Synchrotron-based multi-scale biological imaging inside biocontainment environments

Orion, the first BSL-4 synchrotron-based research complex, advances pathogen research by integrating cutting-edge, multi-scale imaging to enhance the understanding of infectious diseases and inform global health policies.

In situ mapping of iron oxidation in laminar metal fuel flames using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

For the first time an iron metal flame has been mapped by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Strong gradients in oxidation state and phase composition across the metallic core and the flame front were found with FeO peaking at the visible flame front and Fe₃O₄ forming further beyond.

A simple and practical approach for protein serial crystallography using grease matrix and large-area support film

A simple fixed-target protein serial crystallography method combining a grease matrix with a large-area support film enables stable sample handling, low sample consumption, and high-resolution room-temperature structure determination.

Structured illumination for surface-resolved grazing-incidence X-ray scattering

We introduce a method combining structured illumination with grazing-incidence X-ray scattering and computational imaging to resolve local structural details. Demonstrated on an organic semiconductor thin film, this method captures local features without sample rotation, enabling detailed analysis of material properties critical for advanced material design.

Wavefront sensing at a high-repetition-rate X-ray free-electron laser

We demonstrate a fast, robust and sensor-free approach to X-ray speckle tracking that enables shot-to-shot wavefront characterization at high-repetition-rate X-ray free-electron lasers. Our measurements reveal a hierarchy of wavefront fluctuations indicative of instabilities in the accelerator and beamline optics at the European XFEL.

The prototype DynamiX camera system – a high-frame-rate high-dynamic-range hard X-ray integrating detector for fourth-generation synchrotrons

This paper presents the first results from the DynamiX X-ray imaging detector developed by the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council for a new generation of photon light sources. Operating at a continuous frame rate of 534 kHz and with a per-pixel per-frame dynamic range of roughly five orders of magnitude, this work is the first step in delivering a transformative new imaging technology.

A beam-direction cross-vessel metrology method and error analysis for the ptychography setup at HEPS ID09

A beamline-direction cross-vessel metrology method and error analysis for ptychography setup at HEPS ID09 is proposed and implemented. A 12.3 nm reconstruction resolution of ptychography demonstrates the validity of metrology.

Ultrafast time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy at FemtoMAX beamline

A new setup for femtosecond resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy with energy ranging from 2 to 15 keV is established.

Proposal of kHz-level polarization switching of undulator radiation with magnetic field modulation at Hefei Advanced Light Facility

This paper presents a proposal of kHz-level fast polarization switching of undulator radiation with magnetic field modulation using electromagnetic coils at Hefei Advanced Light Facility.

A real-time correction method for sample drift in STXM based on Fourier transform image registration

This study proposes an online drift-correction method for scanning transmission X-ray microscopy that integrates Fourier-transform image registration with laser-interferometer feedback, suppressing sample drift in a 100-image stack scan from over 1 mm to below 120 nm and thereby eliminating redundant scan area while markedly enhancing experimental throughput.

Reducing acquisition time and radiation damage: data-driven subsampling for spectro-microscopy

Data-driven sparse acquisition in spectro-microscopy reduces acquisition time and radiation dose while preserving information.

Fine-tuning ab initio XANES spectra calculations using the Bayesian optimization algorithm

A Bayesian optimization technique is used to tune the FEFF and FDMNES packages and to improve matching between theoretical and experimental spectra. The tests were performed on monometallic Ni, Fe and Pd K-edge XANES spectra using several different spectrum similarity metrics.

Virtual commissioning of the Korea Light Source Hard X-ray Nanoprobe beamline with multilingual natural language control

A pre-installation virtual commissioning platform for the Korea Light Source ID10 hard X-ray nanoprobe couples browser-based Monte Carlo ray tracing, EPICS/Bluesky control and a multilingual natural-language agent (98.2% accuracy in Korean, English and Japanese) under a zero-change hardware transition principle, producing commissioning design inputs ahead of 2029 first light.

4D imaging of a porous carbonate rock under triaxial loading: qu­antitative correlation between local porosity and strain

A 4D X-ray computed tomography experimental campaign was carried out on a porous carbonate rock to investigate the link between initial porosity and deformation modes. This paper presents the experiment and the methods used to explore this relationship.

Time-resolved synchrotron X-ray total scattering of alkali-activated materials with high and low calcium contents

Synchrotron in situ high-energy X-ray total scattering/pair distribution function (PDF) analysis quantifies the time-resolved structural evolution of high and low calcium alkali-activated binders, with PDF peak evolution tracking reaction progress and correlating with calorimetry (R² > 0.97). The measurements resolve distinct medium-range ordering in the primary gels, demonstrating the sensitivity of synchrotron PDF for probing disordered cementitious phases.

ASCANIO: a backscattering X-ray multichannel spectrometer for synchrotron applications

This paper presents the development and commissioning of ASCANIO, an innovative multichannel backscattering X-ray spectrometer, including extensive testing on a synchrotron beamline, with highlights of the main results achieved.

Focusing, collimation, and beam expansion of high-energy X-rays with diamond refractive lenses

The effectiveness and versatility of diamond refractive optics for high-energy X-rays (> 40 keV) is presented in applications to focusing, collimation, and beam expansion, along with design and implementation details.

