ROBL-II at ESRF: a synchrotron toolbox for actinide research.

ROBL-II provides four different experimental stations to investigate actinide and other alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides at the new EBS storage ring of ESRF within an energy range of 3 to 35 keV. The XAFS station consists of a highly automatized, high sample throughput installation in a glovebox, to measure EXAFS and conventional XANES of samples routinely at temperatures down to 10 K, and with a detection limit in the sub-p.p.m. range. The XES station with its five bent-crystal analyzer, Johann-type setup with Rowland circles of 1.0 and 0.5 m radii provides high-energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD) for XANES, XES, and RIXS measurements, covering both actinide L and M edges together with other elements accessible in the 3 to 20 keV energy range. The six-circle heavy duty goniometer of XRD-1 is equipped for both high-resolution powder diffraction as well as surface-sensitive CTR and RAXR techniques. Single crystal diffraction, powder diffraction with high temporal resolution, as well as X-ray tomography experiments can be performed at a Pilatus 2M detector stage (XRD-2). Elaborate radioprotection features enable a safe and easy exchange of samples between the four different stations to allow the combination of several methods for an unprecedented level of information on radioactive samples for both fundamental and applied actinide and environmental research.

ID16B: a hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline at the ESRF for nano-analysis.

Within the framework of the ESRF Phase I Upgrade Programme, a new state-of-the-art synchrotron beamline ID16B has been recently developed for hard X-ray nano-analysis. The construction of ID16B was driven by research areas with major scientific and societal impact such as nanotechnology, earth and environmental sciences, and bio-medical research. Based on a canted undulator source, this long beamline provides hard X-ray nanobeams optimized mainly for spectroscopic applications, including the combination of X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, X-ray excited optical luminescence, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and 2D/3D X-ray imaging techniques. Its end-station re-uses part of the apparatus of the earlier ID22 beamline, while improving and enlarging the spectroscopic capabilities: for example, the experimental arrangement offers improved lateral spatial resolution (∼50 nm), a larger and more flexible capability for in situ experiments, and monochromatic nanobeams tunable over a wider energy range which now includes the hard X-ray regime (5-70 keV). This paper describes the characteristics of this new facility, short-term technical developments and the first scientific results.