Tsvetan Dimitrov Vylov 1941–2009
Tsvetan Dimitrov Vylov passed away on 13 December, after a severe and abrupt illness.
A Bulgarian, Vylov spent all of his scientific career at JINR in Dubna where he started work in 1968 as a junior researcher, having graduated from the physics department of Leningrad State University. He participated in and later led research in a range of scientific methods in the precision spectrometry of nuclear radiation at the JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Problems. The methods and spectrometers that he developed were used for fundamental studies of the properties of light nuclei (such as deuteron binding energy, proton and electron mass) and of processes of radioactive decay of rare-earth nuclides and actinoids. The results of these studies were published as an atlas of radioactive-nuclide radiation spectra.
Vylov was the founder of a new line of research at JINR, namely, non-accelerator neutrino physics, and was one of the main organizers of the Non Accelerator Nuclear Physics (NANP) international collaboration. Under his guidance, experiments were conducted on neutrino helicity measurements, the role of the natural width and shape of electron lines in measurements of the antineutrino mass, and to investigate the potential for measuring neutrino mass from the electron capture of certain nuclei. He also initiated experimental studies to search for double neutrinoless beta-decay with an unconventional telescope of high-purity semiconductor germanium detectors. In recent years, he participated in research with reactor antineutrinos and in the development of the new-generation SuperNEMO facility for the studies of double neutrinoless beta-decay with record sensitivity.
From 1984 Vylov led a big international team in the JINR department of nuclear spectroscopy and from 1988 he was director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems. He served as vice-director of JINR from 1992 to 2005. He paid much attention to widening and strengthening the co-operation of the institute with scientific centres in JINR member states and other countries. His numerous students successfully work today in various scientific research centres around the world.
With Vylov's passing we have lost a profoundly educated physicist who had an acute sense of responsibility and immense commitment. We will remember his rare amiability and winning personality that brought him the highest renown among his colleagues and friends.
JINR directorate.