Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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He is the deputy director (acting director) of the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE), a laureate of the State Foundation for Scientific Support for Outstanding Young Scientists, the Yan Zhengnin Award, and the Wu Zimin Award in the field of education and science. He is a young researcher, always smiling, with ease and kindness in communication. At 35 years old, Chen Yanping, engaged in “a matter of national importance,” strives to comprehend the infinite Universe — this is the goal of his life.
Boy who looked at the stars
The homeland of Chen Yanping is the city of Changzhi in Shanxi province. In his childhood, he often lay in the yard and looked at the starry sky: why do the Sun and stars shine? Where in the Universe did chemical elements come from? Why do stars evolve into different forms? This was his first real dialogue with the vast cosmos. At that time, he did not yet know that in the future he would continue asking these questions already in the microworld of nuclear physics.
During his undergraduate studies, he completed an internship at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, at the Southwest Institute of Physics and other institutions, where, confronted with large-scale nuclear and thermonuclear facilities, he truly felt the tension between “advanced” and “heavy equipment” in this field. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he enrolled in the master’s and doctoral programs at CIAE. Under the supervision of his scientific advisor—Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Lü Weipin and deputy director—Deputy Director of CIAE Guo Bin, he joined work measuring the reaction—the “Holy Grail” of nuclear astrophysics: 12C(α, γ)16O.
Dream deep in Mount Cizingpin
Mount Jinpin rises with steep green slopes in the valley of the Yalun River, located in Sichuan Province. At a depth of 2,400 meters in a tunnel under the mountain is situated the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, which is also the deepest underground scientific experimental facility in the world. In September 2020, the team of the deep underground nuclear astrophysics experiments project JUNA began installation and adjustment of equipment. Chen Yanping, as a key team member, arrived here to carry out the task — direct measurement of the “Holy Grail” reaction and continuation of research on the production of elements in the Universe.
After several months of persistent work, the team of researchers obtained key experimental data, for the first time directly measuring this reaction under deep underground conditions, achieving unprecedented accuracy. This provided the most important experimental basis for understanding stellar evolution, element formation, and even the origin of life.
Devoting himself to the country and creating great equipment
In June 2024, CIAE officially established the Chen Yanping Youth Innovation Workshop. In this workshop, he often discusses specific scientific questions and experimental tasks with young colleagues and graduate students, makes plans, and advances research.
In his opinion, the meaning of fundamental science is primarily in answering the most important scientific questions and increasing the ability for original innovations. The possibility of spending many years doing what you truly love, while combining personal interests with state needs, is a great happiness, says Chen Yanping. “Personal satisfaction comes not from the reward itself, but from the awareness that you have truly made progress in solving some important problem.””The scientific path is not easy, but when you understand that your work is simultaneously the comprehension of the laws of nature and the accumulation of potential for the country, a strong sense of responsibility and mission arises,” says Chen Yanpin.
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