NICA at JINR: New prospects for exploration of quark-gluon matter

A new scientific program is proposed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna aimed at studies of hot and dense baryonic matter in the wide energy range from 2 GeV/u kinetic energy in fixed target experiments to $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 4 - 11$ GeV/u in the collider mode. To realize this program the development of the JINR accelerator facility in high-energy physics (HEP) has been started. This facility is based on the existing superconducting synchrotron??the Nuclotron. The program foresees both experiments at the beams extracted from the Nuclotron, and the construction of a heavy-ion collider??the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) which is designed to reach the required parameters with an average luminosity of L = 10²⁷ cm^?2 s^?1.     

Status of NICA complex at JINR

New scientific program is proposed at Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna aimed a study of hot and dense baryonic matter in the wide energy region from 2 GeV/amu to √s _NN = 11 GeV, and investigation of nucleon spin structure with polarized protons and deuterons maximum energy in the c.m. 27 GeV (for protons). To realize this program the development of JINR accelerator facility in high energy physics has started. This facility is based on the existing superconducting synchrotron—Nuclotron. The program foresees both experiments at the beams extracted from the Nuclotron, and construction of ion collider—the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA).     

Booster synchrotron of NICA accelerator complex

NICA is a new accelerator complex being constructed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research; the main task of this complex is to perform collider experiments for ion beams up to uranium with energies of up to 3.5 × 3.5 GeV/nucleon. This complex includes an electron string ion source, a 6 MeV/nucleon linear accelerator, a booster, the Nuclotron, and a collider with an average luminosity of 10²⁷ cm² s^?1. The main tasks of the booster are to accumulate up to 4 × 10^{9 197}Au³²⁺ ions, to accelerate to 600 MeV/nucleon (sufficient enough energy for completely stripping nuclei), to reduce the requirements of vacuum conditions for the Nuclotron, and to form the necessary beam emittance using an electron cooling system. The specific features of the NICA booster and the requirements for the basic systems of the synchrotron and their parameters are presented in this paper.     

Progress in development of Nuclotron accelerator complex

The Nuclotron superconducting synchrotron was constructed in 1987–1992 [1]; it is the world’s first synchrotron based on fast cycling “window frame” electromagnets with a superconducting coil. For a design field of dipole magnets of 2 T, the magnetic rigidity is 45 T m, which corresponds to the energy of heavy nuclei (for example, gold) of 4.5 GeV/nucleon. The Nuclotron accelerator complex is currently being upgraded (the Nuclotron-M project); this upgrade is considered a key part of the first stage of fulfilling the new Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) project: the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility and Multi-Purpose Detector (NICA/MPD). The most important task of this new project is the preparation of basic Nuclotron systems for its reliable operation as part of the NICA accelerator complex. Basic results of activity on the project, which started in 2007, are presented and the results of the last Nuclotron runs are analyzed.     

System of quench detection in superconducting magnets of the nuclotron accelerator complex

A new system for quench detection in windings of superconducting magnets has been created for the Nuclotron synchrotron during the period from 2007 to 2012 during the course of preparing the accelerator for its work as part of the injection chain of the NICA heavy-ion collider and as a source of relativistic heavy ions for baryonic matter in the Nuclotron (BM@N) experiment. The results of testing the system components and its trial operation during the accelerator runs are given.     

Longitudinal dynamics of <Superscript>197</Superscript>Au<Superscript>32+</Superscript> and <Superscript>197</Superscript>Au<Superscript>79+</Superscript> ions in NICA injection chain

The main objective of the NICA project developed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) is to conduct experimental studies with colliding heavy ion beams in an energy range of 1–4.5 GeV/nucleonucleon with luminosity on the level of 1 × 10²⁷ cm⁻² s⁻¹. In this paper the operation regime of the collider injection chain providing the bunch with experimentally desirable parameters at the output of the Nuclotron is considered for gold ions as an example.     

Measurement of the magnetic-field parameters of the NICA Booster dipole magnet

Serial assembly and tests of dipole and quadrupole magnets of the NICA Booster have started at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). The accelerator is fitted with Nuclotron-type magnets with a superconducting winding and an iron yoke for shaping the needed magnetic field. The design of magnets for NICA was optimized (based on the experience gained in constructing and operating the JINR Nuclotron) for the production of magnetic fields of the required configuration in terms of the beam dynamics in the accelerator and the collider. Measurements of parameters of the field of each magnet are expected to be performed in the process of assembly and testing of each module of the magnet-cryostat system of the NICA Booster and Collider. The results of magnetic measurements for the NICA Booster dipole magnet are presented.     

