MPD: Multi-Purpose Detector of the NICA Collider

The multi-purpose detector (MPD) is designed to study physical processes occurring in collisions of heavy relativistic nuclei in the energy range of the NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) collider $$\sqrt {{{S}_{{NN}}}} $$ = 4–11 GeV. MPD is the first physical installation that will work at the NICA collider. The project is currently in the final stages of construction. Particle detectors will be located inside a superconducting magnet creating a magnetic field of 0.5 T. They include three-dimensional particle registration systems based on a large cylindrical time-projection chamber (TPC) and identification systems consisting of a time-off-flight (TOF) detector and an electromagnetic calorimeter (ECal). To ensure a uniform magnetic field, a sophisticated cryogenic system is used that cools a superconducting solenoid to liquid helium temperatures. Once operational, MPD will become a powerful tool for studying the physics of heavy-ion collisions and improving our understanding of the fundamental properties of matter.