GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung operates a unique accelerator for heavy ions. Researchers from around the world use this facility for experiments that help them make fascinating discoveries in basic research. In addition, they continually develop new and impressive applications.

CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron in 2022.
Whether in listening to music or pushing a swing in the playground, we are all familiar with resonances and how they amplify an effect – a sound or a movement, for example. However, in high-intensity circular particle accelerators, resonances can be an inconvenience, causing particles to fly off their course and resulting in beam loss. Predicting how resonances and non-linear phenomena affect particle beams requires some very complex dynamics to be disentangled.



Professor Claudia Fournier
The broad expertise of the scientists at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and at the accelerator center FAIR, currently under construction, is in demand. Professor Claudia Fournier from the GSI Biophysics Department has recently been appointed Deputy Chair of the Commission for Radiation Protection by Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke. The committee advises the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) on all…



FAIR – the future accelerator facility

In the next few years the new international accelerator facility FAIR, one of the largest research projects worldwide, will be erected at GSI. At FAIR an unprecedented variety of experiments will be possible. Thereby physicists from all around the world will be able to gain new insights into the structure of matter and the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to the present.
Learn more about FAIR: GSI about FAIR or FAIR web page

Cancer Treatment with Ion Beams

GSI is the birthplace of a new form of cancer treatment. This development was the result of many years of research in conjunction with GSI’s large ion-beam accelerator system. The advantage of this new treatment modality is that the ion beam selectively damages tumor tissues while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues. More...

The Creation of New Elements

Chemical elements are produced in stars and stellar explosions. Elements are the building blocks of all materials that surround us – including every atom of our bodies. The universe is also home to a large number of atoms that do not occur on earth. One of the key tasks of the researchers at GSI is to attempt to create previously unknown elements. More...


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