Chinese Academy of Sciences Academician Zhao Hongwei
China's major scientific and technological infrastructure has been ranked first in the international market since the past and the overall level is in the international leading position, with obvious results
Relying on Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator large scientific device, the Institute of Modern Physics has been synthesized for the first time in the world for more than 30 years. A new nuclide , accurately measured the quality of 26 short-life atomic nucleus for the first time. The major scientific and technological infrastructure has become a "reservoir" for cultivating and absorbing outstanding scientific and technological talents.
article | Zhang Wenjing, a reporter from "Outlook" News Weekly Sun Yinglan
, the first heavy ion dedicated device for tumor treatment, independently developed by the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute of Modern Physics), China. Since it was installed and operated in Wuwei City, Gansu Province in 2018, it has now reached more than 20,000. A tumor patient was consulted, and more than 570 patients completed heavy ion therapy, with significant efficacy and good tolerability.
Today, with the rapid development of science and technology, major scientific and technological infrastructure similar to heavy ion accelerators has become a strategic highland that must be fought for in the world's scientific and technological powers. Relying on major scientific and technological infrastructure, my country has promoted the progress of basic and applied research and has become the main platform for solving major strategic scientific and technological problems. For example, positive and negative electron collider , Shanghai light source , holistic superconducting tokamak nuclear fusion experimental device, spallation neutron source , "China Sky Eye" radio telescope, etc. have produced many major achievements. It has solved many "bottleneck" scientific and technological problems and played an important role in my country's journey to build a strong country in science and technology.
In an exclusive interview with the news weekly of "Ouwang ", Zhao Hongwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director of the Institute of Modern Physics, and deputy director of the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator National Laboratory, said that the original intention of science and technology is to benefit mankind. For more than 60 years, the Institute of Modern Physics has always relied on major scientific and technological infrastructure to continuously explore the unknown world, discover natural laws, lead scientific and technological changes, and benefit human health.
"Add to the role of the engine of the 'national weapon', and continuously promote and enhance the important role of major scientific and technological infrastructure, a technological weapon in scientific and technological innovation, so that scientific and technological innovation can better benefit mankind is the direction of the continuous efforts of modern physics." Zhao Hongwei told the reporter of Outlook News Weekly.
"The National Important Weapon" leads scientific and technological changes
"Outlook": Why should build major scientific and technological infrastructure?
Zhao Hongwei: Major scientific and technological infrastructure plays an irreplaceable role in exploring natural laws and basic material structures, sacrificing technological changes, discovering new knowledge, and inventing new technologies. It is a large and complex scientific research system that provides extreme research methods. It can transform cutting-edge scientific theories into realistic scientific and technological achievements and solve major issues that concern national security and the overall social development. Therefore, it is also a strategic highland that must be fought for in the world's technological powers. Almost all world powers such as the United States, Germany and Japan have laid out a large number of major scientific and technological infrastructures, and are still being built today, involving material structures, energy, information, materials, astronomy and aerospace, the earth and the environment to the ocean. Life and health, agriculture and national security.
has built and operated large-scale scientific devices with the fundamental purpose of discovering natural laws and generating new knowledge. These new knowledge seems useless for the time being, but will be used in the future and will produce a large number of "by-products" such as new technologies. History has proven that the achievements derived from many large accelerators are closely linked to the core technologies of all walks of life in the country. Major scientific and technological infrastructure can also help us solve many specific problems encountered in economic and social development. For example, the numerical simulation device of the earth system can not only make accurate predictions of the weather conditions, but also provide data support for us to deal with the major global problem of energy conservation and emission reduction.
"Outlook": What are the characteristics of my country's major scientific and technological infrastructure?
Zhao Hongwei: my country's major scientific and technological infrastructure construction started with Chinese Academy of Sciences . The key layout is made during the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period from the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, which is also a "booming period" for the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure in my country.Up to now, about 40 major scientific and technological infrastructure have been put into operation in my country.
