Design and commissioning of the PRIOR-II "proton microscope for FAIR"

Area of Science:

• Charged particle radiography
• Plasma and shock wave physics
• Materials science
• Medical physics

Background:

• Existing radiography techniques face limitations in probing dense matter.
• There is a need for high-speed, non-invasive diagnostic methods for fundamental science.
• Advancements in accelerator technology enable new experimental capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, construct, and commission the PRIOR-II facility.
• To push the boundaries of charged particle radiography using normal conducting magnets.
• To establish a new user facility for fundamental science experiments.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing high energy protons (up to 4 GeV) from the SIS-18 synchrotron.
• Employing normal conducting magnets to achieve high spatial resolution.
• Designing for ultra-fast dynamic experiments and probing high areal densities (up to 100 g/cm²).

Main Results:

• Successful design, construction, and commissioning of the PRIOR-II facility.
• Demonstration of pushing technical boundaries in charged particle radiography.
• Readiness to support fundamental science experiments at GSI and future FAIR facility.

Conclusions:

• PRIOR-II is a new, powerful user facility for advanced scientific research.
• The facility enables high-speed, non-invasive diagnostics for dense matter.
• It will address key challenges in plasma physics, material science, and medical physics.