The Advanced Photon Source
a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility

Apply for Beam Time

Next Proposal Deadline

Diamond Light Source/APS Collaboration

The APS plans to issue a Call for MX beam time requests to access the Diamond Light Source.

  • Call opens: Monday, November 6, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Chicago time
  • Call closes: Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Chicago time
    • The Call is for Diamond AP34 Run 1 (January 17, 2024 to March 15, 2024)

Under a collaborative arrangement between the APS and the Diamond Light Source (U.K.), APS MX General Users and CATs will have access to a block of beam time on four high-throughput MX beamlines at Diamond (MX at Diamond, I03, I04, I04-1, and I24) during the APS-Upgrade installation and beamline commissioning period.

The APS MX Beam Time Allocation and Oversight Committee (MX-BAOC) will distribute this block of beam time at Diamond between APS General Users and CATs.

Beam time will be allocated for ONLY:

CAT members may receive time as part of their CAT's allocation from the APS for beam time at Diamond. Please consult your CAT management.

General Users will apply THROUGH THE APS DIAMOND CALL IN THE UNIVERSAL PROPOSAL SYSTEM PILOT for access to beam time at the Diamond Light Source. Below are details to consider when determining if you wish to submit a proposal for this Call. (Future calls will be offered for subsequent runs at Diamond. Check here for updates.)

  • This Call will only be for Rapid Access MX proposals through the APS.
  • Proposals will be submitted to the APS peer review process, and the APS will allocate beam time based on referee ratings.
  • Beamline assignments and scheduling for allocated requests will be managed by Diamond staff based on experimental needs.
  • For proposals that are allocated beam time, the P.I. will be contacted with additional information related to user registration with the Diamond facility, safety documentation needs, and sample shipping.

To create your proposal in the Universal Proposal System (UPS):

  • First you must register in UPS and then provide your APS badge number to the APS administrators at apsproposals@anl.gov. IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE A BADGE NUMBER, YOU WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO APS CALLS.
  • Select the call titled Diamond Proposals through APS.
  • Select the Macromolecular Crystallography proposal type.
  • Select Diamond for the cycle.
  • Select Diamond as your resource (do not select a 2nd choice resource).

**The Universal Proposal System is currently functioning in a pilot testing state.**

Log in: Universal Proposal System (UPS)
***For your initial log in, use Chrome or Edge to register.***


Additional information: 

  • To see the current Diamond Light Source run calendar, go to Diamond’s web page For Users and on the right sidebar under “Quick Links” click on “Machine operations calendar.”
  • Please note that Diamond schedules beam time on demand: data collection is scheduled AFTER Diamond receives your samples.
  • For information on the APS Upgrade, please visit APS-U.
  • Questions: email apsproposals@anl.gov or call (630) 252-9090.
 
More Information
 
First-time Proposer
You must register as a user and receive a badge number before you can begin a proposal.
 
Returning Proposer

You may not need to submit a new proposal!

  • Same work
    • Check My APS Portal to find the status of your proposals.
    • If the relevant proposal is listed as "active," you may not need to create a new proposal.
    • Check the "shifts remaining" field on the first page of the proposal to make sure the remaining approved time is adequate.
    • If enough time is available, create a new beam time request from within the existing proposal.
  • New work
    • To change the focus or include new results, submit a completely new proposal. You can copy and edit an existing proposal.

 

To comment on the contents, please contact apsuser@anl.gov or 630-252-9090.