IMBL Proposal Submission Guide
This page provides a short guide to writing beamtime proposals for the IMBL beamline. It focuses on the technical aspects of applying to use IMBL, but also addresses some key points that will help in forming the science case.
How to justify the need for synchrotron?
If your proposal involves imaging or computed tomography… Make sure you explain the benefit of using the IMBL. This might be speed of collection, due to the beam brightness. Possibly the need for a monochromatic beam for accurate quantitative imaging. The phase contrast advantage of high sensitivity to small density differences.
If the proposal is for a radiobiology or radiotherapy experiment. Emphasise the unique capabilities of IMBL in terms of providing dose rate, beam collimation, and spectrum. It’s hard to achieve x-ray dose rates or collimation at anywhere other than a storage ring source.
How to calculate the amount of shifts to requested?
The first shift of the day starts at 8 am. Shifts are 8 hours long. At least the first 4 hours of the first shift should be reserved for setting up. The time taken for a CT collection can vary greatly depending on sample size, required spatial resolution etc. So consult the IMBL team for advice. You are usually awarded consecutive shifts, which means you should plan to also use the midnight to 8 am shift carefully. It is often best to leave long collections for this night shift.
Declare the number of samples for which you wish to collect data, and the beam time required for each.
It’s very important to declare breaks between parts of the experiment which are longer than a couple of hours.
What do we expect to see in the experiment section?
As well as describing the science, the proposal acts as a guide for the facility to decide on how to manage the samples you wish to bring with you. You must declare any hazardous substances, and assess the risk of preparations that might be performed on-site.
The beamline team uses the proposal to anticipate the beamline set-up for your work. You must consult the IMBL team on parameters such as the photon energy or spectrum used. The spatial resolution required and the matching x-ray imager.
If you require beamtime which is ‘split’ over more than one session (separated by a day or more). This must be clearly stated.
There will be questions in the proposal form about use of experiment animals. Our IMBL veterinarian will be happy to advise on monitoring and husbandry before, during, and after the beamtime.