EPS Historic Sites—Institute of Spectroscopy of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Institute of Spectroscopy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISAN), which is located in science city Troitsk, Moscow, was inaugurated as an Historic Site of the European Physical Society (EPS). The EPS President, Rüdiger Voss and the EPS Secretary General, David Lee attended the ceremony, which was held on June 20, 2018, at the 50th jubilee of the ISAN.
EPS unites physical societies of all European countries, as well as thousands of individual members. Its key purpose is to support scientists and assist development of physics across Europe and co-operation with all physical societies all over the world. Among its key activities are the sponsorship and organisation of major European conferences, awarding various prizes for the scientific achievements, support of young researchers and students, support of scientists from developing countries, etc. In 2010, on the initiative of the former EPS President Luisa Cifarelli a new distinction of the EPS was established—the EPS Historic Site, which recognises Research Institutes, Labs, or other locations across Europe, where pioneering developments in physics have been made or which served as a place for the key events in the life of physicists. There are currently 45 places designated as EPS Historic Sites including the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia (2013, an international cooperation).
“ISAN is the first wholly Russian research institute to be awarded with this distinction of the EPS”—as its President, Rüdiger Voss said in his short speech at the unveiling ceremony. The plaque reads: “This institute, thanks to the application of advanced optical and laser methods, including the spectroscopic ones, has become an internationally recognised landmark of Russian science for research across many fields of physics and astrophysics, chemistry, material sciences and life sciences. Glory and worldwide fame were brought to the institute by Sergey Mandelstam (theory of spectra of highly ionized atoms, analytical spectroscopy), Roman Personov (laser fluorescence line narrowing and hole burning in spectra of molecules), Vladimir Agranovich (theory of excitons, polaritons, and of resonant organic-inorganic nanostructures), and others. This is also the place where in a creative environment a team of talented young researchers inspired by Vladilen Letokhov made pioneering experiments on laser trapping and cooling of atoms, which paved the way to a whole bunch of new directions in physics, as well as on laser isotope separation using selected laser excitation of atoms and molecules, which finally led to the development of a new field of laser chemistry.”
Rüdiger Voss also announced that the EPS, jointly with the Russian Academy of Sciences has just launched a new prestigious EPS award—the Vladilen Letokhov medal for exceptional achievements in laser-matter interaction as a tribute towards recognition of the seminal contributions to modern physics of this Russian physicist. This medal will be accompanied by 5 thousand Euro monetary award and will be given every second year at a major European conference. The first time it will be awarded will be in April 2019 at the 13th European Conference on Atoms, Molecules, and Photons in Florence, Italy. At present, this is the only International award abroad bearing a name of the Russian scientist!
The unveiling of the EPS Historic Site plaque at ISAN was organised in the frame of the scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences devoted to the 50th jubilee of ISAN. More than 70 representatives from key research institutes in Physics, universities, and other research organisations from all over Russia and from abroad took part in this event.
