GSI operates one of the most powerful accelerators facilities of the world. It is the only facility that allows the acceleration of ions – ions are charged atoms – of all chemical elements occurring on Earth.
One facility, thousand possibilities
Electrical fields are used to accelerate the ions. Magnets direct and focus them. The ions can be accelareted up to about 90% of the speed of light, i.e. 270,000 km/s.
Scientists from all over the world use the accelerated ions for experiments in various fields of research ranging from particle, nuclear and atomic physics via plasma physics and materials research up to biophysics and tumor therapy.
Six main devices are indispensable to provide the experiments at GSI with heavy ions:
- the ion sources
- the linear accelerator UNILAC
- the ring accelerator SIS18
- the storage ring ESR
- the fragment separator FRS
- the main control room
The international accelerator facility FAIR is currently under construction and will be connected to the existing GSI accelerators. They will serve as injectors for FAIR.