LCLS Run 23 Call for Proposals
LCLS Call for Proposals for period: August 2024 – February 2025 (Run 23)
Submission Deadline: 21 February 2024 (4:00 PM Pacific Time)
We are pleased to announce the call for LCLS Proposals for Run 23. This Run will offer capabilities on the soft X-ray instruments using the beam from the new LCLS-II superconducting high repetition rate accelerator. It also offers a continuation of the existing hard X-ray instruments, with dedicated use of the LCLS copper accelerator.
For this Run, the superconducting accelerator is expected to be operated at 33 kHz. Detailed performance parameters will be subject to lessons learned during commissioning, and so proposals should be adaptable to a range of likely performance levels. Close coordination with the relevant instrument scientist teams is strongly advised in the preparation of your proposals.
The soft X-ray undulator will primarily be served by the superconducting accelerator, providing beam to the first two soft X-ray instruments for user proposals (TMO and chemRIXS). In parallel, the facility will undertake commissioning of the next suite of instruments and endstations (qRIXS, TXI, and TMO-DREAM).
The copper accelerator will continue to operate up to 120 Hz for the hard X-ray instruments, providing vertical polarization and up to 25 keV X-rays in the fundamental, as well as rapid tuning / scanning capability using the variable gap system. This undulator will provide beam to the suite of hard X-ray instruments (XPP, XCS, MFX, CXI & MEC).
User proposals are sought for these soft instruments and all the hard X-ray instruments, as described below.
A Virtual LCLS “Town Hall” User Meeting to discuss Run 23 will be held at 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time on January 30, 2024.
User proposals for the soft X-ray instruments (TMO and chemRIXS) using LCLS-II superconducting beam.
TMO
The Time-resolved Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science instrument (TMO) was developed to study the dynamics of isolated quantum systems using charged particle spectroscopy, pump/probe methodologies, and nonlinear X-ray interactions. Following the technical commissioning and Early Science phases (see below), the TMO instrument was made available for User experiments in Run 22, continuing in Run 23.
Run 23 experiments will make use of the capabilities available at the first interaction point (IP1) of the TMO instrument. We will offer two standard configurations for Run 23. The first features the magnetic bottle electron time-of-flight spectrometer (MBES). The second configuration features the energy- and angle- resolving spectrometer (MRCO). In either configuration, the TMO instrument is capable of performing pump/probe measurements making use of either the newly commissioned, high-repetition rate (33 kHz) OPCPA laser system, or X-ray pulse pairs produced directly by the FEL.
Contact Instrument Lead James Cryan (jcryan@slac.stanford.edu) with any questions.
chemRIXS
Anticipating a successful technical commissioning and Early Science phase, the chemRIXS instrument will be made available for general users proposals using the high repetition rate LCLS-II beam in the second half of Run 22. For Run 23 proposals, chemRIXS will make use of the existing instrumentation in combination with a new OPCPA laser system and will focus on transient X-ray absorption (in total and partial fluorescence yield) and/or RIXS spectroscopy experiments in liquid jets.
For more information please check our website and/or contact:
Instrument Lead Georgi Dakovski (dakovski@slac.stanford.edu) or Kristjan Kunnus (kristjan@slac.stanford.edu) with any questions.
Early Science using the superconducting high repetition rate accelerator
Participation in the Early Science program by the community for TMO, chemRIXS, and qRIXS is still open, based on a set of experiments selected from an earlier call. Interest in participation should be directed to the following individuals:
- TMO: James Cryan (jcryan@slac.stanford.edu) LCLS AMO Science Dept. Head, or Thomas Wolf (thomas.wolf@slac.stanford.edu) LCLS Chemical Science Dept. Head
- chemRIXS: Thomas Wolf (thomas.wolf@slac.stanford.edu) LCLS Chemical Sci. Dept. Head
- qRIXS: Apurva Mehta (mehta@slac.stanford.edu) LCLS Materials Science Dept. Head
User proposals for the Hard X-ray Instruments using the 120 Hz accelerator
The hard X-ray instruments of LCLS (XPP, XCS, MFX, CXI & MEC) will be available using the 120 Hz accelerator as in previous LCLS runs.
