery gives good reason to hope for significant reserves of abiogenic oil in the bowels of the Earth.

- Is it necessary to propagate the scientific achievements and attractiveness of this sphere (for schoolchildren, students, generally for citizens who are not involved in this sphere)?

- Active popularization is absolutely necessary! People should, at least in general terms, imagine what science is, and what role it plays in modern society. About 15 years ago, being in America, I read in the information section of the university site about the results of a survey conducted in the States about the attitude of citizens to science. There I first heard that 30% of Americans believe that the sun revolves around the Earth (10 years later it turned out that our compatriots showed approximately the same results), however, 75% of respondents replied that they must be invested in science. This is the result of a well -thought -out propaganda of scientific achievements. It is enough to recall the remarkable popular science films devoted to the fundamental issues of astrophysics, physics of elementary particles, geophysics, stories that are filmed there, and which we can watch, for example, on the Culture channel. Hollywood plays a significant role (albeit at a primitive level). In the 60s, when I studied at school, science and popular films were also shot in the USSR, books were written that formed an interested, respectful attitude to science (“9 days of one year”, “Monday begins on Saturday”, etc.). Now, unfortunately, this is not.

-What does your institution do for popularization and are you ready to activate in this direction (if the Vector of the development of Troitsk as a scientific and educational center will not only be produced by the Moscow government, but will also receive some real continuation)?

- Unfortunately, we do not have a thoughtful program for popularizing science. Periodically, we conduct excursions for schoolchildren, talk about the institute and the work carried out in it, but this is not enough. In my opinion, centralized work is needed in this direction at the level of the Presidium of the Trinity Scientific Center.

— При отсутствии в стране адекватных публичных центров по «продвижению науки в массы» (уже нет даже Политехнического музея, хотя и он не справлялся в той мере, в которой это необходимо) видит ли себя ИФВД элементом этой большой системы пропаганды науки?

— Конечно, при наличии программы популяризации, о которой я упоминал, ИФВД примет посильное участие в ее реализации. Мы всегда откликаемся на просьбы провести экскурсии и рассказать об исследованиях в Институте школьникам и учителям.

— Что ИФВД мог бы показать широкой аудитории в рамках этакой «выставки достижений научного хозяйства»?

— Перечисление всего, что можно было бы показать, займет много времени. Я упомяну только наш Большой пресс, который всегда пользуется успехом и у наших, и у иностранных школьников (мы периодически проводим экскурсии и для немецких школьников, приезжающих по программам обмена).