On October 26, 2023, in Beijing, it was reported that significant progress is being made in the preparations for the Southern Advanced Light Source, a major scientific facility planned to be built next to the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), which is recognized as its “perfect match.”
The Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that the third meeting of the Southern Advanced Light Source Advisory Committee took place in Hong Kong that same day. During the meeting, collaboration agreements were signed among the Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, which operates the CSNS, and eight universities from Hong Kong and Macau, including the University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Baptist University, University of Macau, and Macau University of Science and Technology. Additionally, two academic institutions, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Academy Alliance and the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Center, participated in the signing.
The agreements aim to deepen research collaboration between mainland China and Hong Kong-Macau, exploring new models for building the Southern Advanced Light Source. The goal is to meet the urgent demand of users in the Greater Bay Area for a world-class fourth-generation synchrotron radiation facility and to promote the development of a cluster of large scientific devices that complement various research methods. This development is deemed significant for the economic and social growth of the Greater Bay Area as well as for the establishment of a comprehensive national scientific center and an international center for technological innovation.
Dr. Wang Sheng, Deputy Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics and Director of the Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, highlighted that the CSNS, located in Dongguan, Guangdong, is the first national major technological infrastructure in the Greater Bay Area. It has maintained close collaboration with universities in Hong Kong and Macau, successfully completing 76 experimental projects in partnership with seven of them.
The upcoming Southern Advanced Light Source is highly anticipated by many scientists from Hong Kong and Macau, as it will complement the existing spallation neutron source, both referred to as “super microscopes.” The strong synergy between the neutron source and the new synchrotron light source is expected to create a scenario where the sum is greater than its parts. Both facilities will be widely applicable across vital research fields such as physics, chemistry, materials science, energy, and the environment, serving as indispensable experimental facilities that support foundational and applied scientific research and industrial applications.
To facilitate the early preparation for the Southern Advanced Light Source, the advisory committee was established in 2019, comprised of representative users and experts in synchrotron radiation from relevant fields. The committee has met twice previously in Dongguan.
Experts from the advisory committee have consistently urged for the swift planning and construction of a world-class fourth-generation synchrotron radiation facility next to the already established CSNS in Dongguan. Both the spallation neutron source and the synchrotron radiation source share numerous users and have many commonalities in key technologies, experimental methods, facility construction, maintenance, and user support, leading to a mutually beneficial integration.
As one of the hosts and signatories of the meeting, Xu Haishan, President of the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Center, expressed optimism that the Southern Advanced Light Source could serve as a pilot and demonstration project for scientific and technological innovation collaboration in the Greater Bay Area. This initiative will focus on exploring and gradually improving mechanisms for funding, talent mobility, and cooperative models, thereby enhancing the level of research and innovation collaboration in the region.
