Diamond Annual Review 2023/24

47 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 2 3 / 2 4 been implemented allowing themeasurement of calibration foils simultaneously with the data collection when experiments are performed in fluorescence mode, providing an internal energy calibration. In addition, the capability for acquiring quick 2D scans has been included in the data analysis software, removing the need for step scanning when aligning the sample. I20-Scanning I20-Scanning is a high-flux wiggler beamline optimised for X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) measurements with high energy stability and reproducibility. The XAS end-station is equipped with a multi-element germanium detector that enables the structural study of low concentration samples in fluorescence detection mode. The XES end-station is based on a 1m Rowland circle point-to-point spectrometer and is used to perform High-Energy-Resolution Fluorescence Detection XANES (HERFD-XANES) and Resonant and non-resonant X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (RXES and XES) to study the electronic structure of materials. In April 2023, the newly commissioned fourteen-analyser spectrometer received its first users, and since then, more than twenty user experiments have been successfully performed. The new spectrometer has been designed to enable the capability for measuring two different emission lines (two-colour operation mode) simultaneously, and many user groups have taken advantage of this unique feature, collecting Kα HERFD-XANES and valence-to-core XES of the same element, or XES data of two different elements. The quick-XES acquisition mode that allow XES features to be measured in a time-resolvedmanner is in the commissioning phase. This unique capability requires the use of a new motion controller to move many stages in a continuous, coordinated manner and is expected to be available for users in the summer of 2024. The project aimed at developing a new four-bounce monochromator to extend the energy range of the beamline to 34 keV has made significant progress in the last year. The new generation of motion controllers is currently undergoing performance evaluation, and a prototype crystal stage is under development. The four-bounce monochromator will be the first instrument at Diamond to use directly cooled liquid nitrogen crystals, and the development will be used for other monochromators such as the device being designed for SWIFT. The development work is expected to be completed this year, when the next phase of in-house design work and the build of the instrument will start. SWIFT SWIFT (SpectroscopyWithIn Fast Timescales) is a new spectroscopy beamline that is being built as part of the Diamond-II upgrade programme. SWIFT will be a wiggler-based, quick-scanning EXAFS beamline dedicated to operando studies, also at micrometric scale. SWIFT will become operational on Diamond-II after the dark period, and is scheduled to be available to the user community in December 2029. The design phase of SWIFT has progressed through the Technical Design Review, where the specifications for the beamline have been defined and agreed. This is an important milestone as it has enabled the project to progress to the construction phase. The SWIFT delivery plan is very tight, with very little allowance for delays, as the aim is for SWIFT to have all the optical components and end-stations installed before the start of the Diamond-II dark period, anticipating the need for resources that will then be focused on the upgrade of the Diamond operational beamlines. The procurement of major components for SWIFT has already started. The contract for the construction of the hutches has been placed, and this work is scheduled to be completed by June 2025. The specification of the cabins and services will start after the summer of 2024. Substantial progress has also been made on the development of the Quick- EXAFS monochromator, a critical area of technical development for SWIFT. Preliminary tests of the fast-scanning mechanism were successful, and the high-load channel-cut crystal prototype has been manufactured and is ready for testing. Last year significant effort was devoted to specifying the software for SWIFT, which will be entirely based on the new BlueSky architecture. The Specifications Gathering phase is on-going, and the resulting findings will form the foundation for the development of the control, acquisition and analysis stack to be used in the beamline. Community support and development Aside from supporting the beamlines and the operational science programmes, the Spectroscopy Group has continued its effort to support the development of the spectroscopy user community. The annual three-day X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy workshop was run on- site in June 2023. As was the case in previous years, the workshop was in high demand, with more than 160 applications, although required staff-to-student ratios limited the successful applications to 30 participants. The workshop was very successful, and the feedback from the students was very positive. The group is also invested in enhancing the capabilities of the spectroscopy community in advanced data analysis. With this aim, Diamond, through the Spectroscopy Group, is a partner on the UK High-End Computing Consortium for X-raySpectroscopy (HPC-CONEXS), anEngineeringandPhysical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) fundedHigh End Computing Consortiumthatwill take the lead in the development and distribution of computational tools to advance the detailed analysis of experimental spectroscopy data.The launch of HPC-CONEXS took place in April 2023, together with the final event for the very successful COllaborative NEtwork for X-ray Spectroscopy (CONEXS), its predecessor. The event took place in Oxford and attractedmore than 75 attendees, both national and international. As part of the HPC-CONEXS activities, a two-day sandpit was organised in February 2024 at Harwell. During the event, more than 50 attendees had the opportunity to develop and strengthen connections with theorists and/or experimentalists working in X-ray Spectroscopy.