Welcome to the NanoTerasu website

NanoTerasu, a state-of-the-art 3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility, is one of the world’s leading large-scale research facilities, capable of observing the nanoscale world — a scale as small as one-billionth of a meter.

At NanoTerasu, electrons are accelerated to nearly the speed of light using an accelerator. These electrons generate extremely bright X-rays, known as synchrotron radiation, which is about a billion times brighter than sunlight. By illuminating materials with this powerful light, NanoTerasu enables observations at the nanoscale. These capabilities are widely utilized not only in fundamental science but also across various industrial fields, including energy, materials, devices, biotechnology, and food, supporting both scientific advancement and innovation.

The name “NanoTerasu” symbolizes the facility’s role in “illuminating (Terasu)” the world of “nano.” It also reflects the hope that research conducted here and the resulting discoveries will enrich both academia and industry worldwide — much like Amaterasu, the sun goddess in Japanese mythology, who is said to illuminate the world.

NanoTerasu is operated through the collaboration of multiple organizations: the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), the principal entity responsible for the facility as designated by the Japanese government; the Photon Science Innovation Center (PhoSIC), representing the regional partnership; and the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), which promotes user access under the Act on the Promotion of Public Utilization of Specific Advanced Large-Scale Facilities. The facility is located on the Aobayama New Campus of Tohoku University in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.