From Crystal Form to Active Functions in Physics, Chemistry and Biology

Attoseconds, Ultrafast Strong Field Processes, and Intense Fields

Image Science in Sequence: From Detection to Decision

The European XFEL Users' Meeting is an annual opportunity to strengthen the interaction between the European XFEL project and the scientific user community. The scope of this meeting includes:

• Progress and current status of the European XFEL
• Instrument design developments & advances
• Selected science applications
• Current developments in the field of XFEL facilities

Satellite meetings/workshops

Sample Environments for Biology at XFELs: 26th January 2016

From Picoseconds to Femtosecond X-Ray Experiments: 26th January 2016

4th Satellite Workshop on Photon Beam Diagnostics: 28th January 2016

Status and Science at HED instrument and of the HIBEF UC: 28th January 2016

Diamond Light Source and the ISIS neutron and muon facility will host a four-day general introduction to these facilities, aimed at first-year PhD students within UK research-council funded Centres of Doctoral Training.

Scientific programme

Methods and techniques:

• High resolution diffraction and topography
• X-ray reflectometry and small-angle scattering
• Microdiffraction and nanodiffraction
• Coherent diffraction imaging
• Absorption and phase contrast imaging and tomography
• Resonant (anomalous) scattering
• Fluorescence imaging
• Time resolved methods
• Theory and simulations of X-ray scattering

Applications:

• Material science (from 0D to 3D objects)
• Nanomaterials and nanoscience
• Life and environmental sciences
• Non-destructive testing (including industrial needs and cultural heritage)

Instrumentation:

• X-ray optics and instrumentation
• Advances in laboratory instrumentation and applications
• Advances in synchrotron instrumentation and applications
• Experiments at X-ray free-electron lasers

• Interactions of X-rays with matter and fundamental parameters
• XRS Instrumentation (X-ray sources, optics and detectors)
• Quantification methodology and metrology
• TXRF, GIXRF and related techniques
• Microbeam techniques, confocal XRF and X-Ray imaging
• Mobile and portable XRF
• Synchrotron XRS, XAFS, high resolution XES, and RIXS
• PIXE instrumentation and applications
• Electron induced XRS
• WDXRS
• X-ray diffraction (XRD)
• XRS in Art and Cultural Heritage
• XRS in Advanced Materials and Nanoscience
• XRS in Earth and Environment sciences
• XRS in Industrial Quality and Process Control
• XRS in Life Sciences and Forensics
• Recent Scientific Developments by XRS Instrumentation Manufacturers (reserved to exhibitors)

Various spectroscopic techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XAFS (NEXAFS / XANES), X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and inelastic X-ray Scattering will all be presented and discussed during the meeting. Potentials for further developments in these fields will be greatly welcomed. Ample opportunities for discussion will be available during coffee and lunch breaks and also at the poster session.

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Part of BIOSTEC, the 9th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies

Bioimaging is a term that covers the complex chain of acquiring, processing and visualizing structural or functional images of living objects or systems, including extraction and processing of image-related information. Examples of image modalities used in bioimaging are many, including: X-ray, CT, MRI and fMRI, PET and HRRT PET, SPECT, MEG and so on. Medical imaging and microscope/fluorescence image processing are important parts of bioimaging referring to the techniques and processes used to create images of the human body, anatomical areas, tissues, and so on, down to the molecular level, for clinical purposes, seeking to reveal, diagnose, or examine diseases, or medical science, including the study of normal anatomy and physiology. Image processing methods, such as denoising, segmentation, deconvolution and registration methods, feature recognition and classification represent an indispensable part of bioimaging, as well as related data analysis and statistical tools.

HERCULES is a European course for PhD students and young researchers using Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation for applications in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Hard & Soft Condensed Matter.

   The 1-month school includes lectures (60%), hands-on practicals and tutorials at partner institutes (DESY and European XFEL in Hamburg, Ellettra and FERMI in Trieste, ESRF, ILL in Grenoble, Soleil and LLB near Paris, SLS in Switzerland) and Grenoble Laboratories (CEA, CNRS, EMBL, IBS).

   The school includes a common part and two parallel sessions:

• Biomolecular, soft condensed matter structure & dynamics
• Physics and chemistry of condensed matter

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   Why join Hercules ?

• to learn new techniques using neutron and synchrotron radiation
• to expand your theoretical and practical knowledge, not only for your present research but for your scientific career
• to experiment these techniques on world-class instruments & beamlines
• to build a network of relations with fellow young researchers and experienced teachers from all around the World

Deadline for application:Â Â 31 October 2015

Bursaries/reduced costs: a limited number of bursaries will be available either to reduce registration fees or cover travel costs.

