Antonio Ricardo Droher Rodrigues, the creator of Brazillian synchrotron accelerator projects: UVX and Sirius, passed away on January 03 this year.
Source: UOL (Translated to English)
Antonio Ricardo Droher Rodrigues passed away on Friday, January 03, at 68. Civil engineer graduated by Paraná Federal University (UFPR) and doctor in physics by King’s College, University of London. Was responsible for project of 2 Brazilian synchrotrons accelerators: the UVX, first in Southern Hemisphere, inaugurated in 1997, and Sirius, the sucessor, in final commissioning phase, both from National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), in National Center for Energy and Materials Research (CNPEM), in Campinas.
Due to lung cancer treatment, Ricardo Rodrigues missed the first electron loop in Sirius’ ring, on December 25 in 2019, and wasn’t present when the team managed to store electrons for many hours in accelerator, on December 14 of same year. But appeared to a photo 2 days later, when the team is able to generate enough current to make synchrotron light arrive in one of Sirius’ experimental stations for the first time. “We did it for him. And he was very happy”, said Antonio José Roque da Silva, general-director of CNPEM.
Click in the link below to know more about the synchrotron accelerator Sirius.
In second year of graduation in Civil Engineering at UFPR, Ricardo Rodrigues started to study X-ray optics, oriented by Cesar Cusatis, coordinator of X-ray optics and Instrumentation Laboratory at Physics Department. “Was an exceptional person”, remembers Cusatis. Finished graduation and was immediately accepted as PhD. student in King’s College, had as advisor Michael Hart, inventor of X-ray interferometer”, tells Cusatis. “When returned to Paraná was a fundamental support for our laboratory”, he tells.
Three years after, was transferred to Physics Institute of São Paulo University (USP), in São Carlos, where Cusatis had done PhD in RX crystallography area, advised by Ivone Mascarenhas. “Ricardo Rodrigues is a high standard scientist and one of the most important characters in recent history of Brazilian science”, said Sérgio Mascarenhas. Retired professor from Physics Institute of USP São Carlos.
More information about Antonio Ricardo Droher Rodrigues
Was born in Curitiba on 1951, was graduated by UFPR in 1974, where was professor for a while. Get the PhD in 1979 with thesis “X-Ray Optics for Synchrotron Radiation”.
In 2001, left LNLS and founded SKEDIO Tecnologia, an industrial project company. Become LNLS director in 2009.
