How to Request Beam Time

SSRL operates as a dedicated synchrotron radiation source for ~8-9 months per year (usually from November through July).

Submitting a proposal is the first step to access beam time at SSRL. Once a proposal is peer reviewed/rated, the spokesperson must request beam time for each scheduling period in which he/she is interested in running an experiment in order to confirm the desired beam line, amount of beam time needed, and their dates available. Proposals are rated on a scale from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest). Proposals rated better than 1.4 are most likely to receive their optimal number of shifts on their first choice beam line; other requests are accommodated as beam time is available.

REMINDER: New proposals can be submitted three times each year:

  • Submit new X-ray/VUV proposals by June 1, September 1, December 1;
  • Submit new Macromolecular Crystallography proposals by July 1, December 1, April 1.

User Research Administration (URA) will send out a Call for Beam Time Requests to Spokespersons for all active proposals approximately two to three months in advance of each scheduling period. All proposals that are active for at least part of a given scheduling period are eligible for beam time during the entire period. The "Call" goes out as an email message to spokespersons with active proposals. Deadlines are announced on this website and under the User Research Announcements section of SSRL's monthly newsletter, Headlines. Experimenters are requested to submit their requests via the web by the stated deadline in order to be considered for that scheduling period.

Although the proposal rating is the primary criteria in scheduling beam time, a number of other factors are considered including availability of equipment and staff support as well as oversubscription of beam lines by proposals with high scientific merit. Consideration also may be given to graduate students who need a small amount of beam time to complete their thesis work. If a single Spokesperson has several proposals that make the "cut", she/he will not necessarily be granted beam time for each of the proposals. In many cases, the Spokesperson can advise which of their experiments have the highest priority during a scheduling cycle.

New Proposals, Beam Time and Support Requests

  • Submit through User Portal (see also instructions below)

Rapid Access Applications

Letter of Intent Form

Proposal Extension Requests

  • Requests for a one-time extension may be submitted via email attachment before the proposal expiration date. (see more information regarding proposal extension requests.

NOTE: We recently migrated to a new platform for users to submit new standard proposals. From the joint SSRL and LCLS User Portal, users can update their account and contact information, submit an End of Run Summary after each experiment, and submit new proposals. Proposal spokespersons and their authorized lead contacts can also view their active proposals and beam time allocations as well as submit requests related to experiments.

Stay tuned as additional features are implemented through the portal to continue to enhance your user facility experience. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

In addition to the questions asked through the User Portal, standard proposals contain 2 main parts: a brief abstract and the proposal description. See instructions below.

Instructions for New Standard (Not Rapid Access) Proposals

Provide a brief summary of the proposal that you would be willing to share in various reports. State the scientific justification, the planned experiments, the techniques to be used, and the expected outcomes; limit to 300 words/2000 characters. In addition to copying your abstract in the appropriate box, you may also upload an abstract file in PDF format.

Proposal Description

Describe your experiment including the following information, with Specific Aims and Planned Experiments occupying the most space. The Project Description should be in PDF format and is limited to 3 pages, including figures, using 12-pt font, 1 inch margins and single spacing. Provide the PI/Spokesperson's name in the upper right hand corner of each page.

  1. Background/Significance (Provide a brief description of the current state of the chosen research area, concentrating on any gaps in current understanding that this proposal is designed to address. The significance of the research question being addressed should also be discussed. Essentially, answer the questions 'why is this research of interest? Be clear and concise; remember that reviewers may not be precisely in your area of research.)
  2. Specific Aims (Itemize the particular questions you want to answer, preferably as a numbered or bulleted list. Very briefly, describe how these questions target the overall research question discussed above.)
  3. Planned Experiments (Preferably organized by your Specific Aims, state explicitly the experiments that you plan to perform in pursuit of the answers to your specific aims. Be explicit with samples you will examine, techniques you will employ, and results you might expect. It may be appropriate to comment on how you would respond to difficulties encountered.)
  4. Data Interpretation Methods (Provide a brief overview of the methods of data interpretation you intend to use and of your experience, if appropriate.)
  5. Need for Synchrotron Radiation and SSRL (Describe why you believe that the synchrotron radiation techniques you propose are required or desirable to pursue your specific aims. If you are familiar with SSRL beam lines, specify which beam line(s) you want to use for your experiments and why; estimate how much beam time will be required, again preferably organized by your Specific Aims.)
  6. References (You may want to provide 2-3 references to related work by the team members to demonstrate characterization by more conventional methods.)

* Any potential safety related issues must be disclosed when submitting a new proposal. List and describe any safety concerns that may arise with samples you will examine, equipment you will use, or techniques you will perform (including any physical, chemical or biological hazards) and how these issues will be addressed in the experiment design.