Common Lectures:

• Interaction of X-rays and neutrons with matter (absorption, elastic and inelastic interactions, ...)
• Sources (neutron, synchrotron, XFEL)
• Detectors
• Optics &instrumentation
• Diffraction (single crystal, powder..)
• Scattering (elastic, inelastic..)
• Spectroscopy
• Imaging (Absorption, coherent,..)
• etc.
  

Session A: Applications to Biomolecular, Soft Condensed matter, Structure and Dynamics

• Protein structure and dynamics
• Studies in solutions
• Partially ordered systems
• Membranes, fibres and muscles
• Crystallography of viruses and ribosomes
• Structural genomics
• Biomedical applications (imaging, therapy)
• Time-resolved and ultra-fast X-ray science
• Biology with 4th generation sources
• etc.
  

Session B: Applications to Physics and Chemistry of Condensed Matter

• Neutron and X-ray (and UV and IR) spectroscopies
• X-ray reflectivity and diffraction of nano systems
• Single crystal and powder diffraction
• Coherent imaging and tomography
• Neutron and X-ray magnetic scattering
• Polarized X-rays and neutrons
• FEL and ultra fast X-ray science
  
• etc.

XXIII Users' Meeting.

 The ultimate aspiration of biology is to provide a comprehensive picture, over time and space, of the myriad of relationships between molecular structure, function and organization within bio-systems with increasing complexity level, ranging from single molecules to cells. Towards this aim, integrative approaches, which exploit state-of-the-art nano and sub-nano scale spatial resolution and unprecedented chemical sensitivity and selectivity, are required. The goal of this thematic workshop is to bring together biophysicists and biologists with scientists involved in the development of cutting-edge synchrotron-based and state-of-the art benchtop microscopies. The need for integrating the cluster of multidisciplinary synchrotron radiation based techniques with the newest laboratory approaches will be emphasized, focusing on their synergic interplay in the context of life-science.

Over 5 days, you will get introduced to data acquisition, 3D reconstruction, segmentation and meshing and finally, 3D modelling of data to extract physical parameters describing flow or mechanical properties. Teaching and exercises will take place in close interaction with top experts in the field.

Topics

• Experimental methods and applications
  
• Volumetric reconstruction
• Segmentation techniques
• Flow simulation
• Mechanical modelling

Deadline for registration for the summer school is June 30th, 2015

The brightness and energy of X-ray beams are critical properties for research. Higher brightness means more X-rays can be focused onto a smaller, laser-like spot, allowing researchers to gather more data in greater detail in less time. Higher energies enable X-rays to penetrate deeper inside materials, and through a variety of in situ environments, to reveal crucial information about a material’s structure and function. The combination of high brightness and high energy allows the observationâ€"in real timeâ€"of technologically important processes. Scientists in the light source community have been developing storage ring designs (multi-bend achromat, MBA, lattices) that push closer to the ultimate diffraction limit for X-ray sources. This emerging technology will provide orders-of-magnitude improvement in brightness and coherent flux, enabling transformational advances in imaging, in studies of dynamics, and in nanometer-resolution probes utilizing the full array of powerful Xâ€"ray contrast modes, from diffraction to spectroscopy.

This workshop is being held to explore the opportunities in high-energy (>20 keV) X-ray science that will be enabled when MBA technology is implemented. Specifically, this workshop seeks to accomplish the following goals:
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• Define the potential high-energy X-ray characteristics of an MBA low-emittance lattice.
• Provide a forum for discussion of new science opportunities offered for high-energy X-ray science by an MBA lattice.
• Address how the current suite of high-energy beamlines can be adapted to maximize the science opportunities, and what new capabilities are needed.
• Explore the technical advances in optics, detectors, and undulators that are required for high-energy X-ray science.

Confirmed Speakers

Simon Bare, UOP (Honeywell)
Yan Gao, General Electric
Sossina Haile, Northwestern University/California Institute of Technology
Joe Hupp, Northwestern University
Jennifer Jackson, California Institute of Technology
Hyunjung Kim, Sogang University, Korea
Antonio Lanzirotti, GSECARS, University of Chicago
Robert Leheny, Johns Hopkins University
Wenbin Lin, University of Chicago
Wendy Mao, Stanford University
Conal Murray, IBM
Henning Poulsen, Technical University of Denmark
Tony Rollett, Carnegie Mellon
Uta Ruett, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Germany
Darrell Schlom, Cornell University
Oleg Shpyrko, University of California at San Diego
Matt Tirrell, University of Chicago
Peter Voorhees, Northwestern University
Mike Wasielewski, Northwestern University
Gayle Woloschak, Northwestern University