The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has compiled a report on SPring-8, a large-scale experimental facility in Hyogo Prefecture that uses special light called synchrotron radiation to elucidate the detailed structure of materials, with the aim of achieving the world's highest performance through major renovations that increase the capacity by about 100 times.
SPring-8 in Hyogo Prefecture is a large-scale circular facility with a diameter of about 500 meters, and uses a special light called synchrotron radiation to elucidate the detailed structure of materials.
It began operation 26 years ago as the world's highest performance device, and was used to identify arsenic in evidence materials in the Wakayama City poisonous curry incident that occurred the following year, attracting attention, and has also achieved results in the analysis of samples brought back by the asteroid explorer Hayabusa2.
Since large-scale synchrotron radiation facilities are also used in industrial fields such as semiconductor inspection and fuel cell development, and are important research platforms that support innovation, international competition is intensifying with the start of operation of research facilities that exceed the performance of SPring-8 in the United States, Europe, China, and other countries, as well as new plans.
In light of this situation, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has established a special working team to study and have recently compiled a report.
Therefore, efforts to achieve the world's highest performance should begin next fiscal year by making major renovations to increase the brightness of synchrotron radiation of SPring-8 to about 100 times the current level.
In addition, it has been indicated that it would like to start operation in FY2029 after a period of maintenance and construction by verifying operation using a prototype in the future, and that renovations are essential from the perspective of strengthening international competitiveness such as next-generation semiconductor development and economic security.
For forensic science and familiar product development
SPring-8 is useful not only for basic research, but also for forensic science and familiar product development.
In the "poisonous curry incident" in Wakayama City in 1998, the year after the start of operation, it was used to identify "arsenic" in evidence materials, and attracted attention.
In addition, in the research and development of automobile tires, the internal structure of tire rubber was investigated in detail using synchrotron radiation, which identified the part that increases the friction force, which led to the development of tires with excellent fuel efficiency.
In addition, it is used to obtain research data that is important for the development of various familiar products such as contact lenses, shampoos, and gums that help prevent tooth decay.