Welcome to the Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (TRINITI), renowned world-wide for its successful research activities in the fields of controlled thermonuclear fusion, plasma physics, laser physics and engineering, and pulsed power sources based on MHD-generators.
    The Institute dates back to 1956 when, on the initiative of Academician A.P.Alexandrov, the Magnetic Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences was founded.
    In 1961 the Laboratory became a subdivision and later a division of the I.V.Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. Since 1971 it has been a Branch of the I.V.Kurchatov Institute headed by Academician E.P.Velikhov up to 1978. From 1978 to 2003 it was run by V.D.Pis'menny, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1991 the Branch of the I.V.Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy was renamed the Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (TRINITI).
    In 1994 the Institute was given a status of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation that was confirmed in 1997, 2000 and 2002. At present, Professor V.E.Cherkovets is Director of the SRC RF TRINITI.
    The results of the Institute research activity are characterized by a high level of novelty, urgency and a wide scope of application:
    -  first, they are of fundamental importance for such areas as plasma, solid state and semiconductor physics, studies of materials subjected to irradiation of high density energies, gas discharge physics, energy conversion, etc.,
    -  second, they find their application in the development of thermonuclear reactors, techniques and devices for diagnostics of solids and high-temperature plasma, X-ray sources, various types of lasers, plasma accelerators, new technological processes using plasma fluxes and laser radiation, materials with improved properties, autonomous power supplies and, finally, in the prospecting of mineral resources and creation of systems for their monitoring, etc.
    Notable research efforts are made in he investigations into Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion (CTF), promising to achieve a thermonuclear reaction of light elements (deuterium and tritium) in the mode of controlled power release. The investigations are being conducted on the unique experimental facilities comprising the "Angara 5-1" facility (the largest facility in Europe and Asia intended to solve scientific and applied problems within the programs of using techniques for generating super high electric power pulses) and the thermonuclear complex "SFT" (Strong Field Tokamak). On the "T-11M" facility, being a part of this complex, the physical processes proceeding in the experimental thermonuclear reactor are under study.
    Two approaches to accomplishing a controlled reaction of thermonuclear fuel burning are considered:
    - "quiet" stationary and quasi-stationary fuel burning in stable magnetic systems which isolate a hot fuel plasma of a relatively low density from the reactor walls (i.e. systems with magnetic plasma confinement);
    - subsequent microexplosions of dense thermonuclear targets irradiated by high power laser or particle (electron or ion) beams, or target compression with pulsed magnetic field, as well as plasma heat up and confinement with super-high pulsed currents (inertial plasma confinement).
    On conducting experiments within CTF program a spectrometer of fast neutrons on the basis of a diamond detector has been designed and created, that enabled, for the first time, the energy distribution spectrum and the anisotropy of neutron radiation spectra of high temperature D-T tokamak plasma to be measured; besides radiation resistant techniques for measuring flows and ionization dozes have been also developed.
    The next major research effort in the CTF program deals with the dynamics of a high temperature pulsed plasma. Some new methods have been developed to reinforce materials (e.g., to reduce surface layer microscopic roughness and friction coefficient, to increase corrosion resistance in aggressive media, etc.), accompanied by producing a variety of adequate devices. The advantages of the plasma treatment technique have been demonstrated in a number of commercially available components.
    Among the traditional fields of research at TRINITI are those devoted to the problems of laser physics, the development of promising lasers and the improvement of laser system parameters.
    The created laser facilities with various active media (CO2-lasers, CO-lasers, solid state lasers and excimer lasers) differ in both their operation modes (continuous, pulsed and pulse-periodic) and parameters. They could find application in various branches of science and technology, e.g. controlled thermonuclear fusion, plasma diagnostics, treatment of various materials, laser chemistry, laser isotope separation, environmental monitoring, etc.
    At the present time, great attention is paid to mobile laser technological systems developed at TRINITI. These systems permit a remote action of a laser beam with a power up to 50 kW on various objects, in particular, they make it possible to cut metallic and reinforced concrete structures for disassembly and emergency repair operations at gas and oil wells and nuclear power plants, as well as for scrapping vessels and submarines (including atomic ones). The mobile equipment has proved its efficient operation being applied to burn a film of spilled oil, to deactivate contaminated surfaces by a method of peeling and to serve other objectives.
    At TRINITI the scientists have successfully demonstrated the applicability of the developed MHD-installations in the Earth's crust sounding, mineral prospecting and earthquake forecasting.
    In the recent years, a concept of an MHD-generator operating in a short-repetitive mode has been developed which could find its application as a powerful autonomous energy source incorporated into a marine complex designed for electric prospecting and inspecting oil and gas deposits on the sea shelf. Such an MHD-installation called the "Shelf", by contrast to existing pulsed MHD-generators, is to make use of a cheaper and ecologically superior working medium and to be capable of operating in a short-repetitive (with a 10 minute pulse-to-pulse period) mode at a significantly greater resource of its gas dynamic path and elevated operation safety. Thus, the "Shelf" installation provides a lower (by a factor of five) cost per unit of electric power and a broader scope for its operation.
    Nowadays the SRC RF TRINITI has gathered a staff of highly proficient scientists and engineers. Among them there are 3 members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 54 awarded with a doctoral degree and 168 with a Ph.D. degree. Many of the research staff have been awarded the Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR and Russia and also other prizes, orders and medals received from the USSR and RF Government.
    The Institute is situated 20 km from Moscow in a lovely town of Troitsk.