MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. The sixth block of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant might become a venue for a number of experiments for the study of one of the most difficult particles to register — the neutrino, says Rosatom’s electric power division, Rosenergoatom, citing specialists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia’s Dubna.

Research into neutrino properties is of high interest for fundamental physics, as it will provide insight into the design of the Universe. Besides, research of the neutrino is important for nuclear physics. In the future, these particles might become useful for remote monitoring of nuclear reactors’ operation.

"During our research we have discovered that one of the [NPP’s] rooms has very favorable conditions of low background for neutrino properties research, one of the best conditions in the world. The materials that the reactor is built of provide good protection from the space radiation. We have discovered no effect of the nuclear reactor on the radiation level. The space muon flow is seven times lower that on the surface, the flow of thermal neutrons is 33 times lower, and the flow of fast neutrons is 25 times lower than in a normal laboratory room outside the plant," says Alexei Lubashevsky, senior researcher from the Dubna Institute.

A group of scientists from Dubna, together with nuclear security and reliability officers of the Novovoronezh NPP measured background conditions in the plant’s sixth block for one month. The conducted measurements will help the Institute’s physicists in the development of a special research installation. The final decision will be made following scrupulous analysis of all received data, the Rosenergoatom press service said.

"Joint work of Novovoronezh nuclear staff and Dubna physicists will be useful in training highly qualified workers, for both Russian nuclear science and applied physics. We plan to involve our colleagues from Voronezh State University in this work," says Novovoronezh NPP nuclear security and reliability division head Evgeny Golubev.