#Synchrotron control room, Yerevan
Physics Institute, Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory, Yerevan, Armenia
In 1956, the Soviet physicist Artem Alikhanian began the development of the Armenian accelerator, known as #Arus. His aim was to construct the most powerful electron synchrotron in the world, capable of accelerating particles to nearly the speed of light around a closed loop.
Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory’s Aragats cosmic ray research station, Armenia
After the collapse of the USSR, with funding discontinued, the station’s survival seemed uncertain. International grants and support from the Armenian diaspora bridged the gap, allowing Aragats to continue its work.
Control panel and mural at the Byurakan astrophysical observatory, Armenia
The Soviets presented science as a utopian ideal. Thousands of researchers worked in imperfect secrecy on ‘big science’ initiatives, mostly for cold war military objectives. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many institutions were left destitute and their advanced technology was doomed to extinction.
