Hey science fans! The world’s biggest full-ion accelerator, HIAF, just completed beam commissioning in south China’s Guangdong Province, according to the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 🚀✨
Located in Huizhou City, this massive project started in December 2018. Over 6,000 large-scale pieces of equipment and nearly 5 million components come together in a network of pipes longer than 1 million meters—seriously, that’s like circling the Earth more than 25 times! 🌍⚙️
What really blew our minds? The research team used a digital twin model to supervise construction, slashing installation time from the usual two to three years down to just eight months. Talk about a glow-up! 💻🔧
HIAF is now running beam performance tests and is on track to host its first scientific experiment by late 2025. Once fully operational, it’ll deliver the highest pulse intensity heavy-ion beams on the planet and a super-precise multifunctional nuclear mass spectrometer. 🔬💥
This facility will be a hotspot for global researchers exploring atomic nuclei limits, nuclear astrophysics, and even new applications in nuclear energy. Plus, it’s set to welcome top talent from around the world, sharing facilities, data, and expertise. 🌐👩🔬👨🔬
Stay tuned as HIAF pushes the boundaries of science and unites the brightest minds on the Chinese mainland and beyond! 🎉🔭
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
