Konstantin Sukharnikov Scientific instrumentation

A hobby. An independent overview compiled from public sources by a science and space enthusiast. I am not involved in these missions or facilities; my own work is detector electronics at European XFEL. My projects →

Facility · Synchrotrons

High Energy Photon Source (HEPS)

High-energy fourth-generation storage ring (6 GeV, ≈1.36 km), X-rays up to 300 keV

Status
Commissioning
Location
Huairou, Beijing, China
Operator
Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences
Next
≈ Dec 2026 national acceptance and official start of operation (planned "within 2026")

Summary

A high-energy fourth-generation light source in Beijing, according to Chinese sources the first of its kind in Asia. The 6 GeV ring has a circumference of about 1.36 km (design parameters, IHEP HEPS). The first phase has 14 user beamlines and one test beamline, with X-rays up to 300 keV; the building has room for at least 90 beamlines (Science and Technology Daily, 15 June 2026).

Now as of 9 Nov 2026

In trial operation; national acceptance has not yet taken place. Acceptance of the parameters by the Chinese Academy of Sciences came on 29 October 2025; trial user experiments began in December 2025, and by 11 February 2026, 222 projects had been carried out on 13 beamlines. IHEP planned the official start for mid-2026; the International Advisory Committee (25–27 March 2026) named the move to stable operation and the preparation of the second phase as the main tasks (IHEP, 31 March 2026). The first general call for proposals (March to 30 April 2026) drew 1,740 proposals in 40 days; by the end of April there were about 300 projects and more than 1,000 users. In June 2026 the management spoke of national acceptance and an official start "within the year" (Science and Technology Daily, 15 June 2026). As of November 2026, no report of the acceptance has been found.

Key dates

  1. 29 Oct 2025Acceptance of the parameters (CAS)done
  2. Dec 2025Trial operation with users beginsdone
  3. Mar–Apr 2026First general call for proposalsdone
  4. ≈ Dec 2026National acceptance, official operationplanned ("within 2026")

Timeline

  1. 15 Jun 2026Plan: national acceptance and official operation in 2026 — Science and Technology Daily
  2. 31 Mar 20264th meeting of the HEPS International Advisory Committee — IHEP