NSF’s ChemMatCARS at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source (APS) is embarked on an ambitious program of upgrades in the belief that new research initiatives for users of next-generation of x-ray light sources require improved facilities and more beam time.
Construction of the new, upgraded ChemMatCARS facility is well under way in order to continue meeting the needs of the ChemMatCARS user community scientific programs with a better x-ray beam. Work at the facility will result in modernized existing beamline optics in two enclosures and a second beamline with three new enclosures.
Artist’s rendering of the new ChemMatCARS enclosure exterior.
The former enclosures and associated equipment at beamlines 15-ID-A, 15-ID-E, and 15-ID-B (the parameters of the construction project) have been cleared from the experiment hall floor and installation of new and upgraded instrumentation is progressing.
Two beamlines will provide x-rays to two experiments concurrently; each beamline will have its own undulator x-ray source and optics.
The new 15-ID1 beamline will provide 5-keV to 70-keV high-energy x-rays. Optics will employ a double-crystal multilayer monochromator with crystal and multilayer optics, mirror focusing for energy scanning measurements (EXAFS, XANES, DAFS), and a compound refractive lens (CRL) with 1-D and 2-D focusing for smaller beams (without mirrors).
Artist’s rendering of the new ChemMatCARS 15-ID-A instruments.
The new 15-ID2 beamline will provide 3.5-keV to 31.5-keV x-ray beams in order to extend energies to a useful range below 5 keV for resonant diffraction; and a side-bounce monochromator and Be CRL for 1-D and 2-D focusing using small beams and high coherence.
ChemMatCARS has established schedule for resumption of user operations:
First beamline (15-ID1) commissioning will start mid-2024 – user runs by early 2025.
Second beamline (15-ID2) commissioning will start late 2024 – user runs by mid-2025.
Parameters of the upgraded APS. For more information, access the Upgrade web site here.
These figures were taken from the presentation entitled “NSF’s ChemMatCARS Expansion Project” by Ben Stillwell (Research Engineer; Manager of the Engineering and Technical Support Group, University of Chicago; and lead engineer for the ChemMatCARS construction project), and Mark Schlossman, (ChemMatCARS Co-Principal Investigator and Deputy Director; and Professor, Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago).
Construction of a second beamline at NSF’s ChemMatCARS is supported by NSF grant CHE-1836674 with contributions from the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities within the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and NSF Divisions in Chemistry (CHE), Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), and Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems Engineering (CBET) (click here for detail).
Contact
Natalie Chen (nataliec@uchicago.edu)