X27A—A new hard X-ray micro-spectroscopy facility at the National Synchrotron Light Source

A new hard X-ray micro-spectroscopy beamline has recently been installed at bending-magnet beamline X27A at the National Synchrotron Light Source, where the focus of research is primarily directed towards the environmental, geological and materials science communities. This instrument delivers moderate, 10 mm spatial resolution using achromatic dynamically bent Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors, in addition to providing high X-ray flux throughput and selectable energy resolution. The balance between moderate spatial resolution and high flux throughput, in combination with a liquid nitrogen-cooled 13-element energy-dispersive high-purity germanium detector, is particularly well suited to the investigation of dilute and thin-film systems using the fluorescence X-ray absorption finestructure mode of detection. In this paper, we report on the design and performance of this instrument and highlight a recent experimental study undertaken at this facility. r 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.