Projects of Nuclotron modernization and Nuclotron-based ion collider facility (NICA) at JINR

One of the basic facilities at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna is the 6 A GeV Nuclotron, which has replaced the old weak focusing 10-GeV proton accelerator Synchrophasotron. The first relativistic nuclear beams with the energy of 4.2 A GeV were obtained at the Synchrophasotron in 1971. Since that time, relativistic nuclear physics has been one of the main directions of the JINR research program. In the coming years, the new JINR flagship program assumes the experimental study of hot and dense strongly interacting QCD matter at the new JINR facility. This goal is proposed to be reached by (i) development of the existing Nuclotron accelerator facility as a basis for generation of intense beams over atomic mass range from protons to uranium and light polarized ions, (ii) design and construction of the Nuclotron-based heavy Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) with the maximum nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass collision energy of √s _NN = 9 GeV and averaged luminosity 10²⁷ cm⁻² s⁻¹, and (iii) design and construction of the Multipurpose Particle Detector (MPD) at intersecting beams. Realization of the project will lead to unique conditions for research activity of the world community. The NICA energy region is of major interest because the highest nuclear (baryonic) density under laboratory conditions can be reached there. Generation of intense polarized light nuclear beams aimed at investigation of polarization phenomena at the Nuclotron is foreseen. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Upgrade of Nuclotron power supply system

One of the trends of Nuclotron development lies in modifying the power supply system and upgrading the energy evacuation system of structural magnets in order to provide reliable durable operation of the synchrotron at a dipole magnet field level of 2 T. This is necessary for Nuclotron operation as part of the injection chain of the heavy-ion NICA collider under design at JINR and for the current program of physical studies. The principles of construction and specific features of the existing system based on a separate power supply of structural dipole and quadrupole magnetic elements are considered. The main provisions of the upgrade of the power supply system, structural and schematic diagrams, control schemes, and energy evacuation switch schemes from superconducting elements are presented.     

The Nuclotron and Nica control system development status

The Nuclotron is a 6 GeV/n superconducting proton synchrotron operating at JINR, Dubna since 1993. It will be the core of the future accelerating complex NICA which is under construction now. The TANGO based control system of the accelerating complex is under development now. The report describes its structure, main features and present status.     

Cryogenics for the future accelerator complex NICA at JINR

The NICA cryogenics will be based on the modernized liquid helium plant that was b uilt in the early 90’s for the superconducting synchrotron known as the Nuclotron. The main goals of the modernization are: increasing of the total refrigerator capacity from 4000 W to 8000 W at 4.5 K, making a new distribution system of liquid helium, and ensuring the shortest possible cool down time. These goals will be achieved by means of an additional 1000 l/hour helium liquefier and “satellite” refrigerators located near the accelerator rings. This report describes the design choices of the NICA, demonstrates helium flow diagrams with major new components and briefly informs of the liquid nitrogen system that will be used for shield cooling at 77 K and at the first stage of cooling down of three accelerator rings with the total length of about 1 km and “cold” mass of 290 tons.     

Investigating the adiabatic beam grouping at the NICA accelerator complex

The NICA complex comprises the Booster and Nuclotron synchrotrons for accelerating particle beams to the required energy and the Collider machine, in which particle collisions are investigated. The experimental heavy-ion program deals with ions up to Au⁺⁷⁹. The light-ion program deals with polarized deuterons and protons. Grouping of a beam coasting in an ion chamber is required in many parts of the complex. Beam grouping may effectively increase the longitudinal emittance and particle losses. To avoid these negative effects, various regimes of adiabatic grouping have been simulated and dedicated experiments with a deuteron beam have been conducted at the Nuclotron machine. As a result, we are able to construct and optimize the beam-grouping equipment, which provides a capture efficiency near 100% either retaining or varying the harmonic multiplicity of the HF system.     

