INFRARED
IR microscope
- ATR and Grazing Angle objectives are available for use in this round. Please indicate in your proposal if either of these is required.
- The Focal Plane Array FTIR microscope is currently unavailable while we await repair to the detector.
- Class II containment facilities are now available within the Biochemistry support laboratory. Users requiring access to this facility should contact IR beamline staff prior to submitting a proposal.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Far-IR and High Resolution
The following instruments are under commissioning but are available to EXPERT users from May 2010:
Gas-phase
• An Enclosive Flow Cooling (EFC) cell with multipass optics that will enable the study of gases at cryogenic temperatures & clusters. The EFC cell is equipped with KBr windows, and thus, is limited to energies greater than 400 cm-1; it can achieve path lengths less than 20 m. Presently operating at temperatures ranging from100-300 K, the EFC cell is also designed to run at liquid helium temperature. The cell will be adapted to operate in the far-IR spectral region during the second cycle of 2010.
• A room temperature multipass glass gas-cell that can offer path lengths up to 40 m.
Condensed-phase
• A vacuum-proof cell for qualitative and quantitative analysis of liquid samples; the cell is equipped with polyethylene, AgCl or AgBr window materials, and spacers ranging from 6-250 microns.
The following instruments are available to users from May 2010:
Gas-phase
• A multipass gas-cell 300-380 K that can offer path lengths up to 20 m.
• A furnace to generate short-lived species by pyrolysis; it can only be coupled to the 300-380 K gas cell.
Condensed-phase
• A cryostat to study solid homogeneous samples down to liquid nitrogen or (helium) temperature.
• A Grazing Incidence Angle accessory that is ideal for the study of thin samples at grazing angles.
Please contact the Far-IR and High Resolution beamline staff if you wish to use any of these instruments.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
MACROMOLECULAR CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
MX1: Macromolecular Crystallography beamline
MX2: Micro Crystallography beamline
- Program proposals valid for up to 2 years will be accepted in addition to normal proposals
- Please specify in your proposed experiment the total number of shifts anticipated to be required over the life of the program proposal and submit a separate beamtime request for the number of shifts required in round 2010/2
- Microfocus beam with FWHM of better than 50x40 microns (HxV)
- Extremely high flux with up to 3e12 ph/s/mm2 in the focussed beam
- High resolution high framerate sample video for alignment of microcrystals
- User changeable energy
- Fluorescence scans for MAD and metal identification
- MAD energies from 5.5 - 21 keV
- Robotic loading and remote access.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
POWDER DIFFRACTION
- Users can find tips on proposal preparation and information regarding available beamline ancillaries under 'Beamtime on this beamline' on the powder diffraction beamline's webpage.
- Users seeking to use their own sample stage / ancillaries should discuss this in advance with Kia Wallwork AND provide drawings of the equipment to show how it is anticipated that this equipment will fit at the end station.
- Users seeking to use the Photonic Sciences CCD detectors will need to request permission in advance.
- Available for use in 2010 are:
- Anton Paar furnace, reaching 1600°C
- Gas/vacuum flow cell for capillary samples
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SOFT X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY
- The beamline is operating routinely and all facilities on the user chamber are available.
- The Partial Electron Yield detector is close to the end of its life. Once new power supply electronics are received, the channelplates will be exchanged and the system recommissioned. At present it is running but is classed ‘at risk’ of failure.
- A reference bar containing gold, copper and silver foils and a YAG crystal have been mounted below the main sample holder position and are always available for photon calibration purposes.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SMALL AND WIDE ANGLE SCATTERING
Commissioning of beamline optics is complete and the full range of beam energies (5-20 keV) is available, and can easily be varied to suit an experiment. Anomalous scattering should now be possible. The full functionality of the endstation installation is complete including WAXS from approx. 5 to 90 degrees in a vertical circle. At short camera lengths there is overlap between the SAXS and WAXS collection angles for isotropic scatterers. SAXS camera lengths are 520, 650, 900, 1600, 3300 and 7000 mm. The SAXS beamstop is 2mm radius and contains a quantitative detector for normalising SAXS patterns. Two Pilatus detectors are in service: one for SAXS (170 x 170 mm) and one for WAXS (33 x 170 mm). A MAR165CCD detector (165mm diameter) is also available. The Pilatus 1M and 200k detectors allow fast time-resolved data collection in up to 30 and 150 frames per second.
The beam size at the sample is from 200x70 micrometres (HxV) to 400x150 micrometres depending on the camera length or focal point, and can be much larger if required. A high-precision three-axis sample table is available, and numerous additional translation and rotation stages are available, e.g. for grazing incidence scattering. The beamline features a fast, high-precision on-axis video sample alignment system. Combined with very high available flux, exposures of even very weak scattering samples are typically <1 minute and users should be aware that sample throughput can be very high.
Please be mindful of sample presentation and handling capabilities when submitting your proposal, as we require that you specifiy details of sample mounting and presentation in the experimental section of the proposal. The beamline is well suited to high-throughput transmission measurements of static samples mounted on simple flat plates at ambient temperature (27.5 ºC). The beamline is still developing its capabilities for temperature-controlled work. We now have a high-throughput temperature-controlled stage for up to 35 static samples mounted in capillaries between 0 and 80 ºC. For samples analysed in capillaries which need to flow during analysis (i.e. proteins) we have a prototype single sample holder (0 – 80 ºC) and basic syringe pumps. All our current equipment for temperature-controlled work requires capillary-mounted samples. We strongly recommend using 1.5mm quartz capillaries – quartz for low background intensity and 1.5mm to best suit the beam geometry. Many of the stages allow remote temperature control and highly automated data collection. The main sample stage has precision translations and is ideally suited to mounting user-provided sample environment equipment on a standard 300x450mm M6 breadboard. If you are planning to bring your own equipment please state this clearly in your proposal. The minimum cable length from the sample stage to the user area is 7m.
