The SKIF synchrotron, located in the science city of Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, will enter industrial operation in December 2026, announced regional governor Andrey Travnikov.
According to him, the first experiments at the facility will begin as early as September. By the end of the year, several synchrotron stations will start operating with real researchers – not in commissioning mode, but in industrial mode.
SKIF is the first in Russia and the most powerful 4th generation+ synchrotron radiation source in the world. It allows scientists to look inside matter and obtain ultra-precise data on the structure of materials, living organisms, catalysts, and other objects. The brightness of its beams is approximately a trillion times greater than the brightness of the Sun's surface.
The first experiment will be dedicated to creating new polyethylene based on titanium catalysts. Construction of SKIF began in 2021 and cost 76.7 billion rubles. The outer diameter of the main accelerator ring is 240 meters, the perimeter is 476 meters, and the electron beam energy reaches 3 GeV.