Director of the "KENDL" Institute, Professor Vasily Tsakanov, Has Passed Away

The Armenian community of physicists is mourning a great loss. On January 11, at the age of 61, Professor Vasily Tsakanov, the director of the "KENDL" synchrotron research institute, passed away. Ani Mikaelyan, the director's assistant, informed "Armenpress" of this sad news.

The wake for Vasily Tsakanov will be held on January 13, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at the St. Mary the Virgin Church located in the Malatia-Sebastia administrative district of Yerevan. The burial will take place on January 14 at 1:00 PM at the same location.

Vasily Tsakanov began his scientific career in 1981 at the Yerevan Physics Institute after graduating from Rostov State University. In 1990, he defended a thesis related to new methods of accelerating charged particles under the supervision of Professor E. Laziev. He then spent many years as a visiting scientist at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and at the DESY accelerator center. His doctoral thesis, focusing on the physics of bunches in linear accelerators, was defended in 1998, after which he established a research group on "Bunch Physics" at the Yerevan Physics Institute.

Under Tsakanov’s leadership, the third-generation synchrotron project "KENDL" was developed, leading to the founding of the "KENDL" institute in 2002 with the patronage of benefactor Zhivair Hovhannisyan. Tsakanov served as the institute's director from its inception until his passing.

With the support of Professor Tsakanov, between 2012 and 2015, the AREAL laser-driven electron linear accelerator was designed and built at "KENDL." Its launch enabled local and international scientific institutions to conduct contemporary and comprehensive research in Armenia. Since 2015, joint experimental programs have been implemented in collaboration with various institutions, including Russia's Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, DESY, the A.I. Burnazyan Federal Medical and Biophysical Center, Yerevan State University, the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, the National Agrarian University of Armenia, the A.I. Alikhanyan National Scientific Laboratory, the Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, and others.

Vasily Tsakanov laid the groundwork for the creation of a free electron laser complex at the AREAL accelerator facility, anticipated to be completed in 2022. Throughout his career, he made significant efforts to foster cooperation between Armenian and foreign research centers, leveraging his high reputation and exceptional human qualities within the scientific community.

Tsakanov helped establish a close scientific collaboration between the "KENDL" institute and Germany’s DESY National Accelerator Center, Switzerland's Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), and other foreign centers. His contributions were crucial in organizing the internationally recognized "Ultrafast Beams and Applications" conference, held jointly by the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport's Scientific Committee, the "KENDL" institute, and DESY. This conference, held every two years, aims to unite scientists to discuss the latest achievements and prospects in the fields of physics and ultrafast electron and photon bunch applications.

Since 2011, Tsakanov had been a member of the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA). In addition to his scientific and organizational effectiveness, Professor Tsakanov contributed significantly to the education of young specialists. From 2006 to 2012, he headed the Nuclear Physics Department at Yerevan State University. At his initiative, practical courses are held in "KENDL" laboratories for university students, and regular educational visits are organized for schoolchildren across the country.

In 2019, thanks to Tsakanov’s support, the annual "Armenian-German Joint Practical Course" initiated by the University of Hamburg and the "KENDL" institute was realized, offering students from both institutions the opportunity to conduct experiments at the AREAL laser-driven linear accelerator and other experimental laboratories.

Vasily Tsakanov was the author of many internationally recognized scientific works. For his contributions to research on modern issues in accelerator physics, development of international cooperation, and training of scientific personnel, he was awarded the Golden Medal of the Scientific Committee in 2019.

Vasily Tsakanov was an outstanding scientist respected within the scientific community, a caring father and husband, a dedicated friend, and an exceptional leader, who was loved and respected by his colleagues and staff of the institute due to his noble human qualities. The "KENDL" team extends their heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, and colleagues of Vasily Tsakanov, sharing in the deep sorrow of this irreparable loss.