SwissFEL Cristallina Endstation
Cristallina is the third endstation of the SwissFEL ARAMIS hard X-ray beamline. It serves both quantum science (Cristallina-Q) and structural biology (Cristallina-MX), enabling the imaging of quantum many-body states under extreme conditions and serial femtosecond protein crystallography, respectively.
The Cristallina-MX experimental stations are designed for serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX), and operated by the Cristallina-MX team with the support of the Macromolecular Crystallography Group. The SwissMX fixed-target SFX experimental station is in user operations since January 2024. Experimental stations for different means of sample delivery are in conception.
The Cristallina-Q experimental stations provide unique high-field and low-temperature capabilities, and are operated by the Cristallina-Q team within the Quantum Photon Science Group and in collaboration with the Laboratory for Quantum Matter Research of Prof. Johan Chang at the University of Zurich (UZH). Cristallina-Q has been partially funded by UZH, SNSF and PSI via the R’Equip scheme. The experimental stations include the Ultralow-T Vectormagnet, open to users since January 2025, and the Pulsed Magnet, which is currently under commissioning. Both experimental stations rely on heavy-load diffractometers to orient the sample in the beam.
The overall Cristallina endstation layout allows for reshuffling of the experimental stations between the X-ray beam experiment position and dedicated preparation areas by sliding the setups over a granite floor by means of airpads. The Cristallina beamline can operate with both pink and monochromatic beam, and provide a variable beam size at the sample position down to smaller than 2 µm using bendable KB mirrors.
Cristallina News and Scientific Highlights
Bringing SwissFEL light to industrial users
High throughput experiments will enable new structural biology users to benefit from XFEL light.
SwissFEL #LightSourceSelfie of Maël Clémence
Check out Maël Clémence's #LightSourceSelfie about his PhD project on quantum properties of magnetic materials at the Cristallina-Q endstation of SwissFEL.
Congratulations to Melissa Carrillo for winning the 2023 Margaret Etter Student Lecturer Award at the ACA in the Light Sources Category
Melissa Carrillo is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Celestino Padeste from the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology at PSI. Through a collaboration with the Laboratory for X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies, they are responsible for the design and production of the polymer fixed-targets used by the SwissMX endstation at Cristallina. We whole hearted congratulate Melissa for her receipt of a 2023 Margaret Etter Student Lecturer Award at the recent American Crystallography Association Meeting for her work on these polymer supports!
Publications
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Williams LJ, Thompson AJ, Dijkstal P, Appleby M, Assmann G, Dworkowski FSN, et al.
Damage before destruction? X-ray-induced changes in single-pulse serial femtosecond crystallography
IUCrJ. 2025; 12(3): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252525002660
DORA PSI -
Gotthard G, Flores-Ibarra A, Carrillo M, Kepa MW, Mason TJ, Stegmann DP, et al.
Fixed-target pump–probe SFX: eliminating the scourge of light contamination
IUCrJ. 2024; 11(5): 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252524005591
DORA PSI -
Carrillo M, Mason TJ, Karpik A, Martiel I, Kepa MW, McAuley KE, et al.
Micro-structured polymer fixed targets for serial crystallography at synchrotrons and XFELs
IUCrJ. 2023; 10(6): 678-693. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252523007595
DORA PSI