On the development of an ion-beam stochastic cooling system for the nuclotron superconducting accelerator complex

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) initiated the creation of a unique heavy-ion collider, the Nuclotron-based ion collider facility (NICA), which is planned to be put into commission in 2016. According to the calculation data, the collider luminosity, which should be kept at a record high level of 10²⁷ cm^?2 s^?1, will gradually decrease, mainly due to intrabeam scattering. To maintain luminosity at a high level, it is necessary to include a cooling system in the base project of the accelerator. Among the two cooling methods (electron and stochastic) most frequently used for heavy ion beams, stochastic cooling seems more attractive. However, there has been a lack of experience in the development and commissioning of such systems in Russia. For this reason, an experiment on stochastic cooling on the Nuclotron accelerator is being prepared to explore the technology and possibilities of this method. In this work, the method of stochastic cooling, the technique for calculating the cooling dynamics, and the experimental setup under development are briefly described.     

Radiative recombination of ions and nuclei in electron cooling systems

Experimental data on rates for the radiative recombination of nuclei (from helium to uranium) and various ions in interaction with an electron beam in electron cooling systems are reviewed. An analysis of the experimental data has yielded the dependence of the radiative recombination rate on the relative electron energy appreciably differently than the theoretical models obtained earlier by H. Kramers and R. Schuch. In addition, it is shown that the radiative recombination rate of nuclei in the experiment depends on the transverse electron energy as T _?? ^?0.82 ,which is also different from the results of the calculations by the theoretical model proposed by M. Bell and J. Bell. Experimental data on the cooling of ions in intermediate charge states are analyzed and the dependence of the radiative recombination rate on the charge state of the ion (electron-shell configuration) is shown. For some ion charge states, the rate of the process is of a resonance character. Loss to radiative recombination in the electron cooling system of the NICA Booster is evaluated for the Au³²⁺, Au³³⁺, Au⁵⁰⁺, and Au⁵¹⁺ ion beams. Limitations imposed on the Au79+ beam lifetime by radiative recombination in the electron cooling system of the NICA Collider are analyzed. Possible ways to decrease the radiative recombination rate of nuclei by selecting the parameters of the electron cooling system for the NICA Collider are proposed.     

Superconducting synchrotron project for hadron therapy

The project of a superconducting medical synchrotron for carbon therapy in the ion energy range from 140 to 400 MeV/n is discussed in this paper. This project is aimed at developing and building a medical synchrotron on the basis of superconducting technologies at JINR under the construction of the Nuclotron accelerator complex. A linear accelerator with alternating phase focusing is proposed for injecting carbon ion into the synchrotron, while it is planned to use a superconducting gantry weighing about 150 t for delivering radiation treatment to patients from all directions.     

Conceptual design of the system of heavy-ion beam injection into the Booster of the NICA accelerator complex

A project of the system of heavy-ion beam injection into the Booster synchrotron of the NICA accelerator complex developed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna) is considered. The proposed system provides multivariant injection for accumulating beams with required intensity. The main methods of beam injection into the Booster are described. These are the methods of one-turn, multiturn, and multiple injections. The results of beam dynamics simulations are presented.     

Upgrading the nuclotron injection facility

The Nuclotron Injection Facility is intended to be used to inject beams of light and heavy ions with the charge-to-mass ratio q/A ?? 1/3 and energy 5 MeV/u and protons with the energy 20 MeV into the Nuclotron. The main directions in the upgrading of the laser source of light-element ions and the KRION heavyion source, the development of the new high-intensity source of polarized ions, and the preinjector updating plan are described.     

Correctors’ Magnets for the NICA Booster and Collider

Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters - The NICA accelerator complex will consist of two injector chains, a new 600 MeV/u superconducting booster synchrotron, the existing superconducting...     

Status of the front-end-electronics for the time-of-flight measurements at the MPD experiment

The preamplifier based on the ASIC NINO for the Time of Flight system (TOF) of MPD/NICA was developed and tested. The signal is read from both sides of the strip of the multi gap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC). In total there are around 14000 channels of electronics. To measure time of flight of secondary particles from collision of heavy ions on the collider NICA the Time over Threshold (ToT) method is used. According to the bench tests the preamplifier board showed stable work and good time resolution <10 ps for one channel. It was also tested at the test beam facility of the Nuclotron. The time resolution of the TOF detector which used the described preamplifier was reached ～42 ps.