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The project to establish a second synchrotron in Latin America, initially driven by a Mexican group and proposed by a Colombian scientist, gained momentum in the latter half of 2021 with the presentation of an independent regional initiative. Since then, the project has garnered interest from several key players: the SIRIUS synchrotron in Campinas, which the new facility could complement the new facility, the original Mexican group who joined forces with the project, countries in the English-speaking Caribbean, multiple synchrotrons in the U.S. and Europe, and SESAME, the Middle Eastern facility built with significant international support.

Countries in the region that have joined the initiative view it as a crucial driver for the growth of their scientific communities, a particularly pressing goal for Central America and the Caribbean islands. Establishing a synchrotron in the Caribbean aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers a direct way to address many of the region’s socio-economic and political challenges. It would also serve as a catalyst for greater regional integration, particularly between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations.

The project has also partnered with the African Light Source initiative, which seeks to establish a synchrotron in the only continent without one.

One of the main challenges the project now faces is converting this international support into a concrete regional development objective. This involves convincing political leaders and the public that the costs associated with building and operating such a facility are not only manageable for their economies but are also justified in terms of opportunity cost, as they must address other pressing social priorities.

The successful realization of the project will also require significant efforts in capacity building. The challenge is not so much identifying potential users—the versatility of synchrotrons attracts a wide range of multidisciplinary users, and the scientific level in the region is already high, as demonstrated by Mexico’s established community of synchrotron users. Instead, the major hurdle will be training the necessary staff and technical personnel. SESAME’s experience has shown that this can be achieved during the construction phase of the facility, though it is clear that some level of talent loss is inevitable, making it necessary to train a sufficiently large and redundant workforce.

The final location of the facility has not been decided, as this will ultimately be a governmental decision. There is some indication that Mexico, particularly the state of Hidalgo, may be a strong candidate since land had already been donated to the national project. However, other options remain on the table.

A key technical decision that could impact the overall cost of the facility—namely, the energy level of the electron beam—has also yet to be made. While the leading options are either 1.5 GeV or 3 GeV, the final decision will depend on construction costs, anticipated applications of the facility, and the potential need to build lower-cost facilities in other countries beyond the host nation.

Adapted from Violini, G., The LAMISTAD Project, a Latin American synchrotron in the Caribbean, SIF Prima Pagina,  N. 113 – Maggio 2023, Società Italiana di Fisica,