The first physical launch of the BM@n (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) experiment on the derived beam at the Nuclotron with a fixed target aimed at the study of dense nuclear matter and strange particles has been completed. The experiment is a part of the NICA mega-project at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. The start is scheduled for 2020. A post-graduate student of INPhE and a part-time engineer of the Interdepartmental laboratory of experimental nuclear physics MEPhI Andrey Galavanov participated in the preparation and conduct of a trial session of the experiment.

Andrey described the work at the initial stage as follows: "I was attached to a group that deals with the Central track system of the BM@N experiment based on gas electron multipliers (GEM) inside the installation’s analyzing magnet. During the preparation for the session, our tasks included assembling detectors, efficiency testing, repairment (if necessary) and installation to the workplace (including cabling and connection of detectors to the data collection system). We organized round-the-clock duties; it was necessary to monitor the state of our detectors, to fix faults in time and, if possible, to eliminate them.

Inside the magnet of the installation

In general, the session was held very well; almost all detectors worked steadily, showed a high level of reliability. Data were collected with three different beams of nuclei - carbon, argon and krypton; moreover krypton beam was obtained at the Nuclotron for the first time. The main result of the first session is that the experimental facility included all the planned detector systems and we established cooperation between different groups of detector specialists. As for the physical results, there are several months of patience and painstaking processing of measurement results.

During the opening of the GEM detector of the installation in the clean room

The general results of the session were discussed at the first collaboration meeting on MPD and BM@n experiments at the NICA facility. As a result, MEPhI became an official participant of these experiments. With the participation of the assistant professor of INPhE P.Y. Naumov, who is a curator of my specialty in postgraduate school "Instruments and methods of physical experiment", two excursions to the BM@N installation were organized for students. I thank my supervisor, Professor A.I. Bolozdynya, acting director of INPhE N.S. Barbashina for the opportunity to participate in the largest experiment in the field of particle physics in Russia».