The SXR beamline provides intense ultra short soft x-ray pulses to a diverse set of experimental configurations that use powerful tools such as x-ray emission, coherent imaging, resonant scattering, photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The science that can be performed at the SXR beamline covers wide-spread fields such as catalysis, magnetism, correlated materials, laboratory astrophysics and biological structure.

The beamline is equipped with a monochromator whose energy range (500eV - 2000eV) covers several of the important K- and L- edges of the second and third row elements for resonant excitation with a resolving power on the order of 3000, but the monochromator can also deliver beam in the non-monochromatic mode.

The main interaction point situated in Hutch 2, after the monochromator and a set of K-B mirrors which can focus the beam from about 1 mm square to about 2 um x 2 um, is different with respect to other LCLS instruments in that it has no stationary end station. Experimenters have the option to use the facility provided end stations, collaborate with other SXR users that have previouly intgrated end stations on SXR or bring their own end stations.