The superconducting solenoid magnet that forms the core of the sPHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) arrived at Brookhaven National Laboratory after a cross-country journey from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in 2015.

sPHENIX is a radical makeover of the PHENIX experiment, one of the original detectors designed to collect data at Brookhaven Lab’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. It includes many new components that significantly enhance scientists’ ability to learn about quark-gluon plasma (QGP), an exotic form of nuclear matter created in RHIC’s energetic particle smashups.