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The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) is currently under construction at JINR (Dubna, Russia). The new facility will be a significant extension of the existing Nuclotron accelerator chain and comprises a sequence of machines for providing beams from protons to gold ions, as well as polarized protons and deuterons. The main goal of the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) experiment at NICA will be the study of a variety of phenomena in the region of the highest net-baryon density. This paper covers the scope of the NICA/MPD project and describes the recent progress in its realization.

In the frame of the JINR scientific program on study of hot and dense baryonic matter a new accelerator complex Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) based on the Nuclotron-M is under realization. Two interaction points are foreseen at NICA for two detectors. One of these detectors, the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD), is optimized for investigations of heavy-ion collisionsat a luminosity up to 1027 cm−2 s−1 for ions up to Au79+. The Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) is the main tracking detector of the MPD central barrel. It is a well-known detector for 3-dimensional tracking and particle identification for high multiplicity events. The conceptual layout of MPD, TPC design and it's parameters, the current status of the readout based on multiwire proportional chamber (MWPC) and readout electronics based on SAMPA chip as well as the status of TPC subsystems are presented.

Recently developed new forward lead/scintillator sampling hadron calorimeters with transverse and longitudinal segmentation will be used in the upgraded BM@N (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) experiment at the Nuclotron-NICA acceleration complex in JINR (Dubna). These calorimeters are very important for measurements of centrality and the reaction plane orientation in heavy-ion collisions. Digitizing the analog signals in a wide dynamic range with sampling ADC leads to the fluctuations of the measured charge. The procedure of signal processing based on the Prony least squares fit method has been developed to improve the response requiring minimum machine time. In addition, fitting the signals with a known function allows one to select effectively weak signals at the level of electronics noise, that is important for performing a calibration of calorimeter sections with cosmic muons for the BM@N experiment. The same procedure will be used for hadron calorimeter in CBM experiment at FAIR. New methods of signal processing and cosmic muon tracking for forward hadron calorimeters will be presented.

The BM@N detector at Nuclotron has collected data with different beams (C, Ar, Kr) on different targets. Results of the data analysis on Λ hyperon production in interactions of the 4 GeV kinetic energy carbon beam with C, Al, Cu targets are presented. Plans for future running of the experiment and physics analyses are described including expectations for the Λ hyperon polarization studies on the basis of the Monte Carlo simulated event sample.

The results of the Polarimeter upgrade at the Nuclotron internal target are presented. This Polarimeter is intended for experiments to study of the spin structure of two-nucleon and three- nucleon short-range correlations. The measurements are performed in the frame of the DSS project. The simulation of the pd-elastic and pp-elastic scattering for 500 - 1000 MeV proton energy to optimization of the experimental setup is performed.

The polarization observables are sensitive to the two nucleón (2NF) and three-nucleon structures (3NF) of the nuclei. The aim of the deuteron spin structure (DSS) experiment is to obtain polarization observables in dp elastic scattering at large CMS angles (> 60°) and in dp breakup. Of great importance is the study of polarizations observables in these reactions at intermediate energies because the experimental and theoretical data are very scarce. In this review, results of vector and tensor analyzing powers obtained at JINR Nuclotron at 800 MeV will be presented.

The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) is a new accelerator complex under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, Russia. The main goal of the planned facility is to provide accelerated particle beams for a wide range of experimental studies of the hot and dense strongly interacting QCD matter generated during collisions. The NICA project in its entirety allows for a fixed target experimental site, as well as two interaction points. The heavy ion programme includes two planned detectors: Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron (BM@N) - a fixed target experiment with extracted Nuclotron beams; and a collider-mode experiment at one of the interaction points - the MultiPurpose Detector (MPD). For the NICA collider, the accelerated beams by design will consist of particles ranging from protons and light nuclei to fully stripped gold ions. Beam energies will span s p p = 12 − 27 GeV with luminosity Lpp ≥ 1 × 1030 cm−2s−1, and s A u A u = 4 − 11 GeV , and average luminosity LAuAu = 1 × 1027 cm−2s−1. The second interaction point is planned to be occupied by a third experiment - Spin Physics Detector (SPD), which will focus on the investigation of nucleon spin structure and polarization phenomena through the use of polarized proton and deuteron beams. A brief overview of the Multi-Purpose Detector is presented along with the major sub-detector systems. The MPD research programme will focus on multiple observables including collective flow, particle multiplicity and spectra. Special attention will be given to strangeness production and vector mesons, event-by-event fluctuations and hadron femtoscopy measurements. Several feasibility studies are referenced.

