MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Rosatom has delivered a large batch of germanium-76 isotope to Germany for the joint international research collaboration LEGEND (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless ·· Decay), which studies the properties of neutrino, an elementary particle, TVEL Fuel Company (part of Rosatom) reported on Friday.
According to the report, scientists believe that registration of neutrinoless double beta decay of a nucleus will be a major discovery in modern physics and another significant step towards understanding the fundamental properties of matter.
"The LEGEND collaboration was established as a result of unification of two major international scientific projects - the European GERDA and the North-American Majorana - both experiments were searching for the double neutrinoless beta decay using detectors made of germanium-76, which had been produced by ECP (at the plant, the substance is enriched up to the required isotope purity in a cascade of gas centrifuges). The new project has been joined by other research groups that were engaged in similar experiments, the collaboration now comprises more than 50 research organizations around the world, including about 30 in Russia," the report said.
"For more than 10 years, Rosatom has been supplying stable isotopes for neutrino research projects, meanwhile the most recent contract was concluded following a competitive international tender. Once again, the Electrochemical Plant has perfectly fulfilled all the high requirements of our foreign customer. Within a very short timeframe, the plant manufactured a large batch weighing more than 20 kg", Rustam Rakhmatulin, Director General of Isotope JSC, said.
TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom is the world leader in stable isotope production with a global market share of 40%. The Electrochemical Plant in Zelenogorsk alone produces 107 stable isotopes of 21 chemical elements. At the same time, the enterprise is developing its unique competence in radioactive isotopes enrichment in gas centrifuges.