The 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, or IPAC’22, from 12 to 17 June in Bangkok marked the return of a physical, in-person IPAC after two years of resorting to online platform due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference was hosted by Synchrotron Light Research Institute, the Thai synchrotron facility, and it was the first time in history that Thailand hosts an IPAC. The atmosphere was lively as delegates were delighted to participate in an in-person conference once again, as well as have a chance to meet and catch up with colleagues and friends from around the world.

The conference received a blessing from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who graciously presided over the Opening Ceremony and attended the two opening plenaries. The scientific program included excellent invited and contributed talks, as well as outstanding posters, highlighting scientific achievements from all over the world. Among them are talks on the results of the precise measurement of the anomalous magnetic dipole moment (g-2) of muons at Fermilab, and the analysis at synchrotron light sources of the soil samples obtained from near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu by the Hayabusa 2 space mission, which gave us a glimpse into the origin of the solar system.

In total, 88 invited and contributed talks on a wide array of particle accelerator-related topics were presented. These ranges from updates of new collider projects such as Future Circular Collider (FCC), Electron Ion Collider (EIC), International Linear Collider (ILC), and Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), as well as upgrade plans for existing ones such as Beijing Electron–Positron Collider II (BEPCII) and SuperKEKB, to new photon source projects such as NanoTerasu and Siam Photon Source II (SPS-II). A talk on power efficiency of accelerators drew a lot of attention due to the increasing global concern on sustainability and eco-sufficiency.

The industry session of IPAC’22, titled “Accelerator Technology: From Research to Industry: Present Global Overview and How to Move Forward”, was wholly revamped from the past editions, aiming to have substantial impact on the improvement of the dynamic between laboratories and industries, while at the same time addressing other topics on particle accelerator innovations and disruptive technologies. It was hosted by Raffaella Geometrante (KYMA) and received lots of praises from the audience.

The entertainment session was an engaging talk entitled “Looking into the Past with Photons”, highlighting how synchrotron radiation has become an indispensable tool in archaeological and paleontological researches. Investigation of ancient artifacts with photons reveals not only the origin, the composition, and the method of fabrication of the studied objects, but also the relationship between past civilizations located on different corners of the world.

For social events, the Chair’s Reception was held on an evening boat cruising along the Chao Phraya River through the middle of Bangkok, passing majestic palaces and historic temples at nighttime. The participants on board thoroughly enjoyed the music and traditional Thai performances, as well as the scenery. The Conference Banquet also had traditional Thai performances, as well as modern music performed by a world-famous DJ. After a week of intense academic exchange, the delegates had a chance to relax by dancing to the beat with friends old and new.

In total, approximately 800 delegates comprise of scientists, engineers, technicians, students, and industrial partners from 37 different countries attended IPAC’22, making it a successful and, more importantly, very memorable conference. It was seen as the symbol of our return to normal scientific activities and face-to-face interaction. At the Closing Ceremony, the duty of an IPAC host was passed to the next host, the IPAC’23 organizing team. IPAC’23 is planned as an in-person conference in Venice, Italy, from 7 to 12 May next year.

Prapong Klysubun (SLRI), Organizing Committee Chair