Beamline 8.3.1

As of 2001, the Stroud Lab has joint ownership of the Beamline 8.3.1, located in the ALS division at Berkeley Labs, Berkeley, Ca. This Beamline is for Multiple-Wavelength Anomalous Diffraction (MAD) and Monochromatic Protein Crystallography.

This machine uses a superconducting bend magnet in the 6-18keV range to deliver light through an optical obstacle course in order to resolve a protein structure. As electrons travel in their circular orbit through the storage ring of the beamline, they emit synchrotron light in the ultraviolet and x-ray range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Beamline mirrors steer and focus a thin beam of photons down meters of vacuum pipe to the target, a sample of interest inside the experiment chamber.

Source characteristics Superbend
Energy Range 2.4-15keV
Monochromator Double crystal
Calculated Flux (1.9GeV, 400mA) 5.7x1011 photons/s (100 µm collimator)
Resolving Power (E/DE) 7000
Endstations Minihutch
Detectors 2x2 array CCD (ADSC)
Calculated spot size sample (FWHM) 65x150 µm
Scientific Applications Biological crystallography; multiple-wave anomalous diffraction (MAD), monochromatic protein crystallography

For more information see the ALS website.