Russia to launch Nuclotron based Ion Collider Facility

On 13 June, construction commenced in Dubna, near Moscow, on a mega-science class facility: the superconducting collider of the NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility) accelerator complex. Construction of the facility commenced at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in 2013, a year after the detectors of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland identified the Higgs boson, the long-sought missing link of the Standard Model. The NICA collider will be used to accelerate heavy gold ions with the aim of recreating the first microseconds after the Big Bang and studying phase transitions within primary matter. This is in contrast to the LHC, which is used to accelerate beams of protons and lead nuclei with the objective of obtaining known particles and states of matter and discovering new ones. The LHC is focused on achieving the highest possible energies, while NICA is focused on creating quark-gluon plasma, the nuclear matter of the highest density in the Universe.
It is thought that this is the state in which a specific clump measuring 10⁻³³ cm and having a density of 10⁹⁴ g/cm³ was in space 13.7 billion years ago. This clump subsequently broke apart as a result of an explosion, forming the building blocks of matter – quarks and gluons, which in turn formed elementary particles, the nuclei of atoms, atoms themselves, matter, stars, planets and galaxies.

It is not feasible to create quark-gluon plasma on Earth under normal conditions. In accordance with contemporary theory, this substance is only naturally formed on Earth in the depths of neutron stars. There, under the influence of extremely strong gravitational compression, nuclei transform into a "mush" of quarks and gluons. The temperature and density of such a mix are so high that quarks do not "stick together" into particles of matter we are familiar with (gluons would have to play the role of "glue" in this case).
The NICA collider will create quark-gluon plasma through the controlled collision of heavy nuclei at a specified energy. The objective is to gain insight into the manner in which nuclear matter (comprising the elements that constitute our world, including ourselves) transitions from one phase to another, ultimately forming new particles and nuclei.

It should be noted that the NICA complex is a relatively small system in technical terms. The length of the main ring for particle acceleration is 500 metres, compared to 27 kilometres for the LHC. It will accelerate heavy nuclei to 4.5 GeV and protons to 12.6 GeV (for comparison, ions can be accelerated to 2.76 TeV at CERN). However, in isolation, these indicators have limited value. They merely reflect the methodology employed in seeking answers to the fundamental questions of the universe.
If you were to splash a cup of water on hot stones, you would observe the formation of splashes and steam, but nothing more. Furthermore, if water is heated gradually in a saucepan on a stove, it will be observed that bubbles form, collapse and boil, representing transient processes. This process does not require a significant amount of energy, but rather the opposite. "Our NICA can be compared to a saucepan on the stove, and the BAC can be likened to hot stones," states the project's chief designer, Nikolai Topilin.

The Dubna facility’s primary distinguishing feature is its work in the energy field, which is not covered by any existing accelerators, including the Large Hadron Collider.
Any distinctive quality is an advantage. As Viktor Egorychev, Director of the A. A. Logunov Institute of High Energy Physics at the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center and coordinator of Russian groups at CERN, notes, "nobody but us" is the mindset that drives success in this field. "Furthermore, in physics, as in any other scientific field, the significance of any result, whether positive or negative, is paramount in identifying new phenomena. This provides scientists with an additional avenue for conducting research. At NICA, the objective is to obtain an early phase of nuclear matter that arose in the first moments after the Big Bang. In a sense, modern research accelerators can be regarded as time machines, enabling scientists to reach the origin, or "zero point," in time.
In terms of safety, colliders, including NICA, are regarded as reliable machines despite the fact that they work with nuclear 'raw materials' and are designed to reconstruct explosive processes on a cosmic scale. The probability of creating a neutron star in the Dubna experiment, which would generate a black hole and destroy our planet, is considered by physicists to be as unlikely as the generation of a new Big Bang at CERN. While we respect the achievements of earthly science, the scale is far from the same. The NICA collider is designed to obtain microscopic volumes of matter, the properties of which will be captured and calculated indirectly using highly sensitive devices.
The initial component of the NICA installation is the injection complex, which is responsible for the production of ions. The system's injectors are loaded with tungsten wire coated with a thin layer of gold. The gold coating on the tungsten wire evaporates under the influence of high temperatures, forming a cloud of nuclei which is transferred to a linear accelerator and accelerated to a speed of approximately 0.1 of the speed of light (about 30 thousand kilometres per second). Subsequently, the cloud is propelled into the initial cyclic accelerator, designated the "Booster". At this point, the cloud reaches 0.5 of light speed and becomes a concentrated mass comprising billions of nuclei. Simultaneously, the electrons are ejected from the atomic nuclei, resulting in the formation of naked ions or ions with a net charge. These ions are then directed to the next synchrotron, the "Nuclotron," where their velocity approaches that of light.

