Mid-scale: Operations of the Center for High Energy X-ray Science (CHEXS)

This award continues to support operations of the Center for High Energy X-ray Science (CHEXS), a national facility providing access to unique, world-leading experimental capabilities for the US and inter-national research community. CHEXS consists of four core research efforts, each attached to specific synchrotron beamlines at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS).

These research pro-grams align with the goals of the three NSF directorates (BIO, ENG, and MPS) which have supported CHEXS since 2019. Research at all beamlines is fundamentally interdisciplinary, and proposals from any field of science are eligible for beamtime, subject only to external peer review bases on the NSF review criteria (scientific merit and broader impacts).

CHEXS also supports efforts in X-ray technology R&D, education of the next generation of X-ray experts, and development and integration of advanced computation and data science for synchrotrons. CHEXS has an overarching mission to broaden participation in synchrotron research, and to recruit and train a diverse and growing user community. Located on the central campus of Cornell University, CHEXS is uniquely able to train the next generation of synchrotron scientists.

CHEXS supports post-docs and Ph.D. students, hosts hands-on scientific workshops to train new users in X-ray methods, provides summer training and mentorship programs targeting undergraduates from underrepresented groups in STEM fields, and provides high quality in-formational materials to the general public.

Specific research areas targeted at the Center for High Energy X-ray Science (CHEXS) are: (1) time-resolved studies of manufacturing processes of structural metals; (2) structural studies of biomole-cules in extreme environments to elucidate the rules of life; (3) high-throughput characterization of quantum materials to uncover intertwined quantum correlations; and (4) spectroscopic studies of va-lence electronic states in functional materials and inside operating devices. The CHEXS takes advantage of the high beam energy and large bunch charges available from the Cornell Energy Storage Ring (CESR) to offer exciting opportunities for nanosecond-scale measurements of dynamics inside heavy materials.

CHEXS beamlines are harnessing the opportunity presented by rapidly growing data collec-tion rates, incorporating new analysis methods, data analytics and machine learning. Development of frontier research at CHEXS is supported by an X-ray Technology R&D program on next generation, cost-effective, high-performance undulator sources, high-heat-load crystal optics, faster x-ray detec-tors, and beamline automation. The specific X-ray beamlines include:

Forming and Shaping Technology (FAST) Beamline supports sub-millisecond time-resolved studies of manufacturing processes such as laser welding and rapid quenching.

Extreme Biology (XBio) Beamlines studies the building blocks of life at the molecular level, under extreme conditions such as high pressure, strict anoxic conditions, dissolved gasses, extremes of heat and cold, and harsh chemical environments. XBio combines both crystallography and small angle scattering to determine the atomic structure, shape, folding and oligomeric state of molecules.

Q-Mapping for Quantum Materials (QM2) Beamline provides high-throughput characterization of quantum materials in reciprocal space (also known as “Q-space”) to uncover intertwined quantum correlations of spins, charges, and orbitals, from high to low temperatures and spanning entire phase diagrams.

Photon-in, Photon-out X-ray Spectroscopy (PIPOXS) Beamline enables spectroscopic studies of valence electronic states in functional materials using hard x-rays, allowing access to opaque materials or sample environments. The beamline supports in situ and operando studies of man-made catalysts and enzymes with applications to fuel-cells, batteries, and electronic excitations in quantum materials.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.