The first phase of the Upgrade includes the development of eight completely new beamlines along with refurbishment of many existing ones. Under the second phase of the Upgrade, up to six more new beamlines and refurbishment of the remainder of the existing beamlines is planned.

The “Purple Book” of October 2007 mapped out the science case for the Upgrade Programme and listed ideas for over 40 new beamlines at the ESRF. In May 2008, the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) of the ESRF selected eleven candidate beamlines from this list for further study within Phase 1 of the Upgrade. Brainstorming sessions with external experts and users served to hone the science cases and explore the technological limits of the candidate beamlines. A Conceptual Design Report for each candidate beamline enabled the SAC, in November 2008 and May 2009, to select eight new beamlines for the first phase of the Upgrade.

Conceptual design reports for the upgrade beamlines of phase 1

In parallel, a large-scale exercise was undertaken to establish how the entire portfolio of ESRF beamlines will develop over the first phase of the Upgrade, and where beamlines must be refurbished, benefitting from new technologies developed as part of the Upgrade. For each existing beamline at the ESRF, a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) was established in the course of 2009, describing the science case and future development of the beamline.

The 30 CDRs of both existing and new beamlines were endorsed by the SAC at its meeting in May 2009 and the core of these documents can be accessed using the links below.

Conceptual design reports for the ESRF beamline portfolio

• Structure of materials
• Electronic structure and magnetism
• Dynamics and extreme conditions
• X-ray imaging
• Structure of soft matter
• Structural biology
• Instrumentation services and development
  

Beamline floor plan

Already in 2008, a new ESRF beamline floor plan was established identifying the locations of the new beamlines along with removals of existing beamlines where necessary. The new floor plan also clusters beamlines linked by science or support facilities when this is beneficial and feasible.  This plan will be published once finalised and endorsed by the SAC.

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