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Newsletter================================================= CLS-News Vol. 1 No. 4 February 6, 2002 www.lightsource.ca University of Saskatchewan, Canada ==================================================
*************************************************************************** 1- Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) approves CLS Phase II commissioning (Contact: Mohamed.Benmerrouche@lightsource.ca ) The CNSC has given the Canadian Light Source the green light to go to “Phase II commissioning” which consists of completing the commissioning of the linac to the booster transfer line, commissioning of the booster ring, and commissioning of the booster-to-storage-ring transfer line. In the Phase II hearing, held November 15th in Ottawa, CNSC reviewed the measures CLS has in place for protecting workers, protecting the environment, security, quality assurance, emergency preparedness, public information, planning for eventual decommissioning, and liability. On protecting workers, through measures like shielding, locked areas, worker training, and radiation monitoring, the Commission said it’s satisfied adequate steps are being taken. The CNSC is also satisfied with CLS measures to protect the environment, to ensure the facility’s security, to ensure quality, to be ready to handle emergencies, to inform the public about the project, and to prepare for decommissioning. For the complete text of the Commission’s decision, please go to: www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/commission/pdf/cls_e.pdf where the document can be downloaded in pdf format. *************************************************************************** 2- Linac Update (Contact: Les.Dallin@lightsource.ca ) CLS commissioning resumed on January 15, 2002. Within a few days the linac produced a beam of 240 MeV, which is sufficient energy for injection into the booster. The booster to storage ring transfer line is nearly completed, and the beam will be taken to the boosterinjection point in the near future. The booster should be ready for commissioning in March. *************************************************************************** 3- CLS IT Detailed Design (Contact: skeeter.abellsmith@lightsource.ca ) EDS recently completed the top-level architecture for the CLS IT infrastructure. During the development of the IT architecture, EDS interviewed a subset of the scientific users to establish the high-level IT requirements. To view the PDF, please go to http://www.lightsource.ca/files/details.php?id=69 and select "download" or "view". You may also go to http://www.lightsource.ca/files/ and select "CLS IT", then "IT overview", then "download" or "view". EDS is proceeding to the next phase and their primary approach to gathering requirements is through interviews with users (and supporting documentation). Each of the beamline team leaders recommended one or two members as contacts. You can request a list of the ITA Oversight Committee, the Beamline IT and EDS Beamline IT contacts by e-mailing skeeter.abellsmith@lightsource.ca *************************************************************************** 4- U of S Workshop on Synchrotron Applications in the Life Sciences - March 22-23 (Contact: Kathryn.warden@usask.ca ) This two-day workshop for the U of S research community on applications of synchrotron radiation in the life sciences will be held in Place Riel Theatre. The agenda includes talks by several leading synchrotron scientists from the U.S. and Canada. The U of S President’s Office, Ag-West Biotech Inc., and NRC’s Plant Biotechnology Institute sponsor the event. An agenda and registration information can be seen on the Canadian Light Source website at www.lightsource.ca All faculty and students are welcome to attend. *************************************************************************** 5- Workshop on Advanced Materials - May 2002- McMaster University (Contact: bimr@mcmaster.ca ) The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research at McMaster University is organizing a workshop on "Frontiers in Characterisation of Soft and Nanoscale Materials” which will take place on May 15, 16, and 17, of 2002. The workshop will focus on applications of electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy and optical methods to characterize soft materials including polymers and biomaterials and a wide variety of nanoscale materials. Workshop leaders include Detong Jiang (X-ray absorption) and Adam Hitchcock (X-ray microscopy). The workshop will feature practical sessions with hands-on experience in advanced materials characterization instrumentation, including operating and analysing data from a new X-ray microscopy at the Advanced Light Source. For more information please go to http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/bimr/workshop.html *************************************************************************** 6- Notes from the UAC (Contact: Stephen.Urquhart@usask.ca ) I am pleased to welcome four newly elected members to the Users' Advisory Committee (UAC): Alan Anderson (StFX), Gerald Audette (UAlberta), Brett Moldovan (USask/Cameco) and Jeanne Percival (NRCan), as well as the re-election of Adam Hitchcock (McMaster). Tom Tiedje (UBC), who has been active recently in the exciting developments in the British Columbia Synchrotron Institute, will serve as the vice chair for 2002, and take over as chair in 2003. As an advisory committee representing the interests of CLS users, the UAC has been active on several issues since the Annual Users' Meeting. We are working with Ron Cavell of the Canadian Institute of Synchrotron Radiation in promoting a residence for CLS users at the University of Saskatchewan. In mid-December, the U of S Board of Governors approved a joint graduate student / researcher residence that will fill this role. As well, the UAC has responded in detail to a request from the CLS Board for comments on proposed changes to the organizational structure of the CLS. 2002 will be a busy year for the UAC and an important year for the CLS as it moves closer to operation. The Annual User Meeting, organized by the UAC, will be held on November 16, 2002. If you are a future CLS user, your concerns are the UAC's concerns. Please contact the chair at stephen.urquhart@usask.ca or any member (see http://www.cls.usask.ca/uac/membership.php