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Developments in optics and performance at BL13-XALOC, the macromolecular crystallography beamline at the Alba Synchrotron

Juanhuix, Jordi ; Gil-Ortiz, Fernando ; Cuni, Guifre ; Colldelram, Carles ; Nicolas, Josep ; Lidon-Simon, Julio LU ; Boter, Eva ; Ruget, Claude ; Ferrer, Salvador and Benach, Jordi (2014) In Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 21. p.679-689
Abstract
BL13-XALOC is currently the only macromolecular crystallography beamline at the 3 GeV ALBA synchrotron near Barcelona, Spain. The optics design is based on an in-vacuum undulator, a Si(111) channel-cut crystal monochromator and a pair of KB mirrors. It allows three main operation modes: a focused configuration, where both mirrors can focus the beam at the sample position to 52 mu m x 5.5 mu m FWHM(H x V); a defocused configuration that can match the size of the beam to the dimensions of the crystals or to focus the beam at the detector; and an unfocused configuration, where one or both mirrors are removed from the photon beam path. To achieve a uniform defocused beam, the slope errors of the mirrors were reduced down to 55 nrad RMS by... (More)
BL13-XALOC is currently the only macromolecular crystallography beamline at the 3 GeV ALBA synchrotron near Barcelona, Spain. The optics design is based on an in-vacuum undulator, a Si(111) channel-cut crystal monochromator and a pair of KB mirrors. It allows three main operation modes: a focused configuration, where both mirrors can focus the beam at the sample position to 52 mu m x 5.5 mu m FWHM(H x V); a defocused configuration that can match the size of the beam to the dimensions of the crystals or to focus the beam at the detector; and an unfocused configuration, where one or both mirrors are removed from the photon beam path. To achieve a uniform defocused beam, the slope errors of the mirrors were reduced down to 55 nrad RMS by employing a novel method that has been developed at the ALBA high-accuracy metrology laboratory. Thorough commissioning with X-ray beam and user operation has demonstrated an excellent energy and spatial stability of the beamline. The end-station includes a high-accuracy single-axis diffractometer, a removable mini-kappa stage, an automated sample-mounting robot and a photon-counting detector that allows shutterless operation. The positioning tables of the diffractometer and the detector are based on a novel and highly stable design. This equipment, together with the operation flexibility of the beamline, allows a large variety of types of crystals to be tackled, from medium-sized crystals with large unit-cell parameters to microcrystals. Several examples of data collections measured during beamline commissioning are described. The beamline started user operation on 18 July 2012. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
macromolecular crystallography, beamline, Alba, mirror slope errors
in
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation
volume
21
pages
679 - 689
publisher
International Union of Crystallography
external identifiers
  • wos:000338124300005
  • scopus:84903614317
  • pmid:24971961
ISSN
1600-5775
DOI
10.1107/S160057751400825X
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
75ba7463-9b17-4533-a146-0dbcb148dc86 (old id 4602798)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:01:27
date last changed
2022-04-06 02:11:52
@article{75ba7463-9b17-4533-a146-0dbcb148dc86,
  abstract     = {{BL13-XALOC is currently the only macromolecular crystallography beamline at the 3 GeV ALBA synchrotron near Barcelona, Spain. The optics design is based on an in-vacuum undulator, a Si(111) channel-cut crystal monochromator and a pair of KB mirrors. It allows three main operation modes: a focused configuration, where both mirrors can focus the beam at the sample position to 52 mu m x 5.5 mu m FWHM(H x V); a defocused configuration that can match the size of the beam to the dimensions of the crystals or to focus the beam at the detector; and an unfocused configuration, where one or both mirrors are removed from the photon beam path. To achieve a uniform defocused beam, the slope errors of the mirrors were reduced down to 55 nrad RMS by employing a novel method that has been developed at the ALBA high-accuracy metrology laboratory. Thorough commissioning with X-ray beam and user operation has demonstrated an excellent energy and spatial stability of the beamline. The end-station includes a high-accuracy single-axis diffractometer, a removable mini-kappa stage, an automated sample-mounting robot and a photon-counting detector that allows shutterless operation. The positioning tables of the diffractometer and the detector are based on a novel and highly stable design. This equipment, together with the operation flexibility of the beamline, allows a large variety of types of crystals to be tackled, from medium-sized crystals with large unit-cell parameters to microcrystals. Several examples of data collections measured during beamline commissioning are described. The beamline started user operation on 18 July 2012.}},
  author       = {{Juanhuix, Jordi and Gil-Ortiz, Fernando and Cuni, Guifre and Colldelram, Carles and Nicolas, Josep and Lidon-Simon, Julio and Boter, Eva and Ruget, Claude and Ferrer, Salvador and Benach, Jordi}},
  issn         = {{1600-5775}},
  keywords     = {{macromolecular crystallography; beamline; Alba; mirror slope errors}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{679--689}},
  publisher    = {{International Union of Crystallography}},
  series       = {{Journal of Synchrotron Radiation}},
  title        = {{Developments in optics and performance at BL13-XALOC, the macromolecular crystallography beamline at the Alba Synchrotron}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S160057751400825X}},
  doi          = {{10.1107/S160057751400825X}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}