The successful deployment of these systems continues to enable the acquisition of high-quality scientific data today. Their value extends well beyond the original project, as ALICIA systems are sustainably reused in R&D and detector production for accelerator programmes worldwide.
Driving detector production across accelerators worldwide
After ITS production ended, the ALICIA systems transitioned directly into new detector programmes, continuing to operate across the global Big Science ecosystem. At CERN, ALICIA-1 was used for the production of 120 MVTX detector modules for the sPHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in Upton, New York, operated by Brookhaven National Laboratory. This experiment studies the quark–gluon plasma using high-resolution tracking detectors derived from ALICE ITS technology. The same system was later used for the production of 24 tracker detector modules for the LUXE experiment at the European XFEL in Hamburg, where researchers investigate strong-field quantum electrodynamics by combining high-intensity lasers with electron beams. The detector will be assembled this year.
Supporting next-generation detector development worldwide
Other ALICIA systems have followed a similar path, adapting to new detector concepts and requirements. In Manchester, ALICIA-3 is used for R&D on detector assembly for the upgrade of the LHCb experiment, based at CERN in Geneva. This experiment focuses on precision measurements of beauty and charm quarks, requiring increasingly complex tracking systems.
In Daresbury, at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory, a key centre for detector development and production within international particle physics collaborations, ALICIA-4 is being prepared for the production of tracker modules for the R3B experiment at the FAIR accelerator under construction in Germany. It will investigate nuclear reactions involving rare isotopes at high energies. Meanwhile, in Wuhan and Dubna, ALICIA-6 and ALICIA-8 are used for R&D on detector modules for the NICA/MPD programme at JINR, aimed at studying dense baryonic matter in heavy-ion collisions, complementing research performed at CERN and RHIC.
ITS2 inner barrel close up and installation at the ALICE experiment
Evolving with increasing detector complexity
Back at CERN, ALICIA-7 is currently used for research into advanced interconnection technologies such as laser soldering. This reflects a broader trend in detector development, where interconnection density and reliability are becoming as critical as the assembly accuracy itself. As detector architectures evolve, so do the requirements placed on production systems. What stands out is not only the range of applications, but the way these systems continue to deliver value over time. Across different experiments and locations, ALICIA systems maintain the required assembly precision, scale from R&D to production and adapt to new detector architectures. Future upgrades, such as ALICE experiment 3 at CERN in Geneva, are already under discussion and will introduce even greater levels of integration and complexity.
Sustained precision for evolving Big Science
This is exactly how IBS Precision Engineering approaches system design. ALICIA was not developed as a one-off solution, but as an ultra-precision assembly platform capable of adapting to new detector architectures, production requirements and future accelerator programmes. In this context, ultra-precision is not only about achieving submicron accuracy during a single project, but about maintaining that performance across years of operation and across entirely new scientific applications. The continued use of ALICIA systems in detector production and R&D programmes worldwide demonstrates how stable, adaptable precision platforms can remain technically relevant long after their original deployment. By enabling research institutes to build on proven production infrastructure, IBS helps accelerate the development of next-generation detector technologies for Big Science.
Read more:
Big Science and IBS
https://www.ibspe.com/engineering/big-science-and-ibs
Alice Detector for CERN successfully built and assembly started
https://www.ibspe.com/news/alice-detector-for-cern-succesfully-built-and-assembly-started
Alice prepares for Run 3 after last new subdetector installation
https://www.ibspe.com/news/alice-prepares-for-run-3-after-last-new-subdetector-installation
New Cern subdetectors built on IBS machines show outstanding results
https://www.ibspe.com/news/first-results-on-cerns-run-3-including-new-subdetectors