PHYSICAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING
/
SINGLE-SITED
FAIR
Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research
headquarters
FAIR Gmbh
Darmstadt, Germany
legal status
Established (ERIC, AISBL, GmbH, Others)
type
single-sited
access
physical
description
The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) is a new accelerator complex providing high-energy, high- intensity primary and secondary beams of antiprotons and ions to enable forefront research into the structure and dynamics of matter under extreme conditions, thereby also providing new insights into the evolution of the Universe and the nucleosynthesis in stars and star explosions.
In 2010, ten countries signed an international agreement on the construction of the FAIR accelerator facility in Darmstadt. These countries are the shareholders of the FAIR GmbH, the established legal entity for the realization of FAIR. In total over 50 countries are involved in the FAIR science program by contributing to the construction and to the exploitation of the FAIR detectors. The FAIR experiments are organized in four large collaborations: APPA, CBM, NUSTAR and PANDA encompassing more than 2.500 scientists in total.
FAIR is expected to deliver first beams for science experiments in 2027/2028. Partial operation – FAIR Phase 0 science programme - has started in 2018 with the upgraded GSI accelerators, which will serve as injector chain for FAIR, and with the new FAIR storage ring CRYRING.
In 2022 an international expert committee evaluation of the FAIR project was performed (https://www.gsi.de/fileadmin/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/fair/FAIR-report_221025.pdf). The expert group evaluated the science program of FAIR as compelling, often world-leading.
Based on these recommendations and due to funding limitations the FAIR council has decided a prioritization of the FAIR project with a stepwise realization of the facility.
FAIR is under construction in Darmstadt, Germany adjacent to the GSI facility. The realization of FAIR is advancing significantly. The series production of the many different components of the FAIR accelerator complex is ongoing with good progress. All SIS100 superconducting dipole magnets have been produced and cold tested.
The civil construction for the first stage will be completed end of 2024. The delivery and installation of the first SIS100 Dipole magnets in SIS100 tunnel and of the Quadrupole magnets in High Energy Beam Transfer tunnel has started in 2024. The installation of the technical infrastructure, of all accelerator components and of the FAIR experiments for the first stage of the project realisation is planned to be completed until 2028 .
TIMELINE & ESTIMATED COSTS
Roadmap Entry
as project: 2006
as landmark: 2016
Total investment
Design Phase
Preparation Phase
2005-2010
Implementation Phase
2012-2028
3500 M€
Operation start
2027
POLITICAL SUPPORT
Lead
DE
Member
CZ
FI
FR
IN
PL
RO
RU
SE
SI
UK
IMPACTS
The completion of the construction of FAIR is the highest priority of the NuPECC Long Range Plan on the perspectives in Nuclear Physics in Europe (https://www.esf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/esf/Nupecc-LRP2017.pdf ).
The field of nuclear physics is going through a period of many important results from existing facilities, which have to be compared with future facilities in Europe in the field. The international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) has four research programs APPA, CBM, NUSTAR and PANDA. With its broad capabilities, FAIR will provide European researchers with unique opportunities for programs in nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, high density nuclear matter, the extremes of atomic physics, and QCD.
In addition to the fundamental science research, FAIR is focusing on applications like radiobiological risk assessments for manned space missions, material sciences, plasma physics studies, and radiotherapy research and development. This is also reflected by strong and active cooperation between FAIR and many laboratories worldwide optimizing synergies in research and development, and use of existing infrastructures. FAIR is intended to provide research opportunities well beyond the European scope from the beginning, thus catering for scientific communities of countries that cannot afford such large Research Infrastructure by themselves and would greatly benefit from it.
SERVICES
GSI/FAIR provides access to scientists from many countries for participating in the FAIR-Phase-0 science programme. The goal of FAIR Phase-0 is to provide about 3 months beam time per year for science besides tests of developed accelerator and detector components. Moreover, the use of already existing FAIR detectors is performed.
The General Program Advisory Committee (G-PAC) for experiments in nuclear and atomic physics, the Biophysics & Radio-Biology Program Advisory Committee (Bio-PAC), the Materials Research Program Advisory Committee (Mat-PAC) and the PHELIX and Plasma physics Program Advisory Committee (PPAC) have approved 65 experiment proposals in fall 2022 for execution.
About 1500 scientist from 43 countries are participating in the years 2023 and 2024 in these experiments at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, Germany.
Interconnections
COOPERATION WITH OTHER RIs
FAIR has a strong and active cooperation with many laboratories worldwide optimizing synergies in research and development, and use of existing infrastructures.
More than 2500 scientists from 413 institutes in 53 countries are members of the FAIR collaborations and are involved in the FAIR science program by contributing to the construction and to the exploitation of the FAIR detectors (status April 2024).
However, as a consequence of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, FAIR stopped the communication with the institutions in Russia and the FAIR experiment collaborations suspended or terminated the membership of the Russian institutes in their collaboration.