for the UAC membership list). *************************************************************************** 7- Canada Research Chair position; University of Saskatchewan; Environmental Earth Sciences - Synchrotron Radiation (Contact: Jim.basinger@usask.ca ) An outstanding individual is required to establish research excellence in the application of synchrotron radiation in the area of environmental earth sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. He/she will have access to the Canadian Light Source The University invites applications from outstanding individuals to be nominated for either a Tier One or Tier Two Canada Research Chair (www.chairs.gc.ca). The successful candidate will also hold a tenurable faculty appointment in the Department of Geological Sciences. The Department has 15 full-time faculty, including two endowed research chairs in geochemistry. The analytical infrastructure in the Department is one of the finest in North America, with MC-ICP-MS, laser ablation quadrupole ICP-MS, TIMS, IRMS, electron microprobe, SEM, XRD, and trace-metal clean room). For more information on the U of S Canada Research Chairs program please
go to *************************************************************************** 8- Science Highlights Tim May CLS, Lisa Miller NSLS, Neb Marinkovic CLS/AEC The Infrared Beamline U10B at NSLS has a new capability being developed for IR spectromicroscopy. The Continuum microscope has been modified with the addition of an external long-wavelength detector. The extended bandwidth allows more extensive fingerprinting of organic samples, and characterization of inorganic materials. Canadian IR users now have access to this unique new technique. Tim May designed the transfer optics and the NSLS shop made the parts, which were installed by Tim and Lisa and Neb in mid-December. It was a busy week getting all of the parts to fit into place and not disturb the existing optics! A retractable mirror intercepts the beam before the standard detectors, and redirects it to a focusing optic above the microscope, where the new detector sits. The design allows rapid changeover between the normal and external detectors, and different detector types can be substituted. The liquid He cooled Cu:Ge detector allows spectroscopy below the 750 cm-1 cut-off of the standard MCT-A detector, down to the 400 cm-1 limit of the KBr beamsplitter. Longer wavelengths into the Far-IR (wavenumbers < 400 cm-1) can be obtained by changing to a Silicon beamsplitter. The performance and long-wave limit is being evaluated now. The new configuration is called "DICE" for "Detector Interface for Continuum Enhancement". For more information please contact Neb marinkov@bnl.gov or Tim at tim.may@lightsource.ca. This project is a collaborative PRT effort between CLSI and NSLS. *************************************************************************** II- New Developments in soft X-ray microscopy (Contact: aph@mcmaster.ca ) Over the past 6 years Adam Hitchcock and Tolek Tyliszczak (McMaster University), in collaboration with researchers from NCSU, the Advanced Light Source (ALS) and Dow Chemical, have helped to develop soft X-ray transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) at the ALS. STXM is a new synchrotron technique with powerful capabilities for the chemical analysis at the 50 nm spatial scale of soft matter and wet samples commonly met in polymer, biological and environmental science. A new beamline and advanced STXM, fully dedicated to STXM microscopy in the C 1s, N 1s, O 1s regime (270-600 eV), has been built at the ALS over the past two years, and is now operational. The new instrument features a laser interferometer based navigation and scanning system which has made a dramatic improvement in performance of the microscope. The new STXM at the ALS was partly funded by NSERC. Dr. Hitchcock has a 22% share of the 75% of the beamtime allocated for the participating research team. Examples of the current capabilities of the new instrument can be found at http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/stxm/p-stxm-first-results.pdf The soft X-ray spectromicroscopy facility under construction at the CLS will provide STXM and a related technique, X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (X-PEEM) (highlighted in CLSNews Vol 101). At CLS both microscopes will be illuminated by a state-of-the-art, high resolution, undulator beamline which will allow complete polarization control of the X-rays. This facility will be operational in 2004. If you plan to use STXM or X-PEEM at the CLS, it would be very helpful in planning your research to carry out trial experiments in the next 2 years. An Elmitec X-PEEM has been purchased through an NSERC major installation grant. It will operate for the next 2 years at SRC (Madison, WI) then be relocated to CLS. Please contact Dr. Urquhart (stephen.urquhart@usask.ca) to arrange for a trial X-PEEM experiment. STXM is available now. If you are interested in exploring the power of STXM for your micro-analysis problems, consider collaboration with Adam Hitchcock (aph@mcmaster.ca), or apply directly to the ALS independent investigator program (http://www.als.lbl.gov/als/quickguide/becomealsuser.html). STXM provides quantitative chemical mapping with 50 nm spatial resolution. STXM requires soft X-ray translucent samples, which must be very thin (about 100 nm), similar to those in transmission electron microscopy. Soft X-rays penetrate thin water layers (up to 10 microns) so it is possible to study fully hydrated samples contained in an appropriate cell with X-ray transparent silicon nitride windows. For further information please consult the following web sites:
============================================== CLS-News is an electronic newsletter to keep users informed about developments at the Canadian Light Source, the national synchrotron user facility located at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. The current and past issues of CLS-News are available on the CLS web site: www.lightsource.ca/enews/archives.php To unsubscribe please go to www.lightsource.ca/news/signup.php . We welcome suggestions for topics and content. To translate this document we suggest you go to http://world.altavista.com/ ============================================ Last modified: 2008-07-29 14:07:29 |
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