Overview of the MPD Experiment

The multi-purpose detector (MPD) is the flagship experiment at NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) which is currently under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. It is realized in the frame of a large international scientific collaboration. In this work, the status of the preparation of the subdetector components is briefly summarized. The assembly of the solenoidal magnet composed of superconducting coil and iron yoke will be followed by the installation of main subdetectors: time projection chamber, time of flight, electromagnetic calorimeter, fast forward detector and forward hadronic calorimeter. Preparations for the software and computing infrastructure are described. An overview of the MPD physics programme is also given, with emphasis on overall event characteristics and bulk observables, such as single particle spectra, particle identification and basic correlation measurements, as well as dedicated studies of electromagnetic probes and heavy flavor.