Sirius is used to understand the atomic structure of molecules, which can help in the development of new drugs, new materials used in construction, oil exploration and in many other areas. The 68,000-square-meter building houses a ring-shaped, circumferential 500-meter facility. To protect people from the radiation released by machine operation, designed to be the most advanced of its kind in the world, the whole is shielded by 1 kilometer of concrete walls. Around R$ 1.8 billion were invested in the project, which makes it the most ambitious scientific project ever made in Brazil.