Monolithic integration of SiC diode detectors into scanning X-ray microscopy optical elements for in situ beam diagnostics

Silicon carbide detectors are monolithically integrated into order-sorting apertures and center stops for in situ soft X-ray beam diagnostics in STXM. Functionalized components enable simultaneous monitoring of incident beam intensity and the transverse position at sample-relevant locations without degrading optical performance.

Structure design and implementation of a water cooling sub-20 nm multilayer Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror system in the Structural Dynamics beamline ID23 at HEPS

A water-cooling nano multilayer Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors system has been implemented at ID23 HEPS. The focal spot size of 13.39 nm × 15.15 nm (H × V) at a photon energy of 21.8 keV demonstrates the system's performance.

GoniOwl: convolutional neural network-based sample state detection for collision prevention on synchrotron beamlines

GoniOwl, a lightweight convolutional neural network integrated into the EPICS control system, detects sample-pin presence from beamline camera images with >99% accuracy and fail-safe uncertainty handling, offering a transferable approach to vision-based collision prevention on synchrotron beamlines.

Artifact segmentation using the U-Net architecture for powder X-ray diffraction images

The capabilities of a U-Net convolutional neural network for masking artifacts in time-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements of battery materials are demonstrated.

Shorter X-ray refractive lens design: a large-aperture single-lens dual-focus kinoform lens based on an oval curved surface

This paper presents a novel kinoform refractive lens and utilizes the beam propagation method to simulate the focusing performance of the lens. The results demonstrate that this lens not only enhances the gain and reduces the FWHM but also reduces the lens length.

XAFS measurement system using undulator synchronized on-the-fly monochromator scan at SPring-8 BL36XU

Nonlinear scanning of a compact channel-cut monochromator synchronized with an undulator-gap movement system enables fast high-flux X-ray absorption fine structure measurements.

Single-shot hard X-ray spectrometer with uniform spatial and spectral response

We demonstrate a single-shot hard X-ray spectrometer based on small-angle scattering from glassy carbon that is insensitive to X-ray free-electron laser beam-dependent spatial and spectral variations. Comparison with established X-ray Thomson scattering diagnostics using stochastic correlation X-ray spectroscopy demonstrates full-bandwidth coverage with millielectronvolt-scale spectral resolution, enabling reliable single-shot spectroscopic measurements.

Single-shot third-harmonic spectral diagnostics for tender X-ray FEL pulses using a bent-crystal spectrometer

Third-harmonic spectral monitoring with an existing bent-crystal spectrometer provides single-shot bandwidth diagnostics and real-time machine tuning for tender X-ray free-electron laser operation, and can be made non-invasive when combined with a suitable beam-sampling grating.

An efficient wave-optics framework for partially coherent pink X-ray beam simulation and analysis

This article proposes a new calculation method and framework for simulating a pink X-ray beam, significantly improving computational efficiency. By comparing it with the experimental data from the beamline, the simulation method is consistent with the actual situation.

Orchestrating agentic systems at ALS beamline 5.3.1 with Osprey and Bluesky

A minimal, agent-agnostic AI-assisted orchestration framework for beamline operation that leverages Osprey, a production-ready framework for deploying agentic AI in large-scale, safety-critical control-system environments, deployed at Advanced Light Source beamline 5.3.1, is introduced.

The LIQUID endstation for in situ spectro-electrochemical studies on energy materials @ BACH beamline

A new endstation for soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy in liquid environments has been installed at the BACH beamline of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. The setup includes upgraded and newly developed cells for a range of soft-X-ray experiments at solid/liquid interfaces, including studies on battery materials.

The diagnostics and laser infrastructure at the Soft X-ray Port of the European XFEL

The diagnostics and laser infrastructure of the Soft X-ray Port (SXP) at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser are presented.

A high-energy X-ray beamline for materials science research at SPring-8: BL15XU

The Japanese synchrotron facility SPring-8 has recently relaunched BL15XU as a high-energy X-ray beamline for materials science research. A comprehensive description of the technical details and science cases is presented.

Ultrafast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering setup on the FemtoMAX beamline

The feasibility of performing time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering measurements with picosecond temporal resolution on the FemtoMAX beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory in Sweden is demonstrated.

One million scans later: the evolution of the I16 material and magnetism beamline at Diamond Light Source

Beamline I16 at Diamond Light Source is a versatile X-ray scattering instrument that combines tunable X-ray energy and polarization, flexible diffraction geometries, and advanced sample environments for studies of electronic, magnetic, and structural phenomena.

Teaching about the relativistic background of synchrotron radiation: some intriguing aspects with strong didactic implications

Explaining synchrotron radiation properties often requires using the speed of light with respect to a moving object like a detector, which may not be the invariant c. This surprising fact also leads to a rarely explored link between relativity and quantum mechanics.

Topic classification of synchrotron experiment proposals using the OpenAlex model: enhancing metadata granularity and assessing live service feasibility

This paper validates the OpenAlex model for real-time topic classification of synchrotron proposals. The proposed live service architecture incorporates user verification, providing a scalable solution for introducing enhanced topic metadata into scientific workflows without sacrificing precision.

SMAXI: a machine-learning-powered open-source software for multidimensional full-field X-ray image analysis

SMAXI is a fully open-source, GPU-accelerated software platform that integrates state-of-the-art machine learning and large language model techniques into a unified workflow for X-ray image analysis. SMAXI simplifies high-throughput data processing workflows and overcomes manual image analysis bottlenecks.