Beamlines are open via Responsive Scheduling, Pre-scheduled Visits (either on-site or remote) & Unattended Data Collection for:
With an approved proposal the current available options are:
Run 1 2025 (January - February) | Run 2 2025 (March - May) | |
Remote Access - scheduled after samples arrive on site | Send samples from 10th January and to arrive no later than 21st February | Send samples from 21st March and to arrive no later than 9th May |
Automated unattended data collection | Send samples from 10th January and arrive no later than 21st February | Send samples from 21st March and to arrive no later than 9th May |
On-site access, pre-scheduled beamtime and supported remote access |
Email mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk and the relevant principal beamline scientist, after reading the below guidance | |
Proprietary access (Remote/ Automated/ Mail-In) |
Discuss with Industrial Liaison Office | |
Mail-in for I23 long wavelength |
Discuss with Armin Wagner |
|
In situ data collection on VMXi |
See VMXi webpage and discuss with beamline team. |
|
User commissioning on VMXm |
Discuss with Gwyndaf Evans |
During Diamond's 5 Run periods per year, the synchrotron provides User Beam 6 days per week with most Tuesdays as Machine Days for maintenance of the synchrotron ring. Therefore User Beam is available between 9:00 on Wednesdays through to 9:00 on Tuesdays.
On-site visits are also possible again, and we are keen to welcome Users back - particularly to enhance the training of early-career crystallographers.
Scheduling can be done:
All users requiring training or information should get in touch with the local contact associated with their visit. Please write to mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk if no local contact has been assigned, for instance, if the visit has not been scheduled yet.
Industrial users (proprietary access) should liaise with industry@diamond.ac.uk.
On site visits can be booked in advance (normally at least 2 weeks) for Users to collect their data onsite at one of our beamlines. One reason to do this may be for the training of early-career crystallographers to get more immersed in the workings of the synchrotron and it's beamlines, and in addition to the data collection visit itself, we may be able to offer the opportunity to see additional facilities or meet members of the Diamond team.
Diamond-staff supported visits can also be booked in advance - whether for on-site support together in the beamline control room, or online support for a remote session, for instance delivered via Zoom. This is needed where support is needed beyond what might be expected of a Local Contact. A supported remote session may have involvement of a staff member on your session, perhaps for a challenging phasing problem, training new staff or students, or for testing new features of the beamlines.
To request either on site access, or a supported remote session please get in touch with the relevant Principal Beamline Scientist and mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk more than 2 weeks before the session is required and we will confirm whether the request is feasible. If you're request could be dealt with by multiple beamlines, then email mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk in the first instance and we can forward to the most appropriate Principle Beamline Scientist.
If you have a crystal system that meets straightforward requirements then the automated unattended data collection service is for you.
You simply provide us with some limited information when creating your shipment and samples in ISPyB and we handle the rest, with data collected as soon as reasonably possible. This is the most flexible way for us to schedule beamtime currently and places no constraints on your time to be available for collection. More instructions can be found on the Unattended Data Collection pages.
Standard (responsive) remote access to all beamlines. If you have a challenging problem (for example, new crystals to test where diffraction quality is unknown, difficult phasing problems or require microfocus beam) then an interactive remote access visit is likely appropriate. For these visits we will schedule your visit once we have received your samples at Diamond.
Please liaise with Armin Wagner for data collections supported by the I23 team.
For industrial mail-in service please discuss your needs with the Industrial Liaison Office.
Full information about how to ship your samples can be found on the Shipping Samples page.
All EU and NI users, arranging their shipment with DHL in ISPyB should be aware that they cannot create an airwaybill in ISPyB and should contact mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk (Academic MX), industry@diamond.ac.uk (Industrial Users) or EBICadmin@diamond.ac.uk (Academic EBIC) respectively, and follow the appropriate guidance below.
Please ensure:
For all routes, we need all container and sample information completed before shipment to Diamond.
For automated unattended data collection, we simply need the information required for data collection parameters for all samples to be provided in UAS and ISPyB as outlined in the web pages here.
For responsive remote access or industrial mail-in visits we need you to complete the short questionnaire in the Shipment form when shipping your samples to help us configure the beamtime schedule.
On ticking the Responsive Remote / Mail-in session option (see image below) the questionnaire appears in the form requesting the following information:
This information will be reviewed at the point of scheduling and adjusted as appropriate to maximise the use of the available beamtime. Please ensure that the Lab Contact sending the dewar has provided a phone number to enable the scheduling team to discuss beamtime options with you if needed.
Please note until relevant information is provided and containers and samples are created, shipped and have arrived at Diamond we will not be able to schedule your beamtime.
We now schedule by the hour for remote access and mail-in sessions based on the information provided by yourselves at the shipment stage. Samples for responsive remote access will be scheduled once they are on-site, and have information completed on samples in ISPyB. Where feasible we may be able to make slots available the same week and we will contact you to set these up. Equally if demand is high at any time we may need to contact you to allocate the earliest available slot outside of the period you have provided with your shipment for your availability. Scheduled users will receive notification of time automatically from UAS. Please contact us immediately if there are any issues with the allocated time. We will have limited opportunities to adjust the schedule and your time may need to be deferred to a later slot if you cannot use the offered time.
Samples for automated unattended data collection will be collected at the earliest possible available slot.
Scheduling for on site, or supported remote session will be done in advance, by contacting mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk and the relevant Principle Beamline Scientist. This may be in advance of the samples sent to Diamond, in this case you should send samples to against that registered visit.
As with any scheduled beamtime, in UAS you will need to add team members who wish to collect data and complete the ERA including samples for this session. You will have only shipped samples to us that have already been approved at the proposal level (see above) and consequently if samples you add to the visit are green your visit should automatically be approved and we can load your pucks. New unapproved samples should not be added at this stage.
For enquiries (except for I23, VMXi and industry) prior to any beamtime please contact mx-usersupport@diamond.ac.uk who will coordinate a response to your questions.
Once a visit has been scheduled and a local contact has been assigned please liaise with them first (see UAS for your local contact).
Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
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