At the beginning of April 2025, for the first time, the beam pipe of a SIS100 vacuum section, operating at room temperature, has been pumped down to a high vacuum level.

As the main accelerator of the new FAIR complex, the superconducting heavy ion synchrotron SIS100, which is currently under installation, operates in an underground tunnel about 17 meters below ground and has a circumference of 1083.6 meters. The machine consists of alternating segments that operate at cryogenic temperature (liquid helium) and segments working at room temperature.

The first three room temperature cells of the straight section of SIS100 sector 4 have been fully installed into the tunnel by a team from TRI and consequently the first vacuum acceptance tests have begun, organized and performed by the VAC group. The vacuum segments are about eight meters long and consist of acceleration cavities, a first-turn diagnostic chamber, standard pumping chambers and several tubes, bellows and adapter flanges.

Besides recording and analyzing the pump-down curves, the functionality of valves, pumps and vacuum gauges has been tested and leak checks have been carried out.

Following successful vacuum acceptance tests on these SIS100 segments, further work will continue on other sectors. The installation of the UHV system of SIS100 is ongoing and the next subsequent vacuum acceptance testing is planned for the straight section of sector 3.

Quelle: Photos taken during the preparation and execution of the vacuum acceptance tests of SIS100 sector 4, cell 3 (straight section).

Thank you again to everyone who came to the first post-doc get-together! It was great to see all of you and get to know all the different stories and experiences people at GSI have!

We'd now like to invite once again all post-docs at GSI to a second lunch get-together on the 4th of June at 12:00 in the sideroom of the canteen! Bring your lunch and take the opportunity to socialize and get to know each other. We hope to make this a monthly event, but don't take this as an excuse to procrastinate 😉

We'd also like to announce that we have a mailing list now! You can subscribe via this link or on this website or via the QR code in the picture to the right.

Looking forward to seeing you,
Ronja, Marta, and Penny