Sirius Updates

August 2nd, 2024

Sirius receives superconducting radiofrequency cavity

The component will enable increased current in the storage ring, ensuring a higher photon flux for the beamlines

Between August and October of this year, the Sirius accelerators will undergo an important maintenance period. During these months, new components will be installed in the storage ring. By significantly increasing the photon flux to the beamlines, these changes will bring various benefits to users, such as faster experiments and higher temporal resolution.

July 29th, 2024

Sapucaia beamline receives first X-ray beam generated by Sirius

Research station dedicated to small-angle X-ray scattering now moves to the technical and scientific commissioning stage

The detector in the Sapucaia experimental station recently received its first beam of X-rays generated by the Sirius particle accelerators. This beamline, which is dedicated to small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), will be an important tool for studying the morphological and dynamic properties of nano and microstructured objects.

June 3rd, 2024

Call for research projects at Sirius is extended until June 27th

Ten beamlines are in operation and can receive regular proposals.

The deadline forsubmitting proposals for the fourth call for research projects for ten Sirius beamlines has been extended until Thursday, June 27th. The extension is due to unusual systemic difficulties reported by some international users in submitting their proposals.

December 18th, 2023

Sirius announces results for third round of research proposals

232 new projects will be carried out at the Sirius beamlines during the first half of 2024

The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), an organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), has released the list of scientific projects selected to be conducted within the research facilities at Sirius, Brazil's largest and most complex research infrastructure dedicated to analyzing the structure of all types of matter at the micro and nano scales.

November 24th, 2023

Delta undulator installed on the Sabiá beamline

Component is the first of its type to be installed in the storage ring of a synchrotron light source

This November, group members in the Technology Division at CNPEM were involved in the process of replacing the undulator on the Sabiá beamline, which operates in the soft X-ray range and is dedicated to X-ray absorption techniques, particularly linear or circular dichroism of magnetic materials (XLD, XMLD, XMCD) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM).

July 20th, 2023

Manacá beamline at Sirius expands to allow investigation of “small molecules”

A joint effort, involving local and external researchers, validated crystallographic study of small molecules, alongside the usual with proteins

Manacá, one of the beamlines operating at Sirius, was designed for analysis of the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules, especially proteins. However, in late May, a group of specialists, including physicists and chemists from universities in Brazil and abroad, came to Sirius to validate the current instrumentation in the beamline, so that it would be possible to welcome the research community that studies what are known as small molecules.

July 13th, 2023

Sirius announces selected applicants in its second call for research proposals

100 new projects will be carried out in the six research stations already open to users in Brazil’s largest scientific infrastructure

The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), an organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), has released the list of scientific projects selected to be conducted within the research facilities at Sirius, Brazil's largest and most complex research infrastructure dedicated to analyzing the structure of all types of matter at the micro and nano scales. One hundred proposals were chosen out of the 281 submitted during the second official call for research projects to be conducted at Sirius during April 3–24 of this year. The selected projects will be carried out during the second half of 2023, between August 2 and December 16.

June 27th, 2023

Mogno beamline receives its first external users

First research conducted during the commissioning period of the Sirius beamline dedicated to X-ray micro and nanotomography seeks to investigate a bacterium-associated vascular disease of citrus

Mogno is the beamline at Sirius dedicated to obtaining tomographic images with resolution that varies from the micro to nanometric scales. The Mogno beamline uses high-brilliance X-rays at 22, 39, and 67 keV produced by the particle accelerators at Sirius and offers real-time and non-invasive characterization of the internal structures of materials at different spatial scales.

Primeiro feixe de luz UV gerada pelo Sirius chega à linha Cedro

June 2nd, 2023

Cedro research station receives its first ultraviolet beam generated by Sirius

Arrival of the UV beam is a milestone in the commissioning process

This week the Cedro experiment station received its first synchrotron light beam after being connected to the Sirius particle accelerators. This beamline dedicated to circular dichroism spectroscopy will be an important tool for studying the structure of chiral molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. Using the ultraviolet region of the synchrotron light generated by Sirius, the beamline will offer researchers the ability to quantify the contents of the secondary structure of proteins and assess their stability and interaction with other molecules. The ultraviolet beam could be observed on Monday, May 29 after extensive efforts involving reassembly and positioning in the beamline's mirror chamber. Learn more about the Cedro beamline

April 20th, 2023

Sirius begins operating in top-up mode, ensuring more stable beamlines

The new operating mode ensures more stability and more photons emitted to the beamlines

Since late March, Sirius has implemented a new operating mode that involves injecting new electrons into the storage accelerator every 3 minutes, guaranteeing that the current remains nearly constant throughout its operations. This results in around 25% more photons emitted per day compared to the previous mode, in which electrons were injected every 8 hours and beam current decayed during this period.