The BM@N experiment at JINR: status and physics program

BM@N (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) is the first experiment to be realized at the accelerator complex of NICA-Nuclotron at JINR (Dubna, Russia). The aim of the experiment is to study interactions of relativistic heavy ion beams with energy up to $4.5A$ GeV with fixed targets. The research program of the experiment includes studies of strange mesons, multi-strange hyperons and light hyper-nuclei which are produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions close to the kinematic threshold. The BM@N set-up, the experimental program and first results of technical runs are presented.