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The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will employ the World's highest intensity relativistic beams of heavy nuclei to uniquely create and investigate macroscopic (millimeter-sized) quantities of highly energetic and dense states of matter. Four principal themes of research have been identified: properties of materials driven to extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, shocked matter and material equation of state, basic properties of strongly coupled plasma and warm dense matter, and nuclear photonics with a focus on the excitation of nuclear processes in plasmas, laser-driven particle acceleration, and neutron production. The research program, principally driven by an international collaboration of scientists, called the HED@FAIR collaboration, will evolve over the next decade as the FAIR project completes and experimental capabilities develop. The first programmatic research element, called "FAIR Phase 0, officially began in 2018 to test components, detectors, and experimental techniques. Phase-0 research employs the existing and enhanced infrastructure of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) heavy-ion synchrotron coupled with the PHELIX high-energy, high-intensity laser. The "FAIR Day one" experimental program, presently scheduled to begin in 2025, commences the use of FAIR's heavy-ion synchrotron, coupled to new experimental and diagnostic infrastructure, to realize the envisaged high-energy-density-science research program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the design and physical applications of high‐explosive generators for dense low‐temperature plasma. The PUMA proton microscope with magnetic optics at the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics by A.I. Alikhanov of National Research Centre «Kurchatov Institute» (Moscow, Russia) was used to diagnose the plasma. The generators were developed for measurements of the equation of state of non‐ideal plasma, investigation of phase transitions in hydrogen or molecular gases, and studies of the properties of the interior of Giant planets. A proposal was made to repeat the experiments with explosive generators using the proton microscope PRIOR (Proton Microscope for Facility for Anti‐proton and Ion Research) at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung (Darmstadt, Germany) and at the designed proton microscope at the Institute for Nuclear Research (Troitsk, Russia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new design for heavy-ion beam driven ramp wave loading experiments is suggested and analyzed. The proposed setup utilizes the long stopping ranges and the variable focal spot geometry of the high-energy uranium beams available at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research accelerator centers in Darmstadt, Germany. The release wave created by ion beams can be utilized to create a planar ramp loading of various samples. In such experiments, the predicted high pressure amplitudes (up to 10 Mbar) and short timescales of compression (,10 ns) will allow to test the time-dependent material deformation at unprecedented extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intense heavy ion beams open new possibilities in high-energy-density matter research. Due to the unique feature of the energy deposition process of heavy ions in dense matter (volume character of heating) it is possible to generate high entropy states in matter without the necessity of shock compression. Previously, such high entropy states could only be achieved by using the most powerful shock wave generators, like nuclear explosions or powerful lasers. In this paper this novel technique of heavy ion heating and expansion is proposed to explore new fascinating regions of the phase diagram, including the liquid phase, the evaporation region with the critical point, and strongly coupled plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]