Transmutation, the procedure of transforming long-lived radioactive isotopes into stable or short-lived, was proposed for reducing the amount of radioactive waste resulting from technological applications of nuclear fission. The Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) provide the possibility to generate intense neutron spectrum yielding in an effective transmutation of unwanted isotopes. Such experiments are being carried out for the last 10 years in Synchrophasotron / Nuclotron accelerators at the Veksler-Baldin Laboratory of High Energies of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Thick Pb and Pb-U targets, surrounded by moderators, have been irradiated by protons in the energy range of 0.5−7.4 GeV. Neutron fluence measurements have been performed by different techniques of passive detectors (neutron activation detectors, solid state nuclear track detectors). Transmutation of 129I, 237Np, 239Pu was studied. The results of these experiments are presented and discussed.

The current deuteron beam polarimetry at Nuclotron is provided by the Internal Target polarimeter based on the use of the asymmetry in dp- elastic scattering at large angles in the cms at 270 MeV. The upgraded deuteron beam polarimeter has been used obtain the vector and tensor polarization during 2016/2017 runs for the DSS experimental program. The polarimeter has been used also for tuning of the polarized ion source parameters for 6 different spin modes., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

In a frame of the JINR scientific program on study of hot and dense baryonic matter a new accelerator complex Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) based on the Nuclotron-M is under realization. It will operate at luminosity up to 1027 cm−2s−1 for Au79+ ions. Two interaction points are foreseen at NICA for two detectors which will operate simultaneously. One of these detectors, the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD), is optimized for investigations of heavy-ion collisions. The Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) is the main tracking detector of the MPD central barrel. It is a well-known detector for 3-dimensional tracking and particle identification for high multiplicity events. The conceptual layout of MPD and detailed description of the design and main working parameters of TPC, the readout system based on MWPC and readout electronics as well as the TPC subsystems and tooling for assembling and integration TPC into MPD are presented.

The project NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) is aimed to study hot and dense baryonic matter in heavy-ion collisions in the energy range up to 11.0 AGeV . The plan of NICA accelerator block development includes an upgrade of the existing superconducting (SC) synchrotron Nuclotron and construction of the new injection complex, SC Booster, and SC Collider with two interaction points (IP). The heavy-ion collision program will be performed with the fixed target experiment Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron (BM@N) at the beam extracted from the Nuclotron, and with Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) at the first IP of NICA Collider. Investigation of nucleon spin structure and polarization phenomena is foreseen with the Spin Physics Detector (SPC) at the second IP of the Collider.

We report on the results on the dynamical modelling of cluster formation with the new combined PHSD+FRIGA model at Nuclotron and NICA energies. The FRIGA clusterization algorithm, which can be applied to the transport models, is based on the simulated annealing technique to obtain the most bound configuration of fragments and nucleons. The PHSD+FRIGA model is able to predict isotope yields as well as hypernucleus production. Based on present predictions of the combined model we study the possibility to detect such clusters and hypernuclei in the BM@N and MPD/NICA detectors.

The Multipurpose Detector (MPD) \cite{cite1.MPD_CDR} is designed to study of hot and dense baryonic matter in collisions of heavy ions over the atomic mass range 1--197 at the centre of mass energy up to $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$ = 11 GeV (for Au79+). The MPD experiment will be carried out at the JINR accelerator complex NICA \cite{cite2.NICA_CDR} which is under construction. The barrel part of the MPD consists of various detectors surrounding the interaction point. It includes a precise tracking system (time projection chamber (TPC) and silicon inner tracker (IT)) and high-performance particle identification system based on time-of-flight (TOF) and calorimeter (ECal). The triple-stack multigap resistive plate chamber is chosen as an active element of the TOF. It provides good time resolution and long term stability. This article presents parameters of the MRPC obtained using the deuteron beam of JINR accelerator Nuclotron. The time resolution is $\sim$40 ps with efficiency of 99\%. Rate capability studies resulted with a time resolution of 60 ps and efficiency higher than 90\% on the beam with particle flux densities up to 2 kHz/cm$^2$., 8 pages, 10 figures, Proceedings of the XIII Workshop on Resistive Plate Chambers and Related Detectors (RPC2016), February 22 - 26, 2016, Ghent, Belgium

