Pre-Beamtime Checklist

Have you prepared your samples? You can prepare your samples onsite a day or so before your beam time as long as you have an in-person Chemistry Lab induction. Otherwise, prepare them at your home institution before you come in.

If you want to prepare your 7 mm pellet samples ahead of beamtime

At the XAS Beamline we normally stock some 1.5 mm thick, clear acrylic plastic holders. We have limited resources for sending out sample holders ahead of beamtime so we have provided you a schematic of the sample holder so you can take it to your preferred company to have them fabricated.

Open

Are you familiar with the contents of the EA? Only materials that are on the approved EA are permitted on-site. All members of the experimental team (not just the PI) are expected to be familiar with the entirety of the EA and sample spreadsheet.

Do you know who your main beamline scientist contact is? (Hint: They are most likely the one who signed your EA form)

Is at least one experience user or more senior staff member attending your beamtime?

If you require gases: 

• Non ambient temperature? – The hot air blower is a shared resource with PD beamline, so availability is not guaranteed. See our Wiki page for details on which experimental conditions are possible. 

• When and where will gases be used? Are gases required for solution purging between experiments (e.g. could be done in the Chem Lab) or are they required to be used inside the Hutch during the scan? 

• Can any of the hazardous gases in your proposal be substituted for less hazardous options? E.g. could compressed air, nitrogen, or argon be used instead? 

EA Submission

Please submit your EA as at least 2 weeks prior to your beamtime (earlier is even better!).

See our guide on common sticking points with EAs.

Changes to Your Proposed Experiment

Any changes from your proposal (e.g. additional edges, additional sample types) must first
be requested (and justified) well in advance of submitting your EA. Contact the beamline and explain why these changes are needed, and how you can accommodate them into the beamtime allocation (will you remove other edges/samples?). Please keep in mind that your proposal was assessed by an external panel of experts and awarded beamtime based on scientific merit. As such, substantial changes may not be approved without compelling justification.

Beamline/PSS inductions

No Beamline/PSS induction will be held without beam (e.g. Mondays).

Arriving early to the facility

Most users will arrive the night prior to their beamtime, or early morning of their first day. Organising through the User Office to arrive any earlier is fine, but normally this means there is no access to the beamline yet. We have users back-to-back throughout the cycle, so please respect that scientists are supporting a different experiment before yours (and another following the conclusion of yours).

Planning your Experiment

• Many beamtimes are 2 days or longer and combine ex-situ and in-situ measurements. If you are in this category, then plan to do ex-situ experiments on day 1 and change to in-situ experiments early on day 2. This way, your beamline scientist can focus with you on necessary beamline training on the first day. Setting up for in-situ normally takes several hours.

• Unless you are very experienced and require literally zero training on beamline control software then starting with ex-situ on day 1 will be what you do.

• No more than one experimental change per day, and not starting later than 2 pm. This normally refers to a change

  • between ex- and in-situ, or

  • between room temperature and cryogenic measurements, or

  • changing from below the Cu K-edge to above the Cu K-edge (9 keV) in Mode X.

During Your Beamtime

The First Day of your Experiment

• Beamline/PSS inductions are commonly held after the chem lab inductions, and after beamline setup. This typically means after 11 am. Everyone requiring this induction will need to attend at the same time (only 1 induction will be held per beamtime).

• Normally, the first couple of hours will be required by the beamline scientists to optimise the beamline. Users are not required during this time. Please arrive around 11 am at the beamline (after chemistry lab inductions). The beamline scientist can also text you on the number provided in your EA form when the beamline is ready.

• Regular chem lab inductions are held at 9.30 am Tue to Fri. Regardless of whether you think you need the chem lab or not, you should make sure you hold a valid induction. If you have no valid induction your card will not work for the chem lab (for washing hands, grabbing some gloves, a bottle of solvents, etc). Tailgating someone else into the lab is not allowed and carries consequences for your entire team.

• You are not allowed to take visitors to the beamline or indeed anywhere inside the facility. Everyone must be listed on the EA form ahead of time. Also, beamline staff will not be able to host such visitors.

• If you are running a multi-day experiment with ex-situ and in-situ components, the first day will be for ex-situ studies only.

Beamline Support

During office hours

If you require help with changing gases or during regular office hours (usually 9am to 5pm Monday - Friday, but your supporting scientist will inform you of their office hours), please contact the beamline scientist that is supporting your experiment. They will point out where you can find their best contact details.

After office hours

If you require help after your supporting scientists office hours, please contact the control room from your mobile or the beamline phone. The control room is the first point of contact for out of hours support, and they will contact the beamline scientist if necessary.