Proposals that make use of the Standard Configurations available on each of the Hard X-ray Instruments are highly encouraged, including short proposals that can make use of a more limited amount of beamtime with higher likelihood of scientific success using those standard configurations.
LCLS Hard X-ray Instrument Contacts:
- X-ray Pump Probe (XPP) - Takahiro Sato (takahiro@slac.stanford.edu)
- X-ray Correlation Spectroscopy (XCS) - Matthieu Chollet (mchollet@slac.stanford.edu)
- Macromolecular Femtosecond Crystallography (MFX) - Leland Gee (lbgee@slac.stanford.edu)
- Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) - Meng Liang (mliang@slac.stanford.edu)
- Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) - Eric Galtier (egaltier@slac.stanford.edu)
Proposal Types Available (for all instruments)
(1) General User proposals: A Proposal Template has been created to provide guidance on the format and structure of submissions. Users are strongly encouraged to follow this guidance, to help ensure that appropriate information is supplied to the Proposal Review Panel (PRP). This template along with updated proposal preparation guidelines will also be discussed during the Virtual Town Hall on February 8, 2024.
Proposals that can be scientifically successful using fewer than the typical 5 shifts are acceptable if the scientific needs are consistent with a shorter experiment. Proposers are asked to make it clear in their proposals that level of risk and scientific ambition is consistent with the number of shifts requested.
Standard Configurations: For Run 23, LCLS will continue to emphasize the use of Standard Configurations, where a target of 50% or more of the beamtime is expected to be awarded to experiments utilizing the many configurations available. These provide a defined platform for running many similar experiments efficiently, leading to more users and experiments being allocated beam time. Proposals that make use of the Standard Configurations available are highly encouraged, including shorter experiments that can make use of a more limited amount of beamtime with higher likelihood of scientific success using a standard configuration.
Standard Configurations proposals require the inclusion of a parameter table, which can be found on the instrument-specific website. Users are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant instrument scientists to discuss and plan their proposals of any kind, but especially those that use (or could be adapted to use) Standard Configurations.
The Hard X-ray Standard Configurations continue to evolve to meet the needs of the scientific community and some have been updated. Please note the following change:
- MEC: Starting in Run 23, MEC will also be accepting rapid access proposals (see below) for laser-only VISAR shots.
IFE Science: Proposals to the MEC science area that address inertial fusion energy (IFE) priority research opportunities (PROs) are strongly encouraged. There is a goal of scheduling up to 50% of MEC science experiments in the IFE area, consistent with recent guidance from DOE. Such proposals should be clearly indicated as addressing IFE and identify the relevant PROs from the 2022 IFE Basic Research Needs (BRN) Workshop Report. These proposals will be reviewed by a sub-panel of the MEC PRP consisting of experts in IFE science in collaboration with LaserNetUS, alongside a sub panel for general MEC science.
For more information on any aspect of MEC, please contact Instrument Lead Eric Galtier (egaltier@slac.stanford.edu) with any questions.
(2) Short-form proposals: LCLS offers three mechanisms for short proposal submissions: Data Set Collection, Rapid Access, and Protein Crystal Screening. Each of these mechanisms has specific requirements, and use a specific short proposal form.
- Short Proposal Form Template - Biology
- Short Proposal Form Template - Material Sciences
- Short Proposal Form Template - Matter in Extreme Conditions
- Short Proposal Form Template - Matter in Extreme Conditions (VISAR only)
- Short Proposal Form Template - Solution Phase Chemistry / Biochemistry
Please contact Christopher Kupitz (ckupitz@slac.stanford.edu) for additional information and guidance on any short-form proposal option.
- Data Set Collection proposals are tailored to experiments where one or two shifts would be sufficient to complete an existing partial data set, suitable for publication. As part of the Data Set Collection proposal your science case should justify why your experiment can be accomplished in 1-2 shifts, and should reference the previously reviewed proposal (and previous beamtime). Beamtime availability for these proposals is contingent on the Standard Configurations schedule. Please contact Christopher Kupitz (ckupitz@slac.stanford.edu) if you intend to submit a Data Set Collection Proposal.