Subsequently, they proceed to the collider, the most impressive structure within the complex. The structure features two straight sections and two rings, which intersect at two points, creating a distinctive racetrack shape. The hardware is configured in such a way that two beams of nuclei are emitted from both sides, accelerated towards each other and collide at the point where the apertures of the rings converge. The detectors are situated in these areas to record the decay products of particles resulting from their interaction. The collider comprises two main detectors: The MultiPurpose Detector (MPD) and the Spin Physics Detector (SPD) are two key components of the collider. These are highly sophisticated and substantial structures. In 2020, when an Italian-made cryostat with a superconducting magnet for MPD was being delivered to the JINR site, the electricity had to be turned off in several areas of Dubna to facilitate the uninterrupted transportation of the cargo near high-voltage lines.
The complex system comprises approximately 10 large research installations. The total cost of the project in full configuration is estimated at 650 million dollars, which is several times higher than the cost of developing devices for a flight, for example, to the Moon.

Furthermore, the anticipated profits from this research are not only fundamental, as with space projects. The installation is scheduled to undertake applied work on the creation of radiation-resistant microcircuits and materials. To this end, special stations have already been installed, namely SOCHI (Chip Irradiation Station) and ISKRA (Test Station for Components of Radio-Electronic Equipment). The SIMBO (Station for Research of Medical and Biological Objects), which is currently under construction, will be used to study the safety of manned space flights and to solve problems of space biology and medicine.

Some NICA technologies are already in use in a number of practical applications. For instance, image recognition systems developed by Russian companies are now in use at airports, railway stations and the metro.
A total of 35 countries, in addition to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), provided input in the creation of a multitude of components that comprise the complex. A total of 130 scientific institutes, universities and enterprises were involved in the project, including 36 domestic ones. Additionally, 2,400 scientists, of whom 1,650 were Russian, and 185 specialists from foreign laboratories conducted their experiments directly at JINR.

This provides a valuable political boost to our scientific endeavours, which is particularly welcome in the current climate. It is regrettable that the wave of sanctions has also affected international collaborations in nuclear physics. In a statement released in 2022, CERN announced its intention to terminate its collaboration with Russian and Belarusian scientists by the end of 2024. This decision will result in the departure of approximately 500 Russian specialists currently engaged in LHC operations, with only a few dozen remaining.

This decision is detrimental and inequitable, and it has the potential to impede global scientific advancement. At the very least, our country has a longstanding reputation as a leading centre for nuclear research. The creation of the U-70 proton synchrotron in Protvino (Moscow Region) in 1967, which remains one of the three most powerful accelerators, prompted physicists to develop the Large Hadron Collider.

Nevertheless, NICA will retain its status as an international project. "We are not restricting access to any information. "We are open to collaboration and the utilisation of NICA's outcomes not only in Russia but also in other nations," stated Russian President Vladimir Putin during the technological launch of the facility.

The complex is scheduled to be physically launched in 2024–2025. In the meantime, the power sources for the collider's superconducting magnets, which serve to accelerate particles and keep them on the required trajectory in the accelerator blocks, will undergo testing. JINR states that this test marks the final stage of preparation for the launch of all systems.