Publicity

2026

The MT25 Microtron of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences was featured in a report broadcast by Czech Television on 3 January as part of the programme Z metropole. Filming took place directly in the underground facilities beneath Prague’s Vítkov Hill, where the microtron laboratory is located. The laboratory was presented to viewers by David Chvátil and Václav Olšanský from the Department of Accelerators, who introduced not only the unusual history of the facility, built in a former shelter deep inside the rock, but also the operation of the accelerator itself and its current applications. The full Z metropole report can be viewed here.

2025

The quarterly newsletter of the municipality of Husinec (Řež), Naše Vesnice, published in issue 4/2025 (only in Czech) an article entitled Two NPI Experiments Head to Space in the column From the Scientific Valley. The article reports on two NPI projects – the biological experiment ZOE and the dosimetric experiment CZPAD – which were selected by the European Space Agency as part of the scientific programme of the Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda’s mission to the International Space Station. The text outlines the objectives of both experiments, their technological solutions, and their significance for future space missions beyond low Earth orbit.
The Chairman of the NPI Council, RNDr. Vladimír Wagner, CSc., published an article entitled Seventy Years of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in the journal Jaderná energie (only in Czech) to mark the 70th anniversary of the Institute. The article summarises the history of the Nuclear Physics Institute, its establishment, development, and key role in Czech and international basic and applied research in nuclear physics. It describes the modernisation and expansion of accelerator and neutron infrastructures, involvement in major international projects, and the broad spectrum of current research activities – from the study of nuclear matter to radiopharmaceuticals, space research, and the protection of cultural heritage.
Mycologist and biochemist RNDr. Jan Borovička, Ph.D. from the Department of Neutron and Ion Methods of the NPI appeared in recent months as a guest on two popular programmes hosted by Lucie Výborná. An interview was broadcast by Czech Television in October, followed by another episode aired in November by Czech Radio Radiožurnál. Dr Borovička also presented his research topic during an institutional seminar at the NPI. The interview can be listened to here (only in Czech).
Physicist and science populariser RNDr. Vladimír Wagner, CSc. published an article entitled New Insights into the Study of Element Formation in the Universe (only in Czech) on the portal Osel.cz (Objective Source E-Learning). The text is based on his participation in the international conference EuNPC 2025 in Caen, France, and presents the latest findings in nuclear astrophysics. The article discusses the formation of chemical elements in stars, nuclear reactions in the Sun’s interior, the study of solar neutrinos, and the production of heavy elements during supernova explosions and neutron star mergers. Attention is also given to experimental methods for studying astrophysical reactions, including measurements carried out at accelerators in underground laboratories and at the U120M cyclotron of the NPI, which contributes to research using the Trojan Horse Method.
The quarterly newsletter Naše Vesnice published in issue 3/2025 an article entitled Martin Kákona from the NPI Awarded a Fulbright–Masaryk Scholarship and Heads to the USA. The article reports on the success of Martin Kákona from the Department of Radiation Dosimetry, who received the prestigious scholarship and embarked on a research stay in the United States. The article is available for download here (only in Czech).
In early August, Dr Ondřej Ploc from the Department of Radiation Dosimetry of the NPI appeared in the podcast Hlas na poušti by Milan Mikulecký, where he discussed research on cosmic radiation and high-energy atmospheric physics. He spoke about the development of specialised detectors and dosimeters for high-altitude observatories, aircraft and spacecraft, the study of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGF) and thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGE), as well as the impacts of cosmic radiation on aviation, spaceflight and everyday life. The full podcast can be listened to here (only in Czech).
The television station CNN Prima News broadcast a report on 9 August 2025 dedicated to the MT25 Microtron of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The report presented the operating principles of the device, its use in basic and applied research, and its importance for the development of new technologies and international cooperation.
In June 2025, the magazine Vesmír published an article devoted to the MILEA accelerator mass spectrometer, which is part of the accelerator infrastructure of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The text introduces the operation of AMS as a tool for hypersensitive determination of long-lived radionuclides, its role within the Czech Radiocarbon Laboratory, and the broader context of NPI accelerator facilities used in basic and applied research. The online version of the article can be read here (only in Czech).
The quarterly newsletter Naše Vesnice published in issue 2/2025 an article entitled Roman Garba Presented His Research in Vienna and Cambridge. The article is available for download here (only in Czech).
In May, Czech Television broadcast a report in the programme Události focusing on the mission of Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda to the International Space Station, highlighting the scientific contribution of the planned mission for the Czech Republic. The report presented, among other projects, the ZOE experiment led by the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which will investigate embryonic development under microgravity conditions and the question of reproduction of higher vertebrates during future long-duration space missions.
The news server Novinky.cz published an article entitled New World Record in Neutrino Mass Measurement, reporting on the achievement of the lowest upper limit on neutrino mass to date within the international KATRIN experiment. Scientists from the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences made a significant contribution to this result through the development of a key monoenergetic electron source essential for precise calibration of the measurements. The article can be read here (only in Czech).
The quarterly newsletter Naše Vesnice published in issue 1/2025 (only in Czech) an article entitled When an Accelerator Draws Carbon into Glass in the column From the Scientific Valley. The text presents research by a team from the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which experimentally verified the possibility of creating microstructures in glass capable of guiding optical signals using carbon ions accelerated by the Tandetron facility. The results of the basic research, carried out in cooperation with UJEP and UCT Prague within the AMULET project, were published in the prestigious journal Optics & Laser Technology.