Press Releases

Cosmic Ray Division in Armenia Secures International Grant and Contribution of Equipment from CERN

Hovhannes Vardanian
Cosmic Ray Division
Yerevan Physics Institute
2 Alikhanyan Brothers St.
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia 375036
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2002

The Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) in Armenia continues to conduct world class science on a shoe string budget. This research is conducted year round at CRD's Aragats and Nor Ambert solar and cosmic ray observatories atop Mt. Aragats at 10,500 ft. and 6500 ft. elevation respectively. CRD's accomplishments and the results of their research during the past year will be presented at the European Symposium on Cosmic Rays in Moscow, in July.

Prof. Chilingarian, the head of the Cosmic Ray Division, has been invited to Nagoya University in Japan this May to participate in a Space Weather workshop, where scientists from Russia, Armenia and Japan will discuss the possibilities of a joint space weather forecasting projects in conjunction with the launching of a fleet of satellites during the coming years.

This spring Prof. Chilingarian was awarded a grant to write a textbook on advanced statistical methods, describing many of the techniques used by CRD scientists to analyze cosmic ray data. This grant was awarded by the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC). The book is expected to be ready for publication in about a year and will be published in English.

NATO has also awarded a travel grant to the scientists of the Cosmic Ray Division to continue their ongoing research partnership with the Cosmic Ray Research Center in Karlsruhe, Germany. Armenia plays a major role at the research center in Karlsruhe.

Photo: Prof. Ashot Chilingarian and PhD student Nerses Grigorian pondering data from a recent solar flare.

In recognition of the vital and outstanding research CRD conducts in cosmic ray and high energy physics, CERN, the large Inter-European particle accelerator laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, donated $10,000 worth of electronic data acquisition equipment to the CRD. The equipment became available when CERN shut down its current accelerator operations to build another accelerator and upgrade their equipment. "During one of my visits to CERN I inquired about the CAMAC (Computer Automated Measurement and Control) equipment which would no longer be used at CERN", said Anahid Yeremian, a physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) who designed a large portion of the new particle accelerator currently under construction at CERN. When Yeremian asked if this equipment could be donated to the CRD, CERN agreed without hesitation, due to their familiarity with the outstanding research at the cosmic ray research stations on Mt. Aragats.

The United Armenia Fund (UAF) immediately agreed to transport the equipment from Koln, Germany to Armenia for free, and CERN generously agreed to ship the equipment to Koln. The cooperation between CERN, UAF, and the CRD resulted in the acquisition of much needed equipment by the CRD. The data acquisition equipment is currently being installed at CRD's research stations on Mt. Aragats. Also, Mr. Murad Meneshian of Illinois contributed a substantial amount of Laboratory equipment to the CRD via the same UAF flight which originated in New York.

The Cosmic Ray Division extends its heartfelt gratitude to CERN, the UAF and Mr. Murad Meneshian for this important contribution to CRD's research efforts. The CRD, also wishes to expresses its gratitude to the Diaspora Armenian community for its continuing support of Armenia's Cosmic Ray Division.