The Space Radiation Physics Group investigates the effects of space radiation and develops strategies to protect astronauts and critical technologies, addressing one of the major challenges of human and robotic space exploration.

In space, radiation poses a significant risk. Sudden bursts of high-energy particles from the Sun, as well as long-term exposure to galactic cosmic rays, can have serious short- and long-term effects on astronaut health and can damage mission-critical electronic systems.

To better understand these risks and develop effective mitigation techniques, the group uses the GSI|s particle accelerator to recreate space-like radiation environments here on Earth. The developed advanced irradiation methods allow to closely simulate solar particle events and galactic cosmic radiation, making it possible to conduct controlled experiments under realistic space radiation conditions. As galactic cosmic radiation is highly complex, composed of different particle types and a wide range of energies, it is essential to verify that the radiation fields reproduced on the ground accurately match those found in space. This is achieved through microdosimetric characterization, a well-established technique that is gaining renewed interest for its ability to comprehensively describe complex radiation environments. In addition, the group actively develops and tests radiation shielding solutions, measuring how different materials modify the radiation field and evaluating their effectiveness in reducing biological and technological risks. The group is actively working on the design and implementation of a Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) simulator at the FAIR accelerator facility. This simulator will be the first of its kind worldwide, capable of reproducing the GCR kinetic energy spectrum up to 10 GeV/u.