The upgrade of the IJS ion accelerator is underway

The tandem ion accelerator “Tandetron,” the only research accelerator in the country, is the heart of the infrastructural research center “Microanalytical Center” (MIC), which operates within the Infrastructure Program of the Jožef Stefan Institute. Since 1997, it has provided domestic and international researchers with a stable scientific environment, leading to top-tier results and publications, and the accelerator is involved in numerous international projects.

After an exceptionally successful 28 years of operation, the time has come to upgrade the central component—the accelerator unit—where ions will be electrostatically accelerated (in a direct-current electric field) by a high-voltage generator of up to 3 MV (three million volts). This represents a 50% increase in voltage compared to the existing system and opens entirely new research opportunities.

Preparations for the upgrade were thorough and have taken place over the past several months. Installation of the new accelerator unit is currently proceeding according to plan, with the supplier HVEE (Netherlands) working closely with local experts. The old components have already been removed, and the demanding placement of the new accelerator unit between the ion sources and the steering magnet is underway.

Timelapse of the accelerator unit entering the MIC building was recorded on the video below:

The ion beam on the upgraded accelerator is expected to be available to researchers at the beginning of 2026.