Group photo of the WIRMS 2024

From 7th to 11th October the WIRMS 2024 (International Workshop on Infrared Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Accelerator-Based Sources) was held in Castelldefels (Barcelona). Organized by the ALBA Synchrotron and Chaired by Ibraheem Yousef (Chair), Klaus Attenkofer (Co-chair) and Gary Ellis (Co-chair), it gathered more than 80 internationally experts on infrared microspectroscopy, researchers, students and industry professionals in a fantastic venue by the Mediterranean Sea.

This is the first time that WIRMS conference is held in Barcelona since it starts in 2001. WIRMS 2024 has ended after a full week of exciting exploration of the latest advancements in infrared imaging and spectroscopy within synchrotron and free electron laser facilities, including the arrival of the 4th generation storage rings, such as ALBA II. More than 80 attendants from all over the world connected ideas and discussed the future perspectives of infrared community in a beautiful location at Hotel Rey Don Jaime in Castelldefels, providing a unique platform for knowledge exchange and networking.

In particular, the congress covered topics like infrared spectro-microscopy and ultra-resolved imaging, vibrational spectroscopy at extreme conditions, Free Electron Laser and IR/THz sources and beamlines, recent infrared sources and detectors, in situ and operando chemical analysis, and more about the multidisciplinary applications of the technique in material sciences, biology and biomedicine, condensed matter, cultural heritage or environmental sciences and renewable energy.

Speakers from many different research centers and facilities offered a wide view of the infrared techniques with accelerator-based sources. In addition, expert keynote speakers were invited to the conference and presented specialized subjects in their fields: Michael Martin from Advanced Light Source (USA), Larry Carr from National Synchrotron Light Source II (USA), Raul de Oliveira Freitas from Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (Brazil), Patricia Concepción from Instituto De Tecnología Química (Spain), Ferenc Borondics and Jean-Blaise Brubach from SOLEIL Synchrotron (France), Lisa Vaccari and Andrea Perucchi from Elettra Sincrotrone (Italy), Yuka Ikemoto from JASRI/ SPring-8 (Japan) and Alexander Veber from Helmholtz-Zentrum/ Bessy-II (Germany).

The WIRMS 2024 program included talks, posters sessions, sponsors exhibitions and a visit at the ALBA Synchrotron, focusing on MIRAS (the infrared spectroscopy & microscopy beamline).

The scientific program was divided into 6 sessions: Facility Developments and Extreme Conditions, Far-IR and THz Spectroscopy and Coherent Synchrotron Radiation & Free Electron Laser, Nano-FTIR & Sub-diffraction Imaging, Biological & Biomedical Applications, Environmental Science and Renewable Energy and Condensed Matter and Cultural Heritage.

A specialized workshop focusing on FTIR and sSNOM spectroscopic data analysis using Quasar platform was scheduled on Monday 7th at the same venue and ran by expert scientists in FTIR spectroscopy and data analysis (Ferenc Borondics, Gergely Németh from SOLEIL Synchrotron and Raul de Oliveira Freitas from the  Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory).

The conference closing session concluded a round table discussion entitled “where synchrotron infrared goes next?” where several ideas have been discussed with expert scientists in the field, some highlights of the conference outputs can be summarized as:

  • Promising and motivating achievement: infrared light extraction from the 4th Generation machine at Sirius synchrotron facility, Brazil.
  • Nano-FTIR based on scattering or photothermal expansion is playing a growing role in the infrared research. Several synchrotron-coupled Nano-IR systems are generating strong and relevant science.
  • Several interesting beamline developments and scientific achievements were described exploiting the three infrared energy ranges.
  • The scope of applications where broadband synchrotron infrared is being exploited is still growing, with a move towards resolving pressing societal challenges: Energy, Environment and Health
  • Material sciences application are growing in synchrotron infrared beamlines.
  • Continue collaborating with the machine group to achieve a compromised extraction of the infrared beam for Micro, Nano, and Far infrared applications

WIRMS 2024 also offered social activities to strengthen the research community. Attendants had the opportunity to visit a vineyard in Sitges and the conference dinner was held in an emblematic restaurant in Esplugues de Llobregat, next to Barcelona.