From November 2 to 12, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Max-Planck Gesellschaft (CAS-MPG) Summer School on "Cooled and Stored Ions at the Precision Frontier of Fundamental Physics" was successfully held at the Huizhou Campus of the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of CAS.

The CAS-MPG Summer School was jointly proposed in Berlin by the presidents of CAS and MPG as a key outcome commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sino-German scientific cooperation.

The school brought together about 25 selected international participants from institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, the University of Cologne, and the Technical University of Darmstadt, as well as nearly 60 outstanding Chinese participants from domestic institutions including IMP, Peking University, Fudan University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Beihang University, the University of Hong Kong, and the Guangdong Laboratory of Advanced Energy Science and Technology.

The teaching team consisted of leading scholars from multiple renowned research institutions in China and Germany, who delivered a series of lectures focusing on eight cutting-edge topics: precision tests of the standard model at low energies using stored exotic ions in Penning traps; high-resolution laser spectroscopy on radionuclides for nuclear physics studies; atomic and nuclear physics in storage rings; intersections of atomic, nuclear and plasma physics; nuclear theory; atomic physics in storage rings; nuclear masses at storage rings; and studies of fundamental properties of antimatter.

The lecture series enhanced participants’ understanding of both fundamental theories and the latest experimental advances in related fields. In addition, there were six student presentations and two poster sessions.

A public science lecture titled "Identifying old water and ice with radiokrypton" demonstrated the interdisciplinary connections among atomic physics, nuclear physics, and geosciences. Open to all summer school participants and students from the Affiliated School of Huizhou University, the lecture offered young learners valuable exposure to interdisciplinary research. The lively interactions not only ignited scientific curiosity but also inspired innovative thinking.

Beyond the academic program, the summer school organized a variety of cultural and sports exchange activities, including sports matches, visits to large-scale research facilities and museum tours. These activities deepened international participants’ understanding of Chinese culture and the research landscape, while establishing a platform for in-depth exchanges among young Chinese and international scholars, laying a solid foundation for future scientific collaboration.

The summer school was funded by the CAS PIFI Young Leader Program (2025PY0013), MPG, and the Southern Center for Theoretical Nuclear Physics. It also received strong support from the European Division of the CAS Bureau of International Cooperation, the China Spallation Neutron Source, and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Huizhou Municipal Committee.

Summer School Webpage Link: https://indico.impcas.ac.cn/e/SummerSchool

Figure 1. Group photo for CAS-MPG Summer School (Image from IMP)

Figure 2. Lectures (Image from IMP)

Figure 3. Social activities (Image from IMP)