The proposal, construction, operation and maintenance of major scientific and technological infrastructure requires a huge team to provide guarantees, and the professional directions involved are very wide. Taking Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator National Laboratory as an example, this is a laboratory mainly focusing on the application of heavy ion physics and related technologies. Its fields include nuclear physics, atom physics, materials science, life sciences, advanced nuclear energy, ion accelerators, Automatic control, microelectronics, detectors, magnets, vacuum, power supply, machinery, radio frequency and microwave, liquid helium low temperature, etc., are very comprehensive and have high operating efficiency. In addition to shutting down and maintaining from the end of July to August each year, Lanzhou heavy ion accelerator operates about 7,500 hours per day and 11 months per year. Overall, most of my country's major scientific and technological infrastructure operates from 5,000 to 7,000 hours per year, which is relatively efficient.
my country's major scientific and technological infrastructure has been ranked first in the international market since the past and has achieved obvious results. For example, Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator National Laboratory is at the leading level in the international field in terms of accurate measurement of short-life nuclear mass, generation of strong current and high-charge ion beams, and strong current proton superconducting linear accelerators. In response to national needs, our laboratory also undertakes a large number of single-particle effect detection experiments on the reinforcement of devices with irradiation. Before the important domestic space devices "go to the sky", they must complete the ground inspection in the laboratory.
"The National Important Weapon" returns to society
"Outlook": How does major scientific and technological infrastructure promote scientific and technological innovation?
Zhao Hongwei: Most of the scientific and technological achievements that my country has made are related to major scientific and technological infrastructure, and the same is true around the world. my country's major scientific and technological infrastructure has achieved a large number of achievements in breaking through the scientific frontier and discipline development, breaking through and cultivating key core technologies, giving birth to high-tech, opening up emerging cross-fields, and solving the sustainable development of the country's economic and social development, and has achieved remarkable achievements. Worldwide, about 40% of Nobel Prize winners have achieved results based on major scientific and technological infrastructure. Therefore, major scientific and technological infrastructure plays a very important role in scientific and technological innovation.
For example, in terms of cutting-edge basic research, relying on the large scientific device of Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator, the Institute of Modern Physics has synthesized more than 30 new nuclides for the first time in the world, and accurately measured the mass of 26 short-life nuclei for the first time; in terms of major national needs, the Institute of Modern Physics has synthesized more than 30 new nuclides. Based on the research of large scientific equipment of ion accelerator and nuclear physics, an advanced nuclear fission energy system driven by accelerator is proposed to solve the long-term sustainable supply of nuclear fuel , realize the full utilization of uranium resources and the safe and harmless disposal of spent fuel; in people's health In terms of the process, relying on this large scientific device, after more than 20 years of continuous efforts, we have developed advanced heavy ion tumor treatment technology with independent intellectual property rights, and developed a special heavy ion accelerator device for the treatment of solid tumors, which has been industrially promoted.
Major scientific and technological infrastructure is also an extremely important platform for gathering high-end talents, cultivating talents, displaying the image of a major country, promoting international cooperation and exchanges, and carrying out scientific and core technology exchanges. For example, the Institute of Modern Physics has established close cooperative relations with more than 50 research institutions and universities in the United States, Europe, etc., produced very important scientific and technological achievements, and cultivated a group of scientific research talents for me. During the construction period, the Lanzhou heavy ion cooling storage ring project fully played the role of international cooperation, and many foreign experts participated in the construction. These rare experiences have cultivated and created a group of high-end scientific and technological talents, young scientific and technological talents and high-level innovation teams with international standards and vision. It can be said that major scientific and technological infrastructure has become a "reservoir" for cultivating and absorbing outstanding scientific and technological talents.
Modern Physics Institute is a base-based research institute that relies on major scientific and technological infrastructure to carry out research on advanced nuclear energy systems driven by heavy ion science and technology and accelerator.For more than 60 years, the institute has been engaged in nuclear physics, atomic physics, radiobiology, heavy ions-driven high-energy density physics, material radiation and technology, advanced nuclear energy fission energy driven by accelerator, and nuclear technology based on ion beam In terms of related applications and research on large scientific devices of particle accelerators, it has led the development of heavy ion science and technology and accelerator-driven nuclear energy technology in my country, and has achieved a number of major basic research results represented by new nuclide synthesis and accurate measurement of nuclear mass; A series of key technological breakthroughs have been achieved in superconducting ion sources, continuous wave strong current proton superconducting linear accelerators, etc.; a number of heavy ion radiation technologies such as heavy ion treatment and radiation mutagenesis breeding have been transformed, and the large-scale Domestic production of special devices for the treatment of heavy ion tumors in medical equipment. As of July 2022, as the first unit and a participating unit, the Institute of Modern Physics has received provincial and ministerial rewards at or above, including 20 national rewards.
