Nuclear reactions in the domain of YSU researchers’ studies

Anahit Balabekyan's articles on nuclear reaction investigations were published in various prestigious journals. The co-authored article "Investigation of photonuclear reactions on isotopes 51V, natCu, natMo, 115In and 207Pb at photon energy Eγmax= 20–70 MeV" was published in the international Q2 ranking scientific journal "Radiation Physics and Chemistry" in 2023.

"The study of nuclear reactions at the charged particles, neutrons and photons provides information on the structure and properties of atomic nuclei. Photonuclear reactions are the most attractive for obtaining information about the structure of the nucleus since, due to their electromagnetic nature, they do not affect the structure of the nucleus. Astrophysical nucleosynthesis, verification and clarification of theoretical models mainly depend on experimental results of interactions with nuclei," told Anahit Balabekyan.

In the research work, photonuclear reactions on a number of nuclei were studied. A. Balabekyan mentioned that they had several enriched targets, as well as some natural targets, on the basis of which they studied photon-induced nuclear reactions.

"In particular, the study of the production of alpha particles (particles the nucleus of which consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons) is the main task of the research. In nuclear physics, there is no general theory that explains everything that happens in the nucleus of an atom, hence our work is relevant and significant. The more experimental data is available, the more it will help us to understand the structure of the nuclei and how these interactions between them occur. Our research is aimed at finding out by what mechanism the processes take place in the given energy domain, what is the structure of these nuclei and how they are formed," noted the professor.

Thanks to the research work, specialists have provided clear information about the mechanisms of alpha particles production, enriching the databases used by all scientists of the world with the obtained data.

"We have faced many difficulties. To get a good result, it is desirable to define targets, plan the scientific experiment, find the gaps about which one may conduct research and record results. Often conducting research is conditioned by the acquisition of necessary equipment, but we still find alternative ways to conduct research," said A. Balabekyan, adding that similar photon-induced reactions are currently being researched at the Chair of Nuclear Physics.

The reactions are studied in tin-enriched targets with masses ranging from 112 to 124 to study the reaction cutoffs depending on the structure of the target.

The head of the chair emphasized that YSU has a wide range of opportunities to establish international relations, which will contribute to quality improvement in education, as well as the internationalization of the university. In her opinion, inclusion in the international Q2 ranking scientific journal is an opportunity to be recognized by the scientific community and receive new proposals.

It should be noted that Anahit Balabekyan studied nuclear reactions and interactions at different energies throughout her scientific activity. In addition to continuing her scientific activities, she has a desire to create a high-ranking prestigious periodical in Armenia, where not only Armenian scientists, but also international researchers would like to publish their articles.