At the Institute of Nuclear Physics, with more than 150 employees, we pursue the goal of fundamentally understanding the properties of hadrons – particles such as the proton or neutron as components of the atomic nucleus – and their interactions. To this end, we operate various large-scale experiments on site and benefit from a variety of experimental and theoretical work groups at the institute.

The most important tool for our research is the MAMI electron accelerator, which we have been operating and developing since the 1980s. MAMI is structurally unique worldwide and provides us with high-precision electrons at moderate beam energies. As part of the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence, we are also currently building an additional accelerator – MESA (“Mainz Energy-Recovering Superconducting Accelerator”) – on the site of the Institute of Nuclear Physics. This accelerator, which is based on the concept of energy recovery, will provide the basis for future high-precision experiments.

The institute is headed by a managing director from the group of 14 professors, who is elected every three years.

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