On July 3, TASS reported that the geodesy department of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INP SB RAS) has completed the establishment of a geodetic network. This network is crucial for the ultra-precise positioning of magnetic elements in the storage ring of the SKIF synchrotron accelerator under construction, which is of major significance for achieving maximum brightness of synchrotron radiation, according to the press service of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Experts at the institute aim to precisely position the magnets that support the electron beam circulating in the SKIF accelerator storage ring. To form a dense particle beam, the deviation of adjacent magnet axes from specified values must not exceed 30 microns—three times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.

Senior researcher Andrei Polyansky from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted that Russia has not previously implemented an accelerator-storage complex project of this scale with such high geometric parameter requirements. During the construction of the VEPP-4M collider, the alignment precision of magnetic elements was about 200 microns, while SKIF achieves 30 microns.

Achieving such precise magnet positioning will enable SKIF to produce the brightest synchrotron radiation beams required for advanced scientific research. As a first step, scientists created the geodetic network, installing multiple markers inside the storage ring to spatially connect various parts of the complex.

Scientists also conducted high-precision measurements essential for the installation and assembly of "girders"—support structures whose manufacturing quality affects synchrotron radiation brightness. Currently, experts are practicing unique assembly methods on a girder prototype to improve the positioning precision of magnetic elements to approximately 30 microns.

After completing these experiments, the method will be used to assemble all girders, which will then be transported to the storage ring tunnel and installed based on prior geodetic measurements. Solving this challenge is one of the important steps toward commissioning and operating SKIF.

The Siberian Ring Photon Source Collective Use Center is a major scientific project featuring a fourth-generation-plus synchrotron accelerator, under construction in the Koltsovo science city near Novosibirsk. The SKIF Collective Use Center is a complex comprising 34 buildings, engineering structures, and technological equipment for conducting scientific research using synchrotron radiation beams.

The commissioning of the synchrotron accelerator will allow scientists to obtain new knowledge about the structure and properties of matter at micro- and nano-levels, helping to address a range of pressing issues in biology, medicine, chemistry, and energy. Upon launch, the brightness of SKIF's synchrotron radiation will set a world record. The sole contractor for manufacturing and commissioning the technologically complex equipment of the SKIF Collective Use Center is the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.