Accumulation, storing and cooling techniques play an increasingly important role in many areas of science. These procedures can be applied in Penning traps and storage rings to ions. In this way, quantum electrodynamics can be tested in extreme electromagnetic fields by measuring hyperfine structure splittings. Lamb shifts, or g‐factors in hydrogen‐like heavy systems such as U91+ or Pb81+. In addition, fundamental constants or nuclear properties like the atomic mass can be determined. In the case of a radioactive ion, the fate of an individual ion, undergoing a nuclear decay, can be studied in detail by observing the disappearance of the signal of the mother and the appearance of that of the daughter isotope. Presently, the Highly‐charged Ion TRAP (HITRAP) facility is being built up at GSI. Stable or radioactive highly charged ions are produced by colliding relativistic ions with a target. After electron cooling and deceleration in the storage ring ESR at GSI, these ions are ejected, decelerated further, and injected into a Penning trap where cooling to 4 K takes place. From there, the cooled highly charged ions such as hydrogen‐like uranium are transferred at low energy to different experimental set‐ups which are being built up by the international HITRAP Collaboration.

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