The differential cross sections of the charge exchange reaction dp → (pp)n has been measured at 1.75 GeV/c momentum per nucleon for small transferred momenta using the one arm magnetic spectrometer STRELA at the Nuclotron accelerator. The ratio of the differential cross section of the charge exchange reaction dp → (pp)n to that of the np → pn elementary process is discussed in order to estimate the spin-dependent part of the np → pn charge exchange amplitude on the basis of dp → (pp)n data. The np → pn amplitude turned out to be predominantly spin-dependent.

The major goal of the upgraded Nuclotron facility is to obtain the information on the equation-of-state for dense nuclear matter playing a key role in the under standing of the collapse supernovae and neutron stars stability. These studies can be performed either in heavy ion collisions or via the short-range few nucleon correlations. The obtained experimental results and future program with the use of polarized deuteron beam and the internal target station are discussed. The polarization studies for the NN, NA and dA reactions with the extracted deuteron beam at the BM@N setup are proposed. The further extension of the polarization program at BM@N is related with the study of the in-medium modification of the polarization for the strange and multi-strange baryons and the spin alignment for vector mesons decaying in hadronic modes.

The current design of the Medium-energy Electron-Ion Collider (MEIC) project at Jefferson lab features a single 8 GeV/c figure-8 booster based on super-ferric magnets. Reducing the circumference of the booster by switching to a racetrack design may improve its performance by limiting the space charge effect and lower its cost. We consider problems of preserving proton and deuteron polarizations in a superconducting racetrack booster. We show that using magnets based on hollow high-current NbTi composite superconducting cable similar to those designed at JINR for the Nuclotron guarantees preservation of the ion polarization in a racetrack booster up to 8 GeV/c. The booster operation cycle would be a few seconds that would improve the operating efficiency of the MEIC ion complex.

The project NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) is aimed to study hot and dense baryonic matter in heavy ion collisions in the energy range up to √sNN=11 GeV at the Nuclotron extracted beams and at the NICA collider with average luminosity of L = 1027 cm-2s-1 (for 197Au79). This study will be performed with two experiments, BM@N (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) and MPD (MultiPurpose Detector) at the NICA collider.

The 15th International Conference Strangeness in Quark Matter (SQM) took place at the Veksler and Baldin Laboratory of High Energy Physics (VBLHEP) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna in the period July 6 -11, with a record participation of 244 people from 31 countries! The previous meeting of the series in Birmingham 2013 had collected 158 physicists from 25 countries [J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 509, 011001 (2014)]. At SQM-2015, there was also a record participation of young scientist; every 4th conference attendee did not yet hold a PhD degree! There was a special program of 4 general lectures, a devoted session of parallel talks for Young Talents and the Helmholtz International Summer School (HISS) with 16 lecturers on the topics regarding Dense Matter (29.06.-11.07.) as a satellite event at the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics (BLTP) and at VBLHEP. Another satellite event was the Round TableWorkshop on Physics at NICA, jointly organized by JINR and the Republic of South Africa on July 5, 2015. The selection of Dubna as the place for SQM-2015 conference by the International Advisory Committee (IAC) demonstrates the broad interest of the community in the progress of the Russian Megascience Project on the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility (NICA) hosted at JINR Dubna. In a few years from now the experiments planned at NICA will produce data that provide new information of unprecedented accuracy which will help to answer some of the key questions which are topical at this conference. The SQM-2015 conference had an ambitious scientific program with 38 plenary talks, 97 parallel talks in 7 topical directions and 39 posters reporting the state of the research and the future directions in the fields of strangeness, heavy avors and bulk physics, suggested by the IAC to be the subtitle of the conference from 2016 onwards. Most of the contributions are represented in these Proceedings which we recommend to the community! We gratefully acknowledge support from the JINR Dubna, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung via the Heisenberg-Landau program, the Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnistwa Wyzszego via the Bogoliubov-Infeld program, the LOEWE program via HIC for FAIR, the Helmholtz Association with their centres DESY, FZ Julich, GSI Darmstadt, HZ Dresden-Rossendorf, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Helmholtz Institutes in Mainz and Jena via the HISS programme. We thank the IAC for their help and advice in planning the conference, and we are grateful to the members of the Local Organisation Committee for their help in during the conference as well as to Niels-Uwe Bastian, Alexandra Friesen, Mark Alexander Kaltenborn and Irina Pirozhenko for their assistance in preparing these Proceedings.

