Welcome to the XLEAP beamline