Construction Unit

The Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences was founded on the basis of Lanzhou Laboratory of Physics in 1957, which was proposed by Premier Chow En-Lai. After more than half a century of development, IMP has become a comprehensive research center for heavy ion research with great influence in the world. Relying on scientific apparatus, it is mainly engaged in the researches of basic frontier of nuclear physics and heavy-ion beam application, while developing advanced particle accelerators and nuclear application technology. The main research fields of IMP include nuclear physics, atomic and molecular physics, high-energy-density physics, material science, life science, accelerator driven system, and advanced particle accelerator, etc.

By means of the unremitting efforts of several generations and the construction of three major scientific projects, the Institute of Modern Physics has built the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), a national major scientific and technological infrastructure. The main technical indexes have reached the international advanced level, creating advanced experimental conditions for the heavy ion physics and interdisciplinary research in China. A number of important scientific research achievements, such as the synthesis of new nuclides, accurate measurement of nuclear mass and the treatment of cancer by heavy ions, have been achieved, making China an international leader in heavy ion physics and interdisciplinary research. At the same time, important progress has been made in the industrialization of nuclear technology, making great contribution to China's scientific, economic and social development as well as national security.

IMP has made more than 660 achievements in scientific research, including 17 awards national level and 158 awards of provincial and ministerial level. The main scientific and technological awards are: Lanzhou heavy ion research facility, which won the first prize of national progress prize in scientific and collective technology in 1992; The synthesis, identification and research of new neutron-rich nuclides with high quality won the second prize of national natural science award in 1999; Experimental study on synthesis and nuclear structure of new nuclides near droplet lines in neutron-deficient region, won the second prize of national natural science award in 2007; Superconducting ECR ion source with high charge state won the second prize of national progress prize in scientific and collective technology in 2008; The cooling storage ring project of Lanzhou heavy ion accelerator won the outstanding achievement award of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009 and the second prize of national progress prize in scientific and collective technology in 2012. The research results have been elected into the national top 10 science and technology achievements, science and technology news, science and technology progress and national top 10 news of basic research for 8 times. Research on new nuclide synthesis has been elected into the list of 60 scientific achievements in documentary China Reinvents Itself.

After decades of development, it has formed a team for engineering construction, operation and related scientific research of high-level accelerator with excellent quality, reasonable age structure, complete majors, innovative and cohesive characteristics. There are 874 employees in total. Among the 770 professional and technical personnel, there are 223 senior scientific and technical personnel as well as 245 intermediate ones. There are also 4 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and 10 distinguished young scholars. More than 50 percent of the 69 researchers are under 45 years old. There are 222 people with doctor's degree and 243 people with master's degree. There are also 296 postgraduate students and 5 post-doctoral students.

The Institute of Modern Physics has established cooperative relations with more than 40 famous universities and research institutions in 16 countries and regions, also established more than 20 joint research institutions, carrying out extensive and in-depth academic exchanges and cooperation.