Yuri G. Zdesenko

Yuri G. Zdesenko (Ukrainian: Здесенко Юрій Георгійович); 6 October 1943 – 1 September 2004, was a Ukrainian nuclear physicist known for a significant contribution to investigations of double beta decay.

Yuri G. Zdesenko was born on 6 October 1943 in Dmytrivka, Bakhmach Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union to Soviet Army officer Georgy Zdesenko.

In 1970 Zdesenko was graduated from the Department of Physics of the T.G.Shevchenko Kyiv State University. He obtained degrees of Candidate of Sciences (Philosophy Doctor) in 1981 (Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow, Soviet Union), Doktor nauk in 1990 (Institute for Nuclear Research, Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) and the academic rank of Full Professor in 2000 (Institute for Nuclear Research, Kiev, Ukraine). Taking into account his outstanding scientific achievements, Zdesnko was elected in 2003 a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Zdesenko started researches in the Laboratory of Nuclear Physics of the T.G. Shevchenko Kyiv State University (1970-1971) and then in the Institute of Geochemistry and Physics of Minerals (1971-1980) where he dealt with neutron activation analysis of minerals and radiocarbon dating. At that time he became interested in double beta decay of atomic nuclei.

In 1980 he created the Laboratory for Low Background Measurements of the Special Construction Technological Center of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (1980-1986) where searches for the double beta decay of Te,Zr and Mo were realized. In 1986 the laboratory was transformed to the Lepton Physics Department of the Institute for Nuclear Research (Kiev, Ukraine).

In the early 1980s Zdesenko, supported by Bruno Pontecorvo (who was at that time head of the neutrino council of the Soviet Academy of Sciences),

initiated construction of the Solotvina Underground Laboratory in Solotvina, at the Zakarpattia Oblast on the west of Ukraine. The Laboratory was located in a salt mine at a depth of 430 m. Low counting experiments were startedin the Solotvina laboratory in 1984. Investigations of rare nuclear alpha and beta decays, searches for neutrinoless double beta decay of atomic nuclei were performed in the laboratory. The most valuable results obtained in the Solotvina Underground Laboratory are as following:

1. the most stringent limits on neutrinoless double beta decay of Cd obtained with the help of cadmium tungstate crystal scintillators enriched in isotope Cd at 83%. One of the most stringent limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass was derived from the experiments;
2. observation of the two neutrino double beta decay of Cd;
3. first observation of the alpha activity of tungsten (isotope W);
4. investigation of rare beta decay of Cd;
5. search for neutrinoless double beta decay of Gd and W.
6. development of low background technique for low counting experiments, in particular, the cadmium tungstate crystal scintillators from enriched isotope cadmium 116

Yu.G. Zdesenko and his group have also contributed to searches for hypothetical decays beyond the Standard Model: decays of nucleons into invisible channels, decays of electron with non-conservation of the electric charge, charge-non-conserving β decays. Yuri G. Zdesenko is author or coauthor of above 300 scientific publications for which there are more than 1500 references in papers of other authors.