Physics with the P̄ANDA detector at FAIR Original Research Article

The physics program of P̄ANDA covers a wide range of topics that address central issues of QCD. The P̄ANDA detector will make use of the antiprotons produced in the FAIR complex and stored in the high-energy synchrotron HESR for the study of strong interactions in collisions with protons and heavy targets. Central to the program and defining the guidelines for the detector development are the spectroscopy of charmonium states and open charm with unprecedented quality, the search for exotic objects such as glueballs and hybrids, investigation of the modification of meson properties in medium, and copious production of hypernuclei for high-resolution spectroscopy. Technical developments for the various detector components are ongoing. The detector properties required in order to cover the broad physics program pose challenges which need state-of-the-art technology and customized solutions.