First Light! CHESS Becomes a 3rd Generation Synchrotron!

Joel Brock, CHESS, Cornell University

With first light passing through the x-ray optics and into the hutch on Wednesday, September 24, CHESS enters a new era as a 3rd Generation Source!

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First undulator light through the A-line Coffin. Left spot is A2 beam and right spot is A1 beam.

The staff made a Herculean effort and in just 10 short weeks, removed the old wiggler, reconfigured CESR, installed two Cornell Compact Undulators, and completely rebuilt the A-line front end and optics. 

5 of CHESS’s 11 experimental stations are now fed by undulators.  “The ingenuity and “get-the-job-done” attitude of the technical staff and scientists is amazing,” states Joel Brock, Director of CHESS.  “We are extremely proud of our team, meeting and exceeding their goals and getting the laboratory ready for users in October.”

To find out more about CHESS upgrades and plans, look to the CHESS website for updates at http://www.chess.cornell.edu