On 21 February 2025, a workshop on superconducting cavities took place at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics at JINR as part of collaboration between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMP CAS). The parties discussed key projects and cooperation prospects in the development of accelerator complexes.

“The increasing frequency of meetings with representatives of the Institute of Modern Physics of China once again confirms that both parties are striving to deepen this mutually beneficial partnership,” VBLHEP JINR Acting Director Andrey Butenko said at the opening of the workshop. He stressed that the Joint Institute intends to continue cooperation with Chinese specialists as part of fundamental megascience projects, including NICA and HIAF (High Intensity Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, China).

IMP CAS Deputy Director, Professor Yuan He spoke about the development of the Institute’s scientific infrastructure and key projects. He noted that the construction of the HIAF and CiADS (China initiative Accelerator Driven System) Accelerator Complexes is nearing completion in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. They will serve as the basis for the future Electron-Ion Collider (EicC).

The CAS Institute of Modern Physics responds to the challenges of global climate change by paying special attention to the development of advanced technologies for the safe use of nuclear energy. In the next five years, as part of the modernisation of the CiADS Facility, it is planned to create ADANES (Accelerator Driven Advanced Nuclear Energy System) for nuclear fuel production, electricity generation, and long-lived nuclide transmutation.

Yuan He emphasised the fruitful long-term cooperation between the two institutes and proposed to establish a JINR–IMP CAS research laboratory. In his opinion, it will strengthen cooperation in such key areas as polarised ion sources, superconducting linear accelerators, magnetic technologies, superheavy element synthesis, etc.

In addition to the specialists from JINR and the CAS Institute of Modern Physics, representatives of Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI) took part in the workshop. Employees of the Department of Electrophysical Facilities of the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering (INPHE MEPhI) Mikhail Lalayan and Tatiana Lozeeva spoke about the experience of the Moscow scientific and educational centre in developing equipment for accelerator facilities.

Head of the Physics and Technics Laboratory at the Institute for Nuclear Problems of Belarusian State University (INP BSU) Dmitry Bychenok took the initiative to deepen trilateral cooperation between JINR, IMP CAS, and INP BSU. He highlighted the study of niobium properties by calculating residual-resistance ratio (RRR) and conducting broadband measurements for the most efficient production of superconducting cavities as priority cooperation areas.

An IMP CAS researcher, Doctor Teng Tan reviewed the progress of the project to create superconducting microwave cavities for NICA. Chinese specialists have completed the development and manufacture of an accelerator cryomodule for a new VBLHEP linear accelerator. In particular, they prepared an updated technical design for superconducting cavities and obtained the first successful test results of equipment manufactured at IMP CAS.

Professor Zhijun Wang from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOP CAS) expressed interest in collaborating with colleagues from JINR in areas such as optimising high power beam dynamics at linear accelerators, developing specialised software, and designing new experimental facilities.

A researcher at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics at JINR Yegor Tamashevich spoke about new potential cooperation areas. He noted that specialists of the Joint Institute are ready to provide the necessary assistance to Chinese partners in developing technologies for detecting and accurately locating quenches in superconducting cavities for the most optimal diagnostics during their production. In addition, fundamental research on the thermophysical properties of niobium is actively conducted together with IMP CAS scientists, which makes it possible to significantly enhance the quality of superconducting cavities. At the end of the workshop, Yegor Tamashevich presented the project of a promising superconducting linear accelerator, planned to be built at VBLHEP, and spoke about the stages of its implementation.