Prepare for beam time

Complete these steps after your beam time has been scheduled and before your scheduled beam time days.

Complete general NSLS II access and safety requirements

Follow all directions at the NSLS II User Guide. Especially review all items in the Before Your Beam Time sidebar. These resources cover many requirements that are out of the control of the beamline scientist. If you do not complete these on time, you will not be able to perform experiments or access data collected at the beamline. In particular, be sure to:

  • Apply for an active BNL appointment at least 45 days ahead of beam time.
  • Complete your safety trainings:
    • GE-CYBERSEC is cyber security training. Complete this training early on well ahead of arriving at BNL.
    • GE-COMPUSE-AGREE is the computer user agreement. Complete this as soon as possible after the cybersecurity training prior to arriving at BNL.
    • TQ-GSO (https://training.bnl.gov/portal/TQ-GSO) is the Guest Site Orientation. Onsite users should complete this training early on well ahead of arriving at BNL.
    • PS-NSLS-II-USER-MOD (https://training.bnl.gov/portal/PS-NSLS-II-USER-MOD) is the NSLS-II User Safety Module. Onsite users should complete this training early on well ahead of arriving at BNL.
    • PS-ESH-FAC-BRIEF (https://training.bnl.gov/portal/PS-ESH-FAC-BRIEF) is the NSLS-II Facilities-Specific ESH Briefing. Onsite users should complete this training early on well ahead of arriving at BNL.
    • TQ-GERT (https://training.bnl.gov/portal/TQ-GERT) is the General Employee Radiological Training. Onsite users should complete this training early on well ahead of arriving at BNL.
    • PS-BST-7-ID-1 is an in-person walk-through of the beamline and review of hazards. This will be completed and signed off after arriving at the beamline.
    • Additional trainings may be required depending on the details of the samples and experiments.
  • Complete your safety approval form (SAF) at least 30 days ahead of beamtime. You can access it in PASS. Make sure your site access and SAF are fully approved 1-2 weeks ahead of beam time. If they are not, contact the NSLS II User office and let the beamline scientist know.
  • Register for a BNL computer account and Two-Factor Authentication.
  • Schedule your arrival. For users who need a new badge or parking pass, plan to arrive when the badging office is open or contact the User Office to coordinate arrivals at other times.

Prepare and test beamline workflow items

  • Prepare a spreadsheet with sample and acquisition details and upload to your proposal folder.
    • Coming soon: link to spreadsheet and guide for how to fill it out
    • Coming soon: instructions on how to dry-run spreadsheet
  • Prepare to access the beamline computers
    • Let the beamline scientist know you would like data access and or remote control access. Email the Beamline Scientist with your proposal number, your life number and your BNL username
  • Prepare to access your data.
  • Prepare to analyze your data.

Prepare samples and how they will be transported to the beamline

  • Coming soon: sample preparation advice
  • Review the instructions on how to pack up your samples safely and effectively
    • Guiding principles: Clear labeling and ‘just enough’ packing/adhesive. Resist the temptation to create a puzzle box for the beamline scientist.
  • Upon SAF approval you will receive an email with mailing instructions
  • For shipped samples:
    • Ask the beamline scientist to provide a shipping address. Using the wrong or slightly incorrect address may cause delays in shipping.
    • FedEx has provided reliable shipping in the past. Avoid USPS, as there have been issues in the past.
    • Samples should arrive at least 2 business days before beam time to be safe. E.g., for weekend beam times, samples should arrive by Friday morning at the absolute latest. It can take additional time for samples to be delivered to the beamline from the NSLS II shipping dock.

Schedule a measurement review video call with the beamline scientist to occur 1-2 weeks before beam time

  • Discuss your sample list (high-level), measurement configurations, and scientific goals from this run
  • Share/discuss your tested sample bar excel workbook file and your time estimates/ prioritization
  • Learn about any challenges at the beamline (construction, configuration limitations, etc.) that may affect your measurements
  • During the meeting (or set up a time with the beamline scientist when the beamline computer is not being used), check that remote access to beamline computers and logging into beamline computers works properly.
  • (Not in use currently) Make sure you are added to the SST-1 RSoXS Instrument Slack Channel to receive real-time updates on scan progress.
  • If in-person, discuss your arrival to the beamline and overall timeline.
  • If remote, find out when the beamline scientist will be loading your samples, and be sure to be available during this time to avoid any confusion and mislabeling of samples.