A new study of a historical object on the territory of the Russian Federation, the Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery, implemented by the muon radiography is presented. The method is based on the registration of changes in the cosmic muon fluxes during their passage through the object under study. Nuclear photoemulsions with unique spatial and angular resolution having the widest range of applications in experimental nuclear physics were used as experimental equipment. The experiment demonstrates a high efficiency of the method in the search for hidden objects, the presence of which on the territory of the monastery is confirmed by the results obtained.

The results of the search for tracks of heavy and superheavy nuclei of galactic cosmic rays in the charge range Z = 26 − 129, identified in olivine crystals from Maryalahti and Eagle Station meteorites are presented. The database including characteristics of 21743 tracks, obtained in the OLIMPIA experiment, is currently the largest one within the charge range under study. It includes three tracks of superheavy nuclei with charge 119 −6 +10 and a minimum lifetime estimated as several tens of years, which can be considered as a direct experimental validation of the existence of natural superheavy nuclei from the “stability island”.

The Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University conduct experiments using nuclear photoemulsion to study the internal structure of large objects via muon radiography. Analysis of an experiment in a mine in Obninsk belonging to the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences is of particular interest. Calculated and experimental data are presented.

In Russia, the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University are starting a series of pilot muon radiography exper-iments with nuclear emulsion detectors to study the interior structure of large-scale natural and industrial objects. As a result, the optimal conditions for experimental organization have been determined, algorithms of data processing have been worked out, and peculiarities of the method have been ultimately investigated. Here we present the experimental data, including field observations (in the mine of Geophysical department of Russian Academy of Sciences) confirming the availability of the method with track detectors on the base of nuclear emulsions with uniquely high spatial resolution, providing their high-tech automated processing.

Cosmic ray muon radiography is a novel technique for imaging the internal structures of massive objects. It exploits the capability of high energy muons from cosmic-rays in order to obtain a density map of investigated object and trying to guess information on the variation in the density distribution. Nuclear emulsions are tracking detectors well suited to be employed in this context since they have an excellent angular resolution (few mrad), they are cheap, compact and robust, easily transportable, able to work in harsh environments, and do not require power supply. This work presents the first successful results in the field of muon radiography in Russia with nuclear emulsions.

This work reviews the status of the international OPERA experiment aimed at searching for the νμ → ντ oscillation. Development of the emulsion techniques in the preceding DONUT and CHORUS experiments is described. A brief overview of the NOMAD experiment is given, in which properties of ντ interactions were thoroughly investigated. Characteristics of the CERN-Gran Sasso (CNGS) neutrino beam are given, the structure of the OPERA hybrid detector and the functions of its subsystems are considered, and the automatic emulsion scanning technique is briefly reviewed. Uncertainties in reconstruction of event parameters using the electronic and emulsion detectors are discussed and the procedure adopted in the experiment for identification of ντ interactions is described. The main sources of background in the search for νμ → ντ oscillation are considered. Topologies of the first two ντ candidates observed in the OPERA emulsion detector are presented. Possibilities of increasing the ντ interaction selection efficiency using multidimensional criteria are briefly discussed.

The results are presented of model calculation of the interaction and yield of galactic-cosmic-ray superheavy-element nuclear fragmentation products from the 50 < Z < 92 range of their charges as they pass through a certain meteorite-pallasite substance thickness.

The last data on the search results for neutrino oscillations in the OPERA experiment and the completed modernization of the PAVICOM facility (Lebedev Physical Institute) for automatic processing of nuclear emulsions of this experiment are presented. A new test application is developed for the PAVICOM to perform all stages of image processing. The application is tested using a GTX570 video card. The processing time for one frame is significantly reduced, which made it possible tomore than tenfold speed up processing. This is of crucial importance not only for prompt acquisition of statistically significant data of the OPERA experiment, but also for planned works on muon radiography.

The OPERA experiment (Oscillation Project with an Emulsion-Tracking Apparatus) for the direct observation of neutrino oscillations in the νμ → ν τ channel has been underway at the underground laboratory in Gran Sasso since 2007. In the course of data collection, more than 3000 νμ interactions have been registered in emulsion detectors. Twenty charmed neutrino interaction candidates have been found. Multidimensional criteria have been developed in order to select ν τ interactions against νμ interactions accompanied by charmed hadron production. The first results from automated PAVIKOM emulsion scanning have been obtained. We discuss the measurements of the muon charge ratio of μ+ to μ−.

In this work performed in frame to OLIMPIYA project [5] there are presented new results of measurement of fluxes and of the spectra of superheavy nuclei composing cosmic rays. The method of detection and analysis of nucleus tracks found in the olivine crystals of meteorites was used. The experiment is based on the combined method including the multistage meteorite etching and nucleus track registration and measurement on completely automated PAVICOM setup [5]. The track parameters such as diameter, length and the etching velocity are investigated. On the first stage of the experiment there was held the calibration procedure for nuclei charge identification using the accelerated nuclei Xe and U. The etching length of nuclei (26

The OPERA experiment (Oscillation Project with an Emulsion-Tracking Apparatus) for the direct observation of neutrino oscillations in the νμ → ν τ channel has been underway at the underground laboratory in Gran Sasso since 2007. In the course of data collection, more than 3000 νμ interactions have been registered in emulsion detectors. Twenty charmed neutrino interaction candidates have been found. Multidimensional criteria have been developed in order to select ν τ interactions against νμ interactions accompanied by charmed hadron production. The first results from automated PAVIKOM emulsion scanning have been obtained. We discuss the measurements of the muon charge ratio of μ+ to μ−.