Proposals are required to clearly state what q-range(s) are required.
Users are encouraged to contact the beamline staff when planning experiments.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
X-RAY FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY
- Beamline
- Incident energy variable from 4 to 25 keV
- Incident energy resolution DeltaE/E=10-4
- Microprobes
- KB mirror microprobe with 2 by 1 micron focal spot (H by V). Compatible with Vortex and Maia detectors.
- Zone plate nanoprobe with 80 nm focal spot (<7 keV) or 150 nm focal spot (>8 keV). Compatible with Vortex detector only.
- Detectors
- Vortex: silicon drift fluorescence detector. Energy range 1.5 to 25 keV. Typical dwell 0.2-2 sec/pixel
- Maia384: silicon array fluorescence detector for on-the-fly acquisition. Typical dwell 1-100 msec/pixel
- DPC: transmission segmented photodiode for differential phase contrast
- Transmission: Ion chambers and photodiodes
- Modes of operation available in 2010/2:
- SFXM Scanning Fluorescence X-ray Microscopy, 2D elemental mapping of fluorescence emission in the range 1.5 to 25 keV (Vortex detector) or 4 to 25 keV (Maia detector).
- Micro-XANES spatially resolved X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy from 4 to 25 keV => calcium to silver K-edge spectroscopy (Z=20 - 47) and L-edges falling within this energy range
- STXM Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy => fast transmission maps (absorption and differential phase contrast) with incident energy range from 4 to 25 keV
A FAQ is available to assist you with your application: Click here
If your experiment requires capabilities that fall outside of those listed then please contact the beamline scientists prior to submitting your proposal. Proposals that do not fit within these capabilities may be considered for beamtime at the discretion of the PAC.
Please contact beamline scientists to discuss your particular sample mounting requirements.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
X-RAY ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
- Standard XAS experiments will be performed in the first hutch containing a 100 element fluroescence detector, L He cryostat and room temperature sample environment. This end station has been optimised and will not be modified from cycle 2010/1. Limited capability for any non-standard (XANES and EXAFS) transmission experiments will be available in the second experimental hutch. Please contact the beamline staff if in doubt of the class of your experiment.
- Experimental capabilities:
- Closed cycle helium cryostat is operating in the range 20 - 300 K. Remote computer control is available and temperature changes of ~ 50 K take a few minutes. Transmission and fluorescence XAS measurements.
- The energy range available is 5 - 42 keV via the following operation modes.
- Mode 1: 4 - 10 keV focussed ~ 0.5 x 1mm Si(111) 1010 - 1012 photons / sec
- Mode 2: 8 - 18 keV focussed ~ 0.5 x 1 mm Si(111) 1010 - 1012 photons / sec
- Mode 4: 15 - 35 keV focussed ~ 0.5 x 1 mm Si(311) 109 - 1011 photons / sec
- Mode 5: 10 - 42 keV unfocussed < 3 x 15 mm Si(311)*
- * limited control over harmonic content - not ideal for XAS experiments.
- Experiments will necessarily be grouped together based on their energy range / operation mode. Mode changes during an experiment are not possible (with the exception of Modes 1 & 2). For example, a proposal requesting to measure Fe K and Cd K edges will not be feasible, whereas Fe and Zr would.
- A proposal guidelines document (click here) has been prepared jointly by the Program Advisory Committee and beamline staff to assist users in maximising the chance of obtaining beamtime. Users are strongly urged to consult it and utilise it as template.
- New users to the XAS beamline are strongly urged to contact beamline staff well in advance of the proposal deadline to assess the feasibility of their proposed experiments.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BEAMLINE FACILITY (ANBF)
The ANBF recently received ARC funding to support operations and access for the Australian community until the end of 2010.
This mature facility is now focussed on fluorescence XAFS techniques and as such complements the transmission XAFS capabilities of the Australian Synchrotron. The ANBF has the following experimental capabilities:
- X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in fluorescence (and transmission) geometry including EXAFS and XANES
- Temperature range 10 - 310 K (Custom High T apparatus accommodated)
- Grazing-incidence geometry available for surface/thin film studies
Technical Specifications
- Energy Range
- Si (111) Monochromators 4.5 - 20 keV
- Si (311) Monochromator 11 - 35 keV
- Beam Size
- Adjustable between 0.1 mm x 0.1 mm and 20mm x 2mm (H x V)
- Detectors
- 36-element Ge Planar Array Fluorescence Detector
- X-ray Imaging Plates
- Ionisation Chambers (30cm x 1, 15cm x2, 5cm x2)
- Lytle Detector (ionisation chamber fluorescence detector)
- Scintillation counter
- Diffractometer
- Huber 410/20 two-circle goniometers mounted in vacuum chamber
- Imaging plate detectors (radius = 570mm, angular resolution = 0.01 degrees
- Ancilliary Equipment
- FTIR Spectrometer
- UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
- PAR 473A Potentiostat/Galvanostat
- Milli-Q water purification system
- Microbalances
- Optical microscope
- Ultrasonic bath
- Water chiller/circulator
- Chemicals handling and storage facilities.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|