Radiophysical Research Institute

The origins of the institute originate in the Nizhny Novgorod radio laboratory , which existed in 1918-1928. On its basis, the Gorky Research Institute of Physics and Technology (GIPTI) was established at Gorky State University , in which A. A. Andronov organized the theoretical department in 1931. This department during the war years worked closely with the radio industry. In 1945, on the initiative of the employees of this department at the university, the first radiophysical faculty in the USSR was organized. It was this faculty that became the basis for the formation of the Scientific Research Radiophysical Institute (NIRFI) in 1956.

The corresponding decree was issued by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on June 27, 1956 under No. 871–478, and on July 10 an order was issued to organize the Institute of the Minister of Higher Education of the USSR. The purpose of the institute was to conduct applied and fundamental research in the field of radio engineering, radio astronomy and radio physics. The basis of the research team was the physicists already known at that time: M. T. Grekhova (the main initiator of the institute and its first director until 1972), V. L. Ginzburg , V. S. Troitsky , I. L. Bershtein, M. M Kobrin, as well as graduates of the Radiophysical Faculty of Gorky University: A. V. Gaponov-Grekhov , G. G. Getmantsev , B. N. Gershman , N. G. Denisov , V. A. Zverev , M. A. Miller .

The institute is located in the building of the former Gorky Suvorov School on Lyadova Street (now Bolshaya Pecherskaya). To observe the solar radio emission, the institute was also given the Zimenki suburban laboratory , which was created in 1949 as part of the GIFT.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Gorky Radiophysical School, which was widely known, including in the world, was finally formed at the NIRFI. The successes of this school, in particular, were marked in 1969 by the Order of the Red Banner of Labor awarded to the institute.

In 1972, G. G. Getmantsev became director of the institute.

By the mid-1970s, the NIRFI became one of the leading institutes of the USSR conducting fundamental and applied work, and in 1976 the Council of Ministers of the USSR accepted the proposal of the Academy of Sciences to organize an academic institute in Gorky on the basis of several departments of the NIRFI. So the Institute of Applied Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR appeared with A. V. Gaponov-Grekhov at the head. The new institute included 10 departments, 4 laboratories, and 1 R&D sector, with a total of 620 people.

At the initiative of G. G. Getmantsev, in 1976-1980, the world's only mid-latitude stand was built, designed to influence the Earth's ionosphere. The stand located at the Vasilsursk training ground was called SURA . The stand was commissioned to the State Commission in March 1981.

In 1980, V. A. Razin became the director of the institute. In 1990, he was replaced by S.V. Polyakov. Since 2000, the institute has been headed by S. D. Snegirev .

• Radio complex Sura
• Zimenkov Radio Astronomy Observatory
• radio telescope - RT-14 laboratory NIRFI Staraya Pustyn + two RT-7

• Official site
• History, main research areas
• development of VLBI research at the NIRFI in 1996-2006