History of the Department

The Department was founded in 1970, and was conducted by the outstanding professor of nuclear geophysics, Prof. Jan A. Czubek (1935 – 1995). Professor Czubek focused the research of the Department on developing neutron methods for well geophysics. The Department has been equipped with 14 MeV pulsed neutron generator and the experimental set up for measuring a time decay of thermal neutron flux in bulk samples. On this basis a laboratory method for measuring the thermal neutron absorption cross section for rock samples (the so-called “Czubek's method”) was developed and implemented in the Department. This method supported the so-called semi-empirical calibration method of neutron borehole probes developed by Czubek.

In the years 1970-2000 the Department conducted extensive research in the field of thermal neutron transport physics in matter using analytical, numerical and experimental methods. We have developed, among others, a method of determining the time decay curve of thermal neutron flux in complex spherical and cylindrical geometry, a method of calculating corrections of the thermal neutrons velocity change resulting from the process of neutron escape outside the medium boundary, the use of the MCNP numerical code to model the time decay of the thermal neutron flux in complex geometry. Links to these studies can be found in the IFJ publications list.

In 1993, Prof. Czubek handed over the management of the Department to Prof. Jerzy Łoskiewicz (1929 – 2018). In 2000-2007, the head of the Department was Prof. Urszula Woźnicka and subsequently, in 2007-20018, Prof. Krzysztof Drozdowicz, and after his retirement, these duties are taken till now by Dr Wojciech Królas, Prof. IFJ.

Starting from 2006, the transformation of the Department, already known as Radiation Transport Physics Dept., towards thermonuclear fusion began. In 2007, the Department began research in the field of plasma neutron diagnostics as part of the EURATOM-Fusion Association. In 2010, the Department expanded its 14 MeV neutron generator laboratory with a Plasma-Focus device, allowing for a wide spectrum of experimental works based on its own research infrastructure. In 2013, the Laboratory was named after Professor Jan A. Czubek to commemorate Professor's contribution to the development of research using neutron sources at IFJ.

Currently, the Department has an established international scientific position, conducting research mainly in the field of thermonuclear fusion, participating in large international projects such as ITER, IFMIF-DONES, EUROfusion.

The Department still offers the opportunity to study the numerical modeling of nuclear geophysical well probes responses based on its own scientific knowledge.