How to obtain beamtime at the Rossendorf beamline

There are two ways to obtain beam time at ROBL (you are invited to apply for both types of beam time, as explained below):

1) Two thirds of the beam time is managed by the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf (‘HZDR beamtime’)

2) The remaining third is managed by the ESRF (‘ESRF beamtime’).

HZDR Beamtime

Experiments carried out by the Helmholtz-Zentrums Dresden-Rossendorf and their staff have priority. For all experiments, a formal application procedure must be completed at least 8 weeks prior to the planned date of the experiment. Instructions for submitting such a CRG application to ROBL can be found below.

Further details can be found in the ESRF User Manual. Proposals will be evaluated by the Rossendorf Beamline Review Panel.

To discuss the technical feasibility of your experiment, you should contact the respective responsible persons of the 4 experimental stations in due time:

Beamline Responsible: Kristina Kvashnina or Beamline Scientists:

For EXAFS experiments: Damien Prieur or Andre Rossberg

For XRD experiments: Christoph Hennig or Eleanor Lawrence Bright

For XES experiments: Lucia Amidani or Sami Vasala

An Experiment Report must be submitted after the experiment.

ESRF Beamtime

Users can also apply for 1/3 of the beam time managed by the ESRF. Applications are possible twice a year (deadlines are in March and September). These applications are reviewed by the ESRF Scientific Advisory Committee. However, you should contact ROBL staff before submitting your proposal to discuss the technical feasibility of your experiment. If your proposal is accepted, the ESRF will reimburse your travel and accommodation costs.

Application procedure

Please log onto the ESRF SMIS: ESRF User Portal.

Enter your surname and password if you already have an account, otherwise request one.

Click on Proposals/Experiments then Proposals and finally New Proposal.

Select either Standard ESRF (for proposals addressed to the ESRF committee) or CRG-Proposal, followes by BM20 (ROBL), und follow the instructions.

Please refer to the ESRF-page Preparing your Experiment in order to submit the A-form once you have been allocated beam time by the beamline. This A-form will initiate all the necessary steps to get you access to the ESRF campus (e.g. the ESRF badge), reserve your rooms in the guest house and issue you with a canteen card. Via the ESRF website, you can submit a sample sheet and finally, after conducting your experiment, the Experiment Report (for ESRF and CRG experiments).