The National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI” has held an International conference “Ion-Surface Interactions”. In this regard, a correspondent of RIA Novosti Yulia Osipova conducted an interview with the head of a Department “Plasma physics”, an Acting head of a Center of Plasma and Laser Investigations and Technologies Valery Kurnaev.
– Valery Aleksandrovich, the conference on ion-surface interaction was held for the 22nd time and it always gathers the world's luminaries in this field. Could you tell us in brief why scientists are so keen on the interaction of ions with the surface?
– The whole world is made of atoms, and atoms – from nucleus and electrons. If to heat atoms, electrons come off and we will have separate ions with a positive charge and separate electrons. If there are a lot of them, plasma is created, which is quasineutral. Plasma physics is occupied with such a state of matter, when matter exists in the form of ions and electrons.
The sun is our natural fusion reactor which consists of plasma. Lightning is plasma too. Plasma is burning in lampas. We have plasma TV screens in our apartments. The use of plasma is enormous and productive. Modern industry gladly switches to plasma and laser technologies.
The effect of plasma’s influence on the surface is mainly linked to ions’ influence. These ions are accelerated, and when they land on the surface of solids (metals, semiconductors, dielectrics), they produce all sorts of effects, including effects that are extremely in demand of civilization. So, it is possible to obtain coatings with high hardness, very low friction or other very useful properties.
– What is a Center of Plasma and Laser Investigations and Technologies?
– This Center was formed a year ago when several Departments merged in one Center: physics of lasers, plasma, laser micro and nanotechnology, semiconductor quantum electronics, solid state physics and physics of nanosystems, as well as a number of laboratories on these subjects. It is cooperation of strong research teams and units within one Centre, which allows to share an experimental base.
– In your opinion, what will employees of the Center do in 5-10 years?
– We will continue to solve the problem of controlled thermonuclear reactor that will eventually get clean and inexhaustible source of energy, an eternal dream of mankind. When constructed international reactor will demonstrate us that technology of controlled thermonuclear fusion can be practically and safely implemented on the Earth, we will built a reactor of the next generation DEMO and a commercial fusion power plant. This subject is now in demand all over the world; it suffices to say that it involves countries representing the majority of planet’s population, and Russian scientists and engineers is on one of the leading positions.
Another example is high-temperature superconductivity. Scientists and graduates of the Centre will continue the work that will lead to a real revolution in industry and economy: instead of high-voltage transmission lines, that spend a lot of energy for its transportation, we will use superconductors, which do not consume a lot of energy and save huge amounts of money.
Humanity is wrestling with a problem of improvement of a car, which doesn’t pollute the atmosphere – an electric car with a hydrogen engine. Today we solve a problem of creating energy-intensive battery. A car that goes 350 miles on a single charge has already been announced. The problem is that you need to build stations, where such cars will be recharged, but not for many hours as now, but much faster. So it raises a problem of energy-intensive autonomous power sources and supercapacitors.
I'm not even talking about the medical field of laser technology. The Center is developing methods of laser treatment of psoriasis, a non-contact method of analysis of blood sugar level in diabetes, dentistry, ophthalmology, etc.
Everything that I listed makes human life more comfortable and less costly that to ensure its high level.
Read more on RIA Novosti website (in Russian)
