Compressed baryonic matter—experiments at GSI and FAIR

Experiments on strangeness production in nucleus-nucleus collisions at SIS energies address fundamental aspects of modern nuclear physics: the determination of the nuclear equation-of-state at high baryon densities and the properties of hadrons in dense nuclear matter. Experimental data and theoretical results will be reviewed. The planned “Compressed Baryonic Matter” (CBM) experiment at the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) aims at the exploration of the QCD phase diagram at the highest baryon densities. This includes the search for the deconfinement and chiral phase transition and for the QCD critical endpoint. Possible observables and the experimental setup will be discussed.