Maloja is go. On Wednesday, 23rd March 2022, first user experiments began at the Maloja endstation, which enables explorations into atomic, molecular and optical physics and chemical dynamics. These user experiments mark a double first, not only for Maloja but also for the second, soft X-ray beamline of the SwissFEL, Athos.
Following two years of tireless development, Maloja is beginning to yield its scientific fruits. Developed in parallel with soft X-ray beamline Athos, Maloja is the first endstation to be up and running, and takes advantage of advanced beam parameters, namely, very short pulses, two colour pulses and pump-probe experiments. A key feature of the Maloja endstation is its modular nature, enabling straightforward exchange of chambers and tailoring to individual experimental requirements.
“Because of its flexible design, a wide variety of investigations are possible at Maloja, such as time-resolved measurements of electronic structure changes, non-linear X-ray spectroscopy or research into gas-phase atoms or nanoparticles. I’m really excited to see the diverse science that future users will turn up with,” enthuses Kirsten Schnorr, lead scientist at the Maloja endstation.
Work began on the Maloja project in 2019, with the COVID pandemic striking a few months after first hardware deliveries. With staff working night shifts to create ‘time-dimensional social distancing’, in June 2020 first light entered the Maloja endstation. This heralded the beginning of commissioning experiments and a very close collaboration between the Maloja team and accelerator groups as, step-by-step, the teams developed not only the Maloja endstation, but also a whole new branch of the SwissFEL: Athos.
Read more on the PSI website
Image: Members of Nanostructures and Ultrafast X-ray Science Group, including Daniela Rupp and Mario Sauppe (3rd and 4th from L) together with the Maloja team and Christoph Bostedt (far R) during the beamtime
Credit: Alessandro Colombo
