7th Anniversary Ceremony of the World's Top-Class '4th Generation Synchrotron Radiation Accelerator' Completion

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Mayor Lee:

The ‘7th Anniversary Ceremony of the Completion of the 4th Generation Synchrotron Radiation Accelerator’ was held on the 25th at the administrative building of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory.

The 7th anniversary ceremony of the completion of the 4th generation synchrotron accelerator was held on the 25th at the administrative building of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory.

At the ceremony, attendees included Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang; Kim Il-man, Vice Chairman of the Pohang City Council; Park Young-jun, former 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy; Kim Jung-jae, Member of the National Assembly; former presidents of POSTECH; and the director of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory. They commemorated the 7th anniversary of the completion of the synchrotron radiation accelerator and created an opportunity to strengthen close cooperation among Pohang City, POSTECH, POSCO, the central government, and the local community, who supported the construction of the 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator.

During the event, Pohang City presented a plaque of appreciation to Park Young-jun, former 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, who attended on behalf of Lee Sang-deuk, former Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, for his significant contributions to the establishment of today’s 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator. The Accelerator Laboratory also presented a plaque of merit.

Lee Sang-deuk, who was the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly at the time, secured the 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator for the region through tireless efforts in cooperation with local universities such as former POSTECH President Baek Seung-gi and R&D institutions, competing strongly against other local governments with a strong belief in regional development.

As a result of these efforts, the 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator was established in 2016 with a total project cost of 429.8 billion KRW (403.8 billion KRW from the national treasury and 26 billion KRW from local funds) invested since 2011.

The 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator is a dream accelerator that realizes laser wavelengths at the atomic scale in X-rays, making it the third in the world after the United States and Japan. It achieves world-class performance in terms of laser beam brightness and stability, and its excellence is recognized by experts both domestically and internationally.

More than 300 beamline users visit Pohang annually to conduct experiments, and the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory actively supports cutting-edge research in critical fields such as energy, environment, nanotechnology, bio, and quantum science, which are pressing challenges of modern society.

As demand continues to increase in national core industries such as secondary batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, bio, and semiconductors, Pohang City and the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory have agreed on the urgent need to expand the beamlines of the 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator and are cooperating to secure the necessary budget.

Pohang City and the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory plan to begin detailed design for beamline expansion as early as next year and complete the construction of the beamlines by 2027.

The new beamlines will have more than twice the performance of the current beamlines in the low-energy range, which is globally scarce, and through this, research in essential national strategic technologies such as secondary batteries, semiconductors and displays, and advanced bio fields is expected to be further strengthened.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “If POSTECH, the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, and local R&D institutions, which have world-class human and physical infrastructure, communicate and cooperate together, they will be able to lead mutual development and regional innovation.” He added, “We will strive to nurture Pohang’s future growth engines based on the 4th generation synchrotron radiation accelerator, which marks its 7th anniversary of completion.”

In January, Mayor Lee Kang-deok met with Kang Heung-sik, director of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, and requested that the fruits of advanced science, including experiential activities for elementary, middle, and high school students linked to the large-scale advanced scientific infrastructure of the synchrotron radiation accelerator, be shared and communicated with citizens. In response, the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory plans to hold the ‘1st Bright Light Science Exploration’ event over two days on the 7th and 8th of next month.

The event is expected to contribute to the popularization of science by making it easy to understand through programs such as science museum and facility tours, science quizzes, and OX quizzes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.