August 20, 2013
Attendees (via teleconference): Elyse Coletta, Paul Evans, Jessica Vey, Juana Rudati, Katherine Kantardjieff, Piero Pianetta, Cathy Knotts, Lisa Dunn, Sarah Hayes, Beth Wurzburg, Jordi Cabana, Stosh Kozimor, Rodrigo Noriega
SSRL Facility Update: Piero Pianetta, SSRL Interim Director, joined the meeting to give an update on SSRL activities. Piero reported that the search for a new SSRL Director is underway, and the search committee is in the process of talking to people.
We had 98% uptime during the most recent SSRL experimental run which ended on August 5, 2013. Frequent fills worked well. A new mirror was installed on BL 9-3 so that operations could resume there. A new beam line in the 2-5 keV range, BL14-3, opened with user-assisted commissioning and then with user operations this summer.
The DOE review SSRL's operations in April went well. The reviewers were pleased with how funds are being used. A small increase in FY13 funding was provided in July. We're assuming a flat budget for FY14.
Several BESAC meetings/reviews having taken place; a recent meeting assessed the readiness of the DOE user facilities to address grand challenges. The four lightsources collectively made one presentation. The findings were: 1) that a "robust" R&D effort should be made toward a new light source. "It is considered essential that the new light source have the pulse characteristics and high repetition rate necessary to carry out a broad range of coherent "pump probe" experiments, in addition to a sufficiently broad photon energy range (at least ~0.2 keV to ~5.0 keV)." 2) that synchrotron upgrades currently under consideration should be reassessed, because similar developments in Europe and elsewhere will present an ongoing challenge. Information should be coming out in the next month or so.
Several projects are in the works this summer and in the future:
• As part of a goal of improving emittance by 50%, a low emittance upgrade will replace the booster kicker. The replacement will proactively address potential reliability issues with this aging equipment while providing the capability to inject better for low emittance. This is a multi-year project to coincide with the funding profile. • An upgrade to the RF system on the injector is still in the R&D phase, but moving forward.
• A new EPU has just been installed on BL5-2 for ARPES. More components will be installed during this summer shutdown. The mono for the line should arrive in September.
• RIXS/Raman capability is currently housed on BL6-2 in a shared mode. This end station capability will be relocated to BL15 with funds provided by the DOE to assist NSLS users during the "dark period" between the time that NSLS-I closes and NSLS-II comes up. NSLS will ship a microscope for use on the beam line.
• Funds will also be used to convert BL2-2 to an XAS chemistry/catalysis beam line to help with the displaced NSLS user community during their dark period. Staff from the NSLS will support users on that beam line.
• Metrology capabilities will be set up on a new bend magnet line between BLs 12 and 6. LLNL, LANL and Sandia will be collaborating on this effort.
• The BL9-2 mirror should be set up during the shutdown assuming that delivery stays on schedule.
• A soft x-ray scattering chamber will be shipped from the NSLS at the end of the year to go on BL13.
• Work continues with DOE hubs (JCAP, EFRCs, etc.) to bring more users and support for energy related research.
Low Alpha: Paul Evans asked for more information about the low-alpha mode experiments. Four experiments took place during the past experimental run during sets of shifts when SPEAR was operated at about 10 ps with reasonable amounts of current. Pulses can be isolated in a single bucket for the timing experiments while the other buckets are filled to 100 mA. The results of two of the experiments by David Reis and Aaron Lindenberg looked promising. There will be talks and a workshop related on time resolved experiments at SSRL using low alpha mode at the annual users' meeting. The program will also be reviewed by the SSRL Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) this Fall.
UEC Business: Cathy Knotts gave some background information on the SSRL UEC. The UEC generally meets via teleconference a couple of times a year. The UEC is encouraged to raise issues and suggest ways to improve the user experience at SSRL as well as to raise awareness about the important role of user facilities in supporting user science through NUFO and other types of outreach and education. Comprised of representatives from user facilities, the NUFO consortium primarily focuses on communicating the value of science through participation in national scientific conferences and an user science exhibition in Washington, DC. NUFO works to communicate that user facilities serve a much broader community than just the region in which they are located so the benefits of the research are being realized by universities, institutions and scientists throughout the U.S. There is usually at least one annual NUFO meeting, most recently held at LBNL in Berkeley. The 2014 NUFO meeting is being organized by PNNL in Richland, Washington.
UEC members serve rotating terms, and every year nominations are sought for retiring members. This year two nominations are needed in the area of macromolecular crystallography. Justin Chartron (Stanford), Tom Huxton (San Diego State University) and Blaine Mooers (University of Oklahoma) have agreed to stand for election so far. The nomination process will close in early September and voting should be open in late September. The election results will be announced at the annual users' meeting in October. ACTION: Submit nominations and vote for UEC members when the election opens.
Users Conference: Registration to the annual users' meeting can be waived for UEC members, with the hope that all UEC members can be present to have a face-to-face meeting on October 2. The program includes numerous workshops, plenary and parallel SSRL and LCLS sessions as well as two satellite workshops on October 1-2. ACTION: Register for the users' conference. Let us know if travel assistance is needed.
Jonathan Rivnay has been selected to receive the Spicer Young Investigator award. A discussion ensued to determine the recipients of the Klein and Lytle awards.
Some suggestions were made for ways to increase publicity for these awards and to encourage more nominations in the pool.
Cathy thanked Sarah Hayes and Colleen Hansen for serving as Chair and Vice-Chair this year and invited the committee members to consider if they'd be willing to serve as the new vice chair. This topic will be further addressed during the meeting held in conjunction with the Users' Meeting in October. ACTION: Submit nominations for UEC Vice Chair by October 2, 2013.
