The starting signal for the installation of the FAIR accelerator machine has been given. The high-precision assembly work in the buildings of the international FAIR accelerator facility in Darmstadt has begun: The first magnets each weighing tons were successfully positioned in the ring tunnel, 17 meters underground. This marks a decisive step forward in the realization of the state-of-the-art accelerator, which will accelerate ions of all elements up to 99 percent of the speed of light...

For the first time, an international research team, led by GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, the Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'Univers (IRFU) in Saclay, France, and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg (MPIK) has succeeded in observing a two-photon decay on a so-called bare atomic nucleus from which the entire electron shell has been removed. The measurements on germanium-72 nuclei were carried out as part of the FAIR Phase 0 experimental program at the…

The employees of GSI and FAIR mourn the loss of their former division head Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Peter Armbruster (* 25.7.1931, † 26.6.2024), who passed away at the age of 92. Peter Armbruster created and achieved groundbreaking research in his long and fulfilling life. This applies in particular to his achievements for and at GSI, where he was a leading scientist and a longstanding member of the Scientific Directorate from 1971 to 1996.

Researching new vaccines quickly and powerfully for the benefit of humanity — the COVID-19 pandemic rendered clear the need for effective and rapid vaccine development processes. Scientists from the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig investigated an innovative method that has the potential to increase significantly the effectiveness of future vaccine development.

The science manager and biochemist Dr. Katharina Stummeyer has taken up the position of the Administrative Managing Director of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe GmbH (FAIR GmbH) on 1 June 2024. She previously has been head of the project management agency of the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH. Dr. Katharina Stummeyer succeeds Dr. Ulrich Breuer, who took over the position of chancellor…

The GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung mourns the loss of its former Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Hans Joachim Specht, who passed away in Heidelberg on May 20, 2024 at the age of 87. Under the scientific leadership of Prof. Specht, from 1992 to 1999, a rich scientific harvest was obtained at the previously commissioned GSI accelerator facilities UNILAC/SIS/ESR, with numerous discoveries and new technological developments. Professor Specht also played an eminent role in the…

A new nucleosynthesis process denoted the νr-process has been suggested by scientists from GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Technische Universität Darmstadt, and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. It operates when neutron-rich material is exposed to a high flux of neutrinos. The theoretical proposal, which was recently published in “Physical Review Letters”, may be the solution to a long-standing issue related to the production of a group of rare isotopes present in the…

The nationwide day of action Girls'Day in 2024 was once again very well received at GSI/FAIR. This time, 68 girls between the ages of eleven and 17 took part in the event and learned about the accelerator facilities and experiments, about research and infrastructure, and especially about the career opportunities at GSI and FAIR. The girls took advantage of Girls'Day to gain insight into the wide range of activities at an international research institution, especially in professions in which…

It could be a new, promising combination of two therapeutic approaches and a key to better combating advanced-stage cancer. Two strong partners have joined forces to explore this possibility: The biopharmaceutical and translational research institute TRON in Mainz with its highly specialized oncology research and the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt with its worldwide unique accelerator facilities and the cancer therapy with ion beams developed here. Researchers from…