At the Laboratory of High Energy Physics (JINR, Dubna) a unique approach was elaborated with hypernuclei produced by the excitation of the accelerator beam nuclei and decay observed at a distance of tens of cm behind the production target. While the very first experiments were carried out in the Synchrophasotron beams, a more extensive hypernuclei research programme is planned for the Nuclotron accelerator and the new spectrometer created by the authors (Hypernuclei and NIS experiments). An investigation of hydrogen hypernuclei isotopes is in the first line of the experimental research plans. Namely, lifetimes and cross sections of Λ4H and Λ3H together with the search for Λ6H are among the tasks. The next experiment can be the investigation of Λ6He.

The Laser Ion Source (LIS) has been operating at the preinjector of the linac LU-20 since 1976. The linac LU-20 is an injector of the Synchrophasotron and the Nuclotron at the Laboratory of High Energies. The main operating principle of the source is ion extraction from laser plasma produced in a vacuum chamber by focusing laser radiation on a solid target surface. At present the LIS is used to perform experiments on relativistic beams of Li, B, C, N, O, F, Mg and Si nuclei. The EBIS `Krion' has been operating at the linac LU-20 since 1977. 12C6+, 14N7+, 16O8+, 20Ne10+ and 22Ne10+ nuclei were accelerated at first in the linac and then in the Synchrophasotron. 40Ar18+, 84Kr35+,36+ and 131Xe53+,54+ ions are produced by the EBIS `Krion-2'. 32S14+, 40Ar14+,15+,16+,17+ and 84Kr29+ ions from the EBIS `Krion-C' injected into the linac were accelerated in 1993. Sulphur nuclei were accelerated in the Synchrophasotron. A comparison of the intensities reached behind the linac for both these sources shows that the LIS has an essential advantage in producing ions of the elements placed in the first three lines of Mendeleev's table. The comparison of the ionization states of heavy ions shows that these states for the EBIS essentially exceed the LIS ones.

The main characteristics of the neutron field formed within the massive (512 kg) natural uranium target assembly (TA) QUINTA irradiated by deuteron beam of JINR Nuclotron with energies 1,2,4, and 8 GeV as well as the spatial distributions and the integral numbers of (n,f), (n,γ) and (n,xn)- reactions were calculated and compared with experimental data [1] . The MCNPX 27e code with ISABEL/ABLA/FLUKA and INCL4/ABLA models of intra-nuclear cascade (INC) and experimental cross-sections of the corresponding reactions were used. Special attention was paid to the elucidation of the role of charged particles (protons and pions) in the fission of natural uranium of TA QUINTA. Extensive calculations have been done for quasi-infinite (with very small neutron leakage) depleted uranium TA BURAN having mass about 20 t which are intended to be used in experiments at Nuclotron in 2014-2016. As in the case of TA QUINTA which really models the central zone of TA BURAN the total numbers of fissions, produced 239Pu nuclei and total neutron multiplicities are predicted to be proportional to proton or deuteron energy up to 12 GeV. But obtained values of beam power gain are practically constant in studied incident energy range and are approximately four. These values are in contradiction with the experimental result [2] obtained for the depleted uranium core weighting three tons at incident proton energy 0.66 GeV.

