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The optimization of the performance of any particle accelerator critically depends on an in-depth understanding of the beam dynamics in the machine and the availability of simulation tools to study and continuously improve all accelerator components...

Hybrid pixel detectors will mark the end of the CCD camera era in some experiments using synchrotron radiation. The XPAD technology, born of a collaboration which involved SOLEIL, is one example. its development led in 2010 to the birth of ImXPAD, a marseille startup dedicated to its commercialization.

Head of the alignment/metrology group
 

For an overview of the fourth year that SOLEIL has been operational and to provide the impetus to follow our 2012 results, we offer a selection of the scientific results for the past year from among approximately 400 scientific articles published in 2011.

The project “NanoimagesX” for building and operating the Nanotomography beamline at synchrotron SOLEIL
is funded by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche et le Commissariat Général à l’Investissement in the second phase of the « Investissement d’Avenir ». The purpose of the NanoimagesX project is to build and operate at SOLEIL, the French 3rd generation synchrotron source, a high flux, coherent X-ray, Nanotomography long beamline dedicated to ultra-structural and functional studies. This world-leading, full-field 3D imaging facility of matter in native conditions, will be open to academic and industrial users, and optimized to support challenging scientific and R&D projects from many research fields, with a focus on Advanced and Complex Material Sciences and Biomedical Sciences.
The Nanotomography beamline will operate in the X-ray energy range 5- 25 keV, which is best suited for imaging heterogeneous materials at the meso- and nanoscale, and soft biological matter. The beam transport concept ensures optimized flux density and coherence conditions for all accessible length scales, an essential prerequisite for multi-scale studies and investigation of hierarchical structures of intact samples with volumes up to many cm3, as well as for time-resolved fast tomography for documenting in-situ samples “at work”. By providing intense, highly coherent and strongly collimated X rays at 200 meters from the undulator source, this beamline will be unique in Europe.

http://media.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/file/Fiches_equipex_vague_2/06/5/NANOIMAGESX_203065.pdf

An agreement between France / Sweden signed on December 21
An agreement between SOLEIL and the Swedish Research Council was signed on December 21 in Lund in the presence of the ambassador of France. This collaboration works within the intergovernmental agreement on the Franco-Swedish ESS concluded in December 2010 by the Research Ministers of both countries. The agreement provides  a 10 million € funding over 5 years  for collaborative action research and instrumental developments with SOLEIL  for application  in the Swedish synchrotron MAXIV. The six broad areas were selected for this collaborative work : control systems for synchrotron radiation facilities, instrumental developments in nano-beamlines, optimization and construction of insertion devices, beamlines and development  of environments for samples, beam instabilities and pulsed elements, ultra-short pulses. A steering committee will be established between SOLEIL and MAXIV to finalize and planned these actions.

After participating in several events during the Science Festival, SOLEIL set up its new educational project "SOLEIL Pursuit" on November 7th. Already eight classes were welcomed in November to face the various scientific challenges to be found along the route round the synchrotron. Many more will participate in 2012. Note that seven new slots have been added to the Spring program, as the others are already fully booked. This initiative is being supported by the Ile de France Region, the Versailles Academy and Paris Sud University.

Construction of the long NANOSCOPIUM beamline started on 19th October 2011. The work is scheduled over 12 months and follows very detailed preparation of the land to meet the stability requirements of this unique X-ray imaging beamline.

From 21 to 30 November 2011 (except Sunday), discover the installation " La lumière ne s'arrête pas là" (Light does not stop there)...

At the request of the General Council of the Essonne, SOLEIL will be the scientific partner of the 2011 Science of Art Festival dedicated to light, which takes place from 5^th November to 5^th December 2011. Several projects already involve scientists at SOLEIL: Stefan Kubsky, Head of the Surfaces Laboratory, has supported Flavien Théry; Patrick Lefèvre, scientist on the CASSIOPEE beamline and Matthieu Réfrégiers In charge of the DISCO beamline, took a scientific approach to the work of Michel Semeniako, while Jean-Louis Marlat and his Design Engineering group contributed to the creation of "light does not stop there", an original work combining digital art, space-time physics and light. This project has already caught the attention of the leading French center for creating digital art, "LE CUBE", and will carry SOLEIL’s “colors” during the festival. The work "light does not stop there" will be on show from the 5^th -13^th November at Sciences ACO on the Orsay faculty campus, then from 14^th November to 5^th December at SOLEIL.

> More information on the website "Conseil général de l'Essonne"
> Program of the festival

ICALEPCS is the international conference that brings together experts in systems control and monitoring of large installations of experimental physics. The third edition was held from October 10 to 14, 2011 in Grenoble and rewarded Nicolas Leclercq (SOLEIL), Emmanuel Taurel and Pascal Verdier (ESRF) for their collective and invaluable contribution in the development of TANGO, the software at the heart of control accelerators and beamlines of several synchrotrons, among the best. Today with ESRF and SOLEIL, MAX4 (Sweden), DESY and ANKA (Germany) ELETTRA (Italy) and ALBA (Spain) have adopted TANGO too.