Institute of Applied Physics of Federal State Budgetary Institution IPG

History

1956

The Federal State Budgetary Institution institute of applied geophysics of Academy of Sciences (IPG) was formed in 1956. The famous polar explorer-papaninets Evgeny Konstantinovich Fedorov was his organizer.

At that time at the top level the decision on the organization of measures for the purpose of providing closer interaction of basic and application studies was made. The task of creation of a monitoring system of pollution of geophysical environments - the Earth's surface, the atmosphere and the near-earth space (NES) - radioactive products was assigned to Institute when carrying out nuclear tests.

The structure of Institute was generally completed from the young specialists who graduated from MSU, MEPhI, MGRI, TGU. They for the first time developed gamma and spectrometer methods by determination of structure a gamma of radiators of natural and artificial origin for carrying out land, plane and satellite observations. Hardware developments: scintillation radiation detectors, electronic registrars and analyzers of amplitude spectrums, were used in forwarding conditions.

These methods found broad application at the solution of important practical tasks:

• snow-measuring shooting necessary for the hydrological forecast;
• control of radioactive pollution of territories emissions of industrial enterprises (including the Ural trace from abnormal emission on software Beacon in 1957);
• research of effects of global losses after large explosions;
• control of a radiation situation in space.

The efficiency of the developed methods once again was confirmed when working on recovery from the accident on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. Then forces of staff of IPG and other organizations of Goskomgidromet under the leadership of the academician Yu.A. Izrael in a short space of time received cards and other characteristics of radioactive pollution which were used by the country leaders for problem solving of protection of the population.

Condition monitoring of the upper atmosphere and OKP allowed to receive important results. Pioneer researches of density and structure of the upper atmosphere of Earth on rockets and the third artificial Earth satellite were executed. It was established that, unlike former representations, molecular nitrogen remains a principal component of the neutral atmosphere up to the heights of 180-200 km, atomic oxygen begins to dominate above, and hydrogen and atomic nitrogen remain small impurity up to the heights about 1000 km. Ions of meteoric origin were for the first time detected. For these researches in 1960 the Lenin award to group of scientists and designers as a part of which also the staff of IPG - V.G. Istomin, B.A. Mirtov, V.V. Mikhnevich, T.N. Nazarova beat is awarded.

Monitoring of radioactive pollution showed that at nuclear weapons tests there is a global pollution of Earth in the atmosphere, water and space, and it can make negative impact on health of mankind.

By this time Academy of Sciences of the USSR (IPG, IFZ) together with the Ministry of Defence developed a national control system of nuclear explosions on seismic radio - and to radiation radiations. It allowed to conduct negotiations on nuclear test ban surely.

1959-1965

In 1963 negotiations were completed, and the Memorandum of the termination of tests in three environments was accepted.

In 1959-1965 the cycle of researches of characteristics of penetrating radiations in near-earth space on rockets and satellites of the Space series from natural and artificial sources of radiation as premises for development of control methods of observance of international agreements about the termination of nuclear tests is carried out.

In 1963 the first experiment on radiation ensuring the piloted space flights is performed.

1969

Since 1969 regular observations of flows of penetrating radiations on the artificial satellite of the Meteor series, studying of solar and galactic cosmic rays, radiation belts of Earth began. Registration on the gamma radiation of test nuclear explosions of China and France.

In April, 1963 the Institute of applied geophysics together with branch in Obninsk was transferred to Head department of the Hydrometeorological service at CM of the USSR. Since this period of IPG began to investigate opportunities active impacts on meteorological processes, in particular impact on clouds for the purpose of calling of additional rainfall. The made experiments showed a possibility of active impact on the meteorological phenomena, For these works in 1967 the institute was awarded the order the Labour Red Banner.

The 1970-90th years

In 1973 there was a Government decree about creation at Institute ionospheric and magnetic and radiation space services. From this point IPG performs regular ensuring space flights, including the Soviet-American project "Union Apollo" (1975), long flights on the Mir station; permanent consumer service (departments and the organizations) operational information and forecasts of "space weather" for solving of tasks of a radio communication, navigation, management of operation of the space equipment. An important link of this work is the international data exchange of observations.

In 70-90 years the research of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of the polar region using the MR-12 meteorockets and lidars of high-rise sounding was one of the directions of works of Institute. Works were performed on the island of Heysa (Franz Josef Land), over 100 rocket experiments which allowed to obtain unique information on influence of solar and magnetospheric activity on a status of an upper atmosphere were made. For the first time, the method of laser probing of mezosferny sodium revealed effects of passing at the heights of 80-100 km of internal gravitational waves and also characteristics of high-rise distribution of stratospheric aerosol in the Central Arctic are received.

The institute developed and for the first time implemented lidars of high-rise sounding on research vessels.

For the purpose of working off of technologies and methodology of lidarny sounding of the atmosphere from space of IPG together with the National center of scientific research of France in 1985-1995 developed and made a space lidar Alice for carrying out researches of a system Earth atmosphere from a board of the piloted Mir station

Despite difficulties of the 90th years, Institute continues to live and work, saving the main directions and style put by E.K. Fedorov.

At Institute and the scientific organizations created with its participation grew and members of Academy of Sciences, dozens of doctors and candidates of science, talented engineers and designers work. Fourteen employees of Institute in different years are mentioned by the State awards. This is Yu.A. Izrael, V.N. Petrov, G.I. Golyshev, SI. Avdyushin, R.M. Kogan, E.N. Teverovsky, I.K. Dibobes, I.M. Nazarov, Sh.D. Friedman, L.I. Boltneva, GA Kirdin, M.V. Artyomov.

Characteristic of "fedorovsky" style of the organization of scientific research - deployment by their wide front. The new directions of works arising at the same time after their strengthening formed in independent scientific institutes. Left a subsoil of IPG and seven such collectives continue to work successfully. It is Mountain geophysical institute in Kabardino-Balkaria, the whole bush of scientific institutions in Obninsk - Institute of experimental meteorology (nowadays NPO Tayfun), CDB GMP, VNIIGMI-MTsD, VNIISHM. At last, after E.K. Fedorov's death two more institutes of IGKE (director Yu.A. Izrael) and GIPE (director E.S. Dmitriyev) connected with the solution of environmental problems were formed.

In 1982 the name of the academician E.K. Fedorov was appropriated to Institute.