The cross-sections of relativistic deuteron reactions on natural copper were studied by the means of activation method. The deuteron beams produced by JINR Nuclotron (Russia) with energies from 1 GeV up to 8 GeV were used. Lack of such cross-sections prevents the usage of copper foils for beam integral monitoring. The copper monitors will help us to improve the beam integral determination during ADS studies. The yttrium samples are very suitable activation detectors for monitoring of neutron fields not only in the ADS studies. But experimental cross-section data for higher energy threshold neutron reactions are still missing. This situation is the reason why we have started to study neutron reactions on yttrium by the means of quasi mono-energetic neutron source based on NPI Řež cyclotron (Czech Republic).

The Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) is designed to study heavy-ion collisions at the Nuclotron-based heavy Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) at JINR, Dubna. The detector will comprise a superconducting solenoid equipped with three dimensional tracking system composed of a silicon microstrip vertex detector followed by a large volume time-projection chamber and a particle identification system based on time-of flight measurements and calorimetry. In this paper a few parts of apparatus are described and their tracking and particle identification parameters are discussed in some detail.

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) started manufacture and test of superconducting magnets for the new accelerator complex Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA). A pair of current leads rated 12 kA was developed for cold testing of the magnets in 2012. The operation of the facility needs ~350 leads rated from 100 A to 12 kA to convey current for the magnets. After the test of the pair of 12 kA leads in JINR a contract of supplying 3 pairs of 12 kA high temperature superconducting current leads (HTSCLs) were signed to ASIPP this year. In this paper the design updating and test of the current leads are introduced.

In this paper, we discuss various aspects of the nuclear diffraction dissociation interactions of 16O, 22Ne, 28Si, 32S, 56Fe nuclei accelerated at the Dubna–JINR Synchrophasotron and Nuclotron in the energy range 1–3.7 A GeV. We use criteria which separate electromagnetic dissociation events among the nuclear collisions. We describe their topology and study their characteristic parameters, relative rates of nuclear fragmentation, average multiplicities and the angular distributions of fragments as a function of the energy and of the nature of the primary nuclei. Nuclear emulsions were used for this purpose, which allowed the detection of all projectile and target fragments.

Nuclear fragmentation in a d (4.4 GeV) + Au collision was studied with a 4π setup FASA on the external beam of the Dubna Nuclotron. The IMF–IMF relative angle correlation function was analyzed using the statistical model of multifragmentation (SMM) with the main goal of estimating the total time scale of the process. It was found that the fragmentation of the hot nucleus was ∼100 fm/c delayed in respect to the collision moment. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)

The collaboration Energy and Transmutation of Radioactive Waste uses different setups consisting of lead, uranium and graphite irradiated by relativistic protons and deuterons to study transmutation of radioactive materials by produced neutrons. Our group measured spatial distribution of neutrons by means of activation samples during the assembly irradiation by the JINR Nuclotron beams. We also present results of simulations using MCNPX code and their comparison with obtained experimental data. We use Au, Al, Bi, In and Ta foils as activation detectors, but unfortunately almost no experimental cross-section data for observed threshold (n,xn) reactions are available for higher neutron energies. Therefore we carried out series experiments devoted to determination of neutron cross-sections of various threshold reactions using different quasi-monoenergetic neutron sources.

Recent results on the deuteron analyzing powers obtained in collisions of polarized deuterons with protons and light nuclei at intermediate and high energies are reported. The obtained results are sensitive to the spin structure of the short range correlations. The prospects of the spin program for hadronic reactions at Nuclotron-NICA facility is discussed. The polarimetry developments are also presented.

The project assumes the design and construction of a universal high-intensity source of polarized deuterons (protons) using a charge-exchange plasma ionizer. The output ↑D+ (↑H+) current of the source is expected to be at a level of 10 mA. The polarization will be up to 90% of the maximal vector (±1) for ↑D+ (↑H+) and tensor (+1,−2) for ↑D+ polarization. Realization of the project is carried out in close cooperation with INR of RAS (Moscow). The equipment available from the CIPIOS ion source (IUCF, Bloomington, USA) is partially used for the Dubna device. The new source at the JINR NUCLOTRON accelerator facility will make it possible to increase the polarized deuteron beam intensity up to the level of 1010 d/pulse. Previous test runs on acceleration of polarized deuterons at the NUCLOTRON up to about 1 GeV/u and slow extraction of the beam to the beam transfer lines, have shown the absence of depolarization resonances. The first dangerous resonance is predicted at the beam energy of 5.6 GeV/u. The source could be transformed into a source of polarized negative ions if necessary.

