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BL06 - XAIRA

MICROFOCUS BEAMLINE FOR MACROMOLECULAR CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

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DESCRIPTION

XAIRA is the new microfocus beamline dedicated to challenging Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) experiments and novel techniques. This beamline aims at providing a stable micron-sized beam of 3 x 1 µm2 FWHM at 1 Å, which can also be further reduced down to 1 x 1 µm2 or enlarged to meet the experiment needs.

The beamline is designed to support microcrystallography experiments on micron-sized crystals, needles and plates, as well as fixed-target serial crystallography experiments. A long in-vacuum undulator and an innovative dual mode Si channel-cut/multilayer monochromator will provide a high flux at 1 Å for the serial data collection experiments. XAIRA is also designed to have an energy range with the low energy limit extending down to 4 keV to take advantage of the anomalous signal, enhanced in small crystals, of naturally-occurring metals for native phasing experiments. The sample environment and the detector will be placed in a He atmosphere in order to reduce the background of the diffraction images in the whole energy range and maximize the flux at low energies.


STATUS 

XAIRA is currently under commissioning. First experiments are foreseen by fall 2024.

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From top to bottom, left to right: 1) Start of construction works (June 2019). 2) Construction of the Experimental hutch (January 2020). 3) Exterior view of the beamline, with the control hutch (in white). 4) XAIRA photon source installed in the tunnel. 5) Ceneral view of the Experimental Hutch. 6) Close-up view of the sample environment during initial data collection experiments.

 

AIMED PERFORMANCE

Beam size at sample position
1×1 µm2 to 15×10 µm2
Photon energy range 4 to 14 keV
Energy resolution ΔE/E = 2·10-4 (with channel-cut monochromator) and 1·10-2 (with multilayer monochromator)
Flux at sample 3.5·1012 ph/s (at 1 Å beam, 250 mA current and channel cut monochromator)
>1013 ph/s (with Mo/B4C multilayer monochromator)

 

BEAMLINE LAYOUTS


Optical layout

The beamline optics has two horizontal focusing and one vertical focusing mirrors. The beam can be enlarged at sample either by bending/unbending the mirrors and by moving the sample out of focus.

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Beamline general layout

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End Station general layout

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