First RHIC Cryostat Removed

July 14, 2026

enlarge

Workers remove the first cryostat from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in early June, marking a major milestone in the transition to the future Electron-Ion Collider. The historic lift begins a multiyear effort to remove, repurpose, and upgrade accelerator components that will support the next generation of nuclear physics research. (David Rahner/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

A major milestone in the transition from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to the future Electron-Ion Collider occurred in early June with the removal of the first RHIC cryostat. The historic lift marks the beginning of a complex process to remove, repurpose, and upgrade key accelerator components that will support the next generation of nuclear physics research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.   

The transition process will be a highly complex job and is expected to span at least five years.  

Read more about this historic time for the Lab in Brookhaven’s press release.