The report is dedicated to the problem of formation and maintenance of polarized proton and deuteron colliding beams in the collider of Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility (NICA). The NICA project is under development at JINR presently. The schemes of polarized proton and deuteron beams acceleration in the superconducting synchrotron Nuclotron and formation of both longitudinal and transverse particle polarization in the collider are presented. The problems of long term conservation of the beams polarization in the collider are discussed as well.

Electron String Ion Source (ESIS) Krion-2 (JINR, Dubna) was used for basic and applied research in various aspects of multiply charged heavy ions production. Energy recuperation mode in ESIS has been proofed first and used for production of highly charged ions 84Kr28+?84Kr32+, 124Xe40?124Xe44 and Au51+? Au54+. Krion-2 ESIS was mounted on high voltage (HV) platform of LU-20 Linac and used as an injector of highly charged ions during Nuclotron run N? 41. Krion-2 ESIS has produced 3.0?107 124Xe42+ ions per pulse of 7 ?s duration. This ion beam was injected into LU-20 and Nuclotron, accelerated up to energy of 186 GeV and the extracted Xe beam was used for physics experiments. Electron String Ion Source Krion-2 demonstrated the high reliability and stability running during 30 days on HV platform. We believe that it is due to an extremely low electron beam power, provided by using the electron string mode of operation: 50 W pulse power and about 10 W average power. Other possible application of ESIS could be its use in injection complexes of synchrotrons and cyclotrons for cancer therapy. Slow and fast extraction of C4+ and C6+ beams from Krion-2 ESIS were preliminary studied towards ESIS optimization for medical accelerators requirements.

NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) is the new accelerator complex currently under construction at JINR. The facility is aimed to provide collider experiments with heavy ions up to uranium with a centre of mass energy up to 9 GeV/u and an average luminosity up to 1027 cm-2s-1. The collisions of polarized deuterons are foreseen too. The accelerator complex includes two injector linacs, a superconducting booster synchrotron, a 6 GeV/u superconducting synchrotron (Nuclotron) and a collider consisting of two storage rings. Curved superconducting 4 T Cosine(θ)-style dipoles based on a hollow Nuclotron-type cable are chosen for the collider ring lattice. The twin-aperture dipole consists of two vertically assembled cold masses operating at T = 4.5 K placed inside a common thermal shield and a common cryostat. The dipole good field aperture is fixed to 60 mm. The maximum cable operating current is about 17 kA. The field ramp is set to 1 T/s.

The "Energy Plus Transmutation"-setup consists of a thick cylindrical lead target of 456 mm length and diameter of 84 mm, which is surrounded by a thick layer containing 206,4 kg of natural uranium. This small-sized target-blanket-assembly resembles the geometry and the constituents of an industry-sized subcritical system for power production and nuclear waste transmutation. The irradiations of the target-blanket-assembly are performed using deuteron beams of variable energies, delivered by the Nuclotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. Using precision gamma-spectroscopy, the amounts of isotopes of bismuth, lead and thallium, produced in the lead target during the irradiation with a deuteron beam of 2,52 GeV [1,2] have been determined. The collected data on the isotope production are compared with the predictions of nuclear-reaction- and particle-transport-codes.

The status of the new flagship project 'Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility' (NICA) at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Dubna), the NICA main parameters and physics program are briefly presented. The generation of intense heavy ion and polarized light nuclear NICA beams is aimed at searching for the phase transitions, mixed phase and critical phenomena in nuclear matter and the investigation of polarization phenomena at the collision energies up to GeV.

Argon and Krypton with energies of 5 MeV/n have been obtained at the accelerating facility of the Laboratory of High Energies, JINR. The Cryogenic electron beam ionizer `KRION - S' was used. Beams of Argon and Krypton ions with intensities of about 4105 particles per pulse were transported into the Nuclotron vacuum chamber.