SPSC visits AMBER in the CERN North Area

Members of CERN’s SPS and PS Experiments Committee (SPSC) visited the AMBER experiment in EHN2 on 27 May, during the committee’s week of meetings at CERN. The visit offered an opportunity to see the experiment during operation and to discuss its current and future programme at the M2 beamline in the CERN North Area.

AMBER, also known as NA66, is a fixed-target experiment dedicated to studies of non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics. It uses the unique high-energy muon and hadron beams available at CERN to investigate the structure of protons, pions and kaons, and to address questions that are difficult or impossible to study elsewhere.

During the visit, the collaboration presented the current experimental setup and the ongoing physics programme. After data taking on antiproton production in recent years, AMBER is now using high-energy muons for a precision measurement of the proton electric form factor. The experiment is also preparing for a post-LS3 programme focused on Drell-Yan and charmonium measurements with pion and kaon beams.

For this future programme, the M2 beamline plays a central role. The quality, intensity and particle composition of the beam directly determine the physics reach of AMBER, in particular for measurements involving rare kaon components in the secondary hadron beam. The Experimental Areas group supports AMBER through the operation, modelling and optimisation of the M2 beamline, as well as through studies of improvements for post-LS3 running.

The SPSC visit highlighted the close connection between experimental ambitions and beamline performance. AMBER’s future measurements rely not only on detector upgrades, but also on the continued development of the M2 beamline and the infrastructure around it.

For the Experimental Areas group, AMBER is a clear example of its core role in CERN’s fixed-target programme: supporting experiments in day-to-day operation, understanding their long-term requirements, and developing the beamline capabilities needed for future science.

- Johannes Bernhard


Members of the SPSC during their visit to the AMBER experiment in EHN2 on 27 May 2026. Credit: CERN / Johannes Bernhard.


Group photo of the AMBER visit. Credit: Bernhard Ketzer.