- Rapid Access proposals are welcome at any time during the Run cycle, although such access is constrained and dependent on the requested configuration's availability. Rapid Access proposals should typically target Standard Configurations and must articulate why urgent access is needed. Access has typically been aimed at structural biology studies (e.g. COVID research) but will be considered for any subject area with an appropriate case, subject to facility availability.
- Protein Crystal Screening (PCS) proposals will be included in Run 23. The PCS program is for new Users to get beamtime experience, or new projects that need half a shift (6 hours) to test samples, in preparation for a full proposal submission. Beamtime availability for these proposals is contingent on the Standard Configurations schedule.
Modes of Beam Operation:
For up-to-date information on LCLS performance, please contact the respective instrument scientist listed above, and see the Machine FAQ and the Machine Parameters table, which includes a Multi-Color Pulse Mode Table.
LCLS Scientific Department Head Contacts (for general inquiries when preparing proposals):
- Atomic, Molecular and Optical Sciences - James Cryan (jcryan@slac.stanford.edu)
- Biological Sciences - Mark Hunter (mhunter2@slac.stanford.edu)
- Chemical Sciences - Thomas Wolf (thomas.wolf@slac.stanford.edu)
- Laser Science - Joe Robinson (jsrob@slac.stanford.edu)
- Materials Science - Apurva Mehta (mehta@slac.stanford.edu)
- Materials in Extreme Conditions - Gilliss Dyer (gilliss@slac.stanford.edu)
Submitting LCLS Proposals
LCLS encourages scientists from diverse fields and backgrounds to propose experiments utilizing the facility’s capabilities. New users are particularly welcome. Users are encouraged to review the LCLS instrument descriptions and contact LCLS staff to discuss technical capabilities and proposed experiments (see Scientific Department Head and Lead Instrument Scientist contacts above). These staff will provide advice on how to translate your scientific ideas into an LCLS experiment, and can help introduce new users to potential partner user groups if desired. Communication with the LCLS team is strongly encouraged to help maximize your chances of success.
Access to LCLS is open to the international community, with selection based on scientific merit. There is no charge to conduct experiments at LCLS, and the facility is able to help with the costs of performing experiments (e.g. consumables). However, users are responsible for their own travel expenses.
Register as a user and submit LCLS proposals through the User Portal
Read the proposal preparation guidelines, along with information on new Standard Configurations, and the proposal review process prior to writing your proposal.
A Proposal template has been created to provide guidance on the format and structure of proposal submissions. This template along with updated proposal preparation guidelines will also be discussed during the Virtual Town Hall.
SSRL Beam Time tied to LCLS Experiments
For some LCLS proposals, the science case can be significantly enhanced by having access to SSRL beamtime in addition to proposed LCLS time. SLAC will consider a limited number of proposals that make a strong scientific case for beamtime access to SSRL. These proposals should indicate how much time is requested, when the time would be needed relative to the LCLS time, as well as which SSRL beamline would be needed. If users have questions about which SSRL beamlines would be appropriate for the proposed scientific goals, please contact Piero Pianetta (pianetta@slac.stanford.edu). Scheduling of time across facilities is complicated and availability depends strongly on which of the SSRL beamlines is requested.
Timeline for Run 23
Run Cycle | Proposal Type | Submission Deadline |
---|---|---|
23 | Regular User & Data Collection Proposals | February 21, 2024 4:00 PM (Pacific Time) |
23 | Protein Crystal Screening (PCS) Proposals | March 28, 2024 4:00 PM (Pacific Time) |
A Virtual LCLS “Town Hall” User Meeting will be held at 9:00am Pacific Daylight Time on January 30, 2024.
This webcast meeting will be held to inform potential users about developments at LCLS before the upcoming LCLS proposal deadline. LCLS staff will inform the community about the latest capabilities and will be available for Q&A.