In its commitment to better serving its user communities and taking advantage of recent scientific and technological advances, SOLEIL is now launching a major modernization of its facilities with the project SOLEIL II.
This ambitious project will benefit from experience and expertise acquired over the last nearly twenty years that the synchrotron has been in operation. The pioneering and innovative spirit of our teams, which came into play during the construction of SOLEIL, makes this update the boldest project among the many underway or planned within the international synchrotron ecosystem.
SOLEIL II will prioritize rational, moderate resource use by keeping existing buildings and offer fundamentally renovated accelerators and beamlines, making France’s source of synchrotron radiation more competitive and increasing its lifespan by at least 15 years.
Meeting the challenges of tomorrow
Advanced materials, sustainable energy, health and well-being, environment, and geosciences are among the fields in which SOLEIL II aims to have a decisive impact.
Science lights up the future
GThanks to a technological leap and a combination of experimental setups unique in the world, it will be possible, for example, to... :
An ambitious and innovative project
The ambitious design being proposed is based on a broad research and development (R&D) program in the fields of electron accelerators, magnetic components for synchrotron light sources, ultra-high vacuum systems, optics, and detectors, as well as the development of new sample analysis techniques on the beamlines.
A societal dimension
SOLEIL II is a tremendous opportunity for training in engineering and technical professions, technology transfer to French companies, and raising public awareness of scientific and technical professions in a dynamic European context.
A more environmentally friendly facility
Replacing aging equipment after two decades of operation will significantly reduce the facility’s environmental footprint.