"Outlook": What are the representative cases of major scientific and technological infrastructure in benefiting mankind?
Zhao Hongwei: There are many cases like . For example, in 1975, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States took the lead in conducting heavy ion therapy research using its existing scientific research accelerator device. In the 1990s, Germany and Japan successively carried out heavy ion tumor treatment technology and clinical research, and gradually promoted and applied it. At present, heavy ion therapy has become a frontier and hot topic in the global radiotherapy field. There are more than 10 medical heavy ion accelerators operating internationally, mainly distributed in Asia and Europe. A total of about 30,000 tumor patients have been treated worldwide.
The Institute of Modern Physics has started basic research on heavy ion cancer treatment technology in 1993, and has achieved the integration, demonstration and industrial promotion of ion beam irradiation cells, animal experiments, core technology research, preclinical trials of cases, and treatment-specific devices. In 2018, the Institute of Modern Physics independently developed and put into production and installed the first domestic heavy ion tumor treatment device, making my country the fourth country in the world to achieve heavy ion tumor treatment after Japan, Germany and the United States.
In October 2019, my country's first independent intellectual property carbon ion therapy system developed by the Institute of Modern Physics and its shareholder Lanzhou Kejintaiji New Technology Co., Ltd. was approved for listing. This domestic carbon ion therapy system approved and registered by National Drug Administration has broken through patent barrier for foreign products, improved cost-effectiveness, reduced operating and maintenance costs, and achieved a zero breakthrough in domestic heavy ion therapy equipment. It has taken new steps to localize high-end medical equipment in my country.
At the same time, the industrialization and clinical application of this system will also drive the ionic medical industry that integrates precise cancer treatment, high-end equipment manufacturing and operation and maintenance services, promote the improvement of the technical level of upstream and downstream enterprises, and realize the transformation from low-end manufacturing to mid-to-high-end manufacturing to transform from low-end manufacturing to mid-to-high-end manufacturing. , to benefit society. It can be said that major scientific and technological infrastructure has effectively served the society in basic research, industrial application and other aspects, and promoted economic and social development.
Superconducting proton linear accelerator device Photo provided by the Institute of Modern Physics
Still need to work hard to build a global innovation highland
"Outlook": How can better promote the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure?
Zhao Hongwei: can attract enterprises to participate in the construction of major national scientific and technological infrastructure. For example, enterprises in developed countries cooperate with national laboratory , and the ownership of large equipment is controlled by the laboratory, and enterprises have the right to use it. Our country can also learn from such practices to attract private enterprises to participate. Relevant departments may set up a part of the funds to support enterprises in purchasing special instruments and equipment around the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure and participate in the construction of facilities.
At the same time, the country can also encourage local governments to invest in the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure. When establishing a project to build major scientific and technological infrastructure, fully demonstrate, have clear goals, and start from national needs. Fully consider the team foundation and experience, and emphasize advancedness and necessity.
"Outlook": What new challenges do we face to build a global innovation highland?
Zhao Hongwei: The competition for the world's technological power is competing with national strategic scientific and technological strength.Building a strong country in science and technology and a global innovation highland is the direction and goal we have been working hard for. In terms of major scientific and technological infrastructure construction that concerns national strategic needs, basic scientific research and technological innovation, we must adhere to development with the resilience of "ten years of hard work".
At present, some technical indicators of major scientific and technological infrastructure in my country are leading internationally, and some sub-systems, certain directions or equipment performance are leading, and relatively few are leading in all aspects and leading in the industry. For example, there is still a need to continue to promote the sustainable development of nuclear energy and mass production of medical isotopes. nuclear waste transformation and the improvement of uranium resource utilization are important research directions for the sustainable development of advanced nuclear fission energy. These two issues are currently also world problems, and major scientific and technological infrastructure need to be built to carry out exploration and research; in the case of tumor diagnosis and treatment In terms of medical isotope mass production technology, ion accelerator devices can also play a key role to avoid the risk of "bottlenecks". my country can plan and layout in a coordinated manner. ■
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