University joins international particle accelerator project
Published: 10 May 2013
The University of Glasgow joins international particle accelerator project
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) officially announced the UK’s involvement in a major new particle accelerator project on 3 May.
The €1.6bn Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR) is currently under construction in Darmstadt, Germany and due to open in 2018. The University of Glasgow’s School of Physics and Astronomy has already built strong links with FAIR in recent years.
Scientists from more than 50 countries worldwide will investigate the evolution of the universe and gain insight into the building blocks of matter.
FAIR will also be used to develop new medical therapies and diagnostic procedures, as well as energy-efficient, high-performance computers and new materials, for space missions, for example. 
10 UK universities officially become associate partners in FAIR following the STFC’s announcement. UK institutions contribute to NUSTAR and PANDA, two of the four large experiments at FAIR.
NUSTAR (NUclear Structure, Astrophysics and Reactions) aims to find out how elements heavier than iron are produced in the Universe. This could happen in cataclysmic events such as supernovae or neutron star collisions. PANDA (Anti-Proton ANihilation at Darmstadt) searches for exotic hadronic matter such as heavy “glueballs” that are predicted to be formed exclusively from energy.
Dr Bjoern Seitz of the School of Physics and Astronomy is leading on the development of particle identification detectors for PANDA.
Dr Seitz said: “We’re very pleased to be one of the associate partners of FAIR. The project holds tremendous promise for broadening our understanding of the universe and we’re working closely with Kelvin Nanotechology Ltd to construct vital parts of the equipment which PANDA will use.”
The University’s Cargill Chair of Natural Philosophy, Professor Günther Rosner, has been seconded from the University to take up the role of Research and Administrative Managing Director at FAIR.
Professor Rosner said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome the UK as the first Associate Member of FAIR, the world’s largest project in Nuclear Physics. The UK has been one of the driving forces of the project right from the start. Important contributions to the large-scale experiments NUSTAR and PANDA have been initiated and are being built by UK Nuclear Physics groups, all experts in their fields. So welcome on board indeed.”
For more information on FAIR visit http://www.fair-center.eu/
First published: 10 May 2013
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