A fixed-target programme at the LHC (AFTER@LHC)

We report on the perspectives for hadron, heavy-ion and spin physics with a multi-purpose fixed-target programme using the LHC multi-TeV proton and heavy-ion beams (AFTER@LHC). This would be the most energetic fixed-target experiment opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing current and future collider programmes. Thanks to the large boost, one can fully access –with conventional detectors– the backward hemisphere in the center-of-mass system which allows for studies of the largely uncharted high- x region ( x_F → -1). (paper)