NICA (collider)

NICA (collider). The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) is a major accelerator complex under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. Its primary mission is to study the properties of dense baryonic matter, including the search for signs of a predicted mixed phase and the critical point in the phase diagram of nuclear matter. The facility is designed to collide a wide range of particles, from protons to heavy ions like gold and bismuth, at energies up to √s_NN = 11 GeV for gold nuclei, recreating conditions similar to those in neutron stars and the early universe microseconds after the Big Bang.

Overview

The NICA project is a flagship scientific endeavor of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, one of the world's leading centers for nuclear physics research. Located in the science city of Dubna, the complex is being built around the existing Nuclotron superconducting synchrotron, which serves as its primary injector. The design centers on a two-ring collider housed in a new 503-meter circumference tunnel, allowing for simultaneous collisions at two intersection points. These points will host major detector systems: the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) and the Spin Physics Detector (SPD). The project aims to provide a unique energy range between those available at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States and the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN.

Scientific goals

The core scientific program of NICA focuses on exploring the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at high baryonic densities and moderate temperatures. A key objective is the experimental search for the hypothetical first-order phase transition between ordinary hadronic matter and a deconfined state of quark–gluon plasma (QGP), and the associated critical point. The facility will also investigate the spin structure of the nucleon and spin-dependent effects in collisions of polarized protons and deuterons using the Spin Physics Detector. Other research areas include the production of hypernuclei, studies of dilepton and strangeness production as probes of the dense medium, and contributions to applied research in radiobiology and materials science.

Design and components

The NICA accelerator chain begins with two sources: a duoplasmatron for light ions and a laser ion source for heavy ions like gold. Ions are first accelerated in the linear accelerator LU-20 before being injected into the existing Nuclotron synchrotron. The Nuclotron, with its unique fast-cycling superconducting magnets, boosts the beams to their final injection energy. The beams are then transferred into the main collider, which consists of two independent concentric rings using superconducting dipole and quadrupole magnets to store and collide counter-rotating beams. The two main detectors are the Multi-Purpose Detector, a large-acceptance device optimized for studying high-multiplicity heavy-ion events, and the Spin Physics Detector, dedicated to spin physics with polarized beams.

Construction and timeline

The project was officially launched following approval by the JINR Scientific Council and the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of JINR member states. Major construction of the new collider tunnel and associated surface buildings at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research site in Dubna began in the early 2010s. The timeline has seen several stages, including the upgrade of the Nuclotron and the commissioning of the new Booster ring. The first beams were circulated in the collider rings in 2020. The project is proceeding in phases, with the goal of achieving first collisions in the Multi-Purpose Detector and commencing the physics program with heavy ions, followed by the completion and commissioning of the Spin Physics Detector for polarized beam studies.

International collaboration

NICA is being developed as a major international megascience project, involving extensive collaboration between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and numerous scientific institutions worldwide. Key partner countries include Germany, Italy, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, and South Africa, among others. Contributions from collaborators range from the design and manufacturing of detector components and accelerator parts to software development and theoretical support. The project is recognized within the European Strategy for Particle Physics and receives support from organizations like the Helmholtz Association in Germany. This global cooperation is essential for realizing the full scientific potential of the facility and fostering knowledge exchange in high-energy physics.

Category:Particle accelerators Category:Nuclear physics Category:Joint Institute for Nuclear Research