Kolkata: India on Friday marked a milestone in its global scientific engagement with the dispatch of the first indigenously designed and built Beam Catcher unit to the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Darmstadt, Germany. The Indo-FAIR initiative, jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy, is being led by the Bose Institute (BI) in Kolkata.
The Beam Catcher, considered a flagship Indian contribution, has been fully engineered and manufactured within the country. The first unit was shipped from Trident Auto Components' Kanpur facility.
Bose Institute has been chosen as the nodal agency to coordinate activities in India for both supply of in-kind items and participation of Indian scientists in experiments to be carried out using the facility. Director, BI is the shareholder in the FAIR GmbH on behalf of Govt of India.
FAIR, one of the world's most ambitious particle accelerator projects currently under construction, is expected to push the frontiers of high-energy physics, nuclear science and plasma research. Once operational, the facility will also open new pathways in space science and advanced cancer therapies.
India, a founding member of FAIR GmbH, remains the only non-European shareholder in the project.
Indian industry is also supplying critical components such as ultra-high vacuum chambers, specialised diagnostic and IT cables, and high-stability power converters. Described as a sophisticated piece of engineering, the Beam Catcher integrates heavy-duty fabrication with precision motion systems and high-vacuum technology.