Nuclear physicists: who are they and what are they doing?

A nuclear physicist is a relatively new profession, which only appeared at the end of the last century. Therefore, it is not surprising that this concept has not yet been entrenched in our minds, and although many are aware of the existence of such a profession, they do not quite understand what people who have mastered it do. And today we will try to fill this gap.

To begin with, nuclear physicists are not really scientists, and they don’t do research work at institutes. They work at nuclear power plants and monitor how power plants work.

The very first power plants were served by the people who developed them. However, over time, nuclear power plants became more and more, and their maintenance required appropriate qualified personnel.

Today, nuclear energy is the basis of the economies of many countries, and nuclear physics has become a real applied discipline. By the way, not only nuclear physicists, but also specialists associated with this field are leaving the nuclear energy universities. Researchers who study the principles of operation of atomic nuclei are also trained there; however, the vast majority of specialists are still NPP employees.

Despite the fact that nuclear physicists do not make any discoveries, this profession is by no means simple. A nuclear physicist makes sure that a nuclear reactor is working properly: he monitors his condition, takes readings from devices and draws conclusions based on the numbers obtained, reboots and starts new reactors.

Work at a nuclear power plant is very difficult. The responsibilities of a nuclear physicist include:

• health check of all devices, sensors, systems and structures;
• regular measurements of radiation levels;
• registration of neutral, charged and elementary particles;
• recording and processing data received from devices;
• analysis of permissible radiation fluxes;
• safety adjustment at the facility;
• accounting and control of radioactive substances;
• assessment of fuel stocks of a nuclear station;
• spent nuclear fuel control.

This is what nuclear physicists do during working hours. Specialists of this class need to keep a huge amount of information in their heads. They must know everything about the operation of the NPP and ensure that work at the facility entrusted to them proceeds in accordance with all instructions. And also they must understand the principles of operation of atomic generators and know what to do in a given situation.

One cannot overestimate what a nuclear physicist does, because the lives of hundreds, thousands, and maybe millions of people depend on him.

It is clear that only highly qualified specialists are allowed to work with nuclear facilities. To work here, a person must not only understand the principle of operation of the nuclear power plant itself, but also possess knowledge in nuclear physics as a whole. More precisely, a university graduate should have knowledge in the following areas:

1. fundamentals of nuclear physics;
2. technology of operation of nuclear reactors and their device;
3. practice for monitoring and diagnostics of nuclear power plant equipment;
4. practice of documentation and development of standards.

In addition to theoretical knowledge, a nuclear physicist must also have certain personal qualities:

1. analytic skills;
2. high level of concentration and concentration;
3. abilities in mathematics and physics;
4. ability to think rationally and quickly make decisions;
5. good memory and observation;
6. emotional stability and ability to act in critical situations.

Entering to study as a nuclear physicist, an applicant should be initially prepared for hard academic work. Demand from specialists in this industry is very high, and their work is incredibly responsible, therefore they are prepared more diligently than others.

Before entering a university, a person must have good knowledge of physics and mathematics, especially since they will come in handy when it will be necessary to pass exams. Therefore, if you are thinking about entering, it would be better to pull up these items. High school students are recommended to study in specialized classes with a bias in physics and mathematics, and for those who receive education after graduation, it will be useful to sign up for preparatory courses at the university.

By the way, about universities. In Russia, the following universities are considered leading in this direction:

1. Ural Federal University;
2. Polytechnic and state universities of St. Petersburg;
3. MSTU named after Bauman;
4. National Research Nuclear University MEPhI;
5. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology;
6. Far Eastern Federal University.

Of course, these are not all higher education institutions where they teach nuclear physicists. Many physical and technical universities have a branch of nuclear energy or nuclear physics.

On the Rosatom website you can find a good list of universities graduating from nuclear physicists. These universities are considered supportive, which means that their graduates have a much greater chance of finding work in the company.

In order to enter one of these institutions, you need to get good points on the exam. The main subjects for admission are, of course, physics and mathematics, and also need the Russian language.

The required number of points can vary greatly depending on the chosen place of study. In the most famous universities, such as NRNU MEPhI, the passing score on the budget can be higher than 250 points, although the average for the universities listed above is slightly lower than 200 points.

Nuclear physicists work at nuclear power plants. Already, there are a lot of them on the territory of the Russian Federation, and over time, most likely, will become even more. And that means the demand for nuclear physicists will grow.

It should be understood that new power plants mean new technologies, because progress does not stand still. Already, the old Soviet-style facilities are being decommissioned, and new mixed fuels (plutonium and uranium) are being built instead.

That's why nuclear physicists also need to keep up to date, to study new types of facilities. Although there are pluses in this (for physicists): modern installations are much safer and easier to use. In addition, they try to automate the process of their work as much as possible. Of course, a person is still needed in enterprises of this type, because a computer cannot replace it in everything (which, in general, is also good news for physicists), but now at least you do not need to do everything manually.

Now let's talk about companies that provide jobs to specialists in this field. The leader here, of course, is Rosatom. It is he who deals with everything related to nuclear energy in Russia: fuel production, its transportation, design and construction of new nuclear power plants, research, and ensuring safety at enterprises — in short, everything.

Wherein recently, Rosatom began to enter the international market, which also had a fruitful effect on the number of jobs that the company offers.

But not only Rosatom needs nuclear physicists. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are considered their main "competitor".

Most of the physicists recruited by the military are involved in the control of the manufacture and storage of the country's nuclear weapons. Some of them also monitor the construction and operation of vehicles capable of using uranium as fuel (nuclear icebreakers and submarines).

But this is not limited to the scope of nuclear capabilities. They also need to remember about Roskosmos. Presently space rockets still do not fly on nuclear fuel, but according to the media, development in this direction has been going on for several years.

Many more go to work in the so-called Silicon Valley, where new methods for the use and production of nuclear energy are being developed. By the way, similar studies are also conducted at many institutes. Although all this is more likely to be research work, you can try your hand.

As you can see, an intelligent nuclear physicist will definitely not remain without work. Moreover, specialists in this field are in demand not only here, but also abroad.

If, for some reason, a nuclear physicist cannot find a job "by profession", then there are many more industries where his skills and knowledge can come in handy. First of all, these are, of course, other areas of the energy industry: hydroelectric power plants, enterprises engaged in the production of energy from sunlight and wind, and thermal power plants.

Literally at the beginning of the XXI century, all nuclear physicists tried to leave Russia and get a job abroad, because they paid several times more there. Fortunately, lately, trends have begun to change. The salary of domestic nuclear scientists is gradually growing and has almost come close to the performance of foreign specialists. This was noticed, and in recent years, most graduates prefer to stay at home.

Of course, do not immediately count on huge salaries. Even a graduate of the most prestigious university at first will have to work as a simple laboratory assistant. Lab salaries are low - an average of about 20 thousand rubles.

But over time, revenue can grow dramatically. A good specialist with a scientific degree in his pocket receives 3 times more - that is, about 60 thousand.

And also it is necessary to take into account the size of our country, where a separate region is almost a separate world. The difference between the salaries of nuclear physicists from different regions can reach 10, or even 20 thousand rubles.

Besides, it is not known for certain how many specialists invited to work on secret and experimental projects receive; but most likely a lot.

Well, of course, do not forget about the career growth, which is also present here. By working hard, an ordinary specialist may well become the head of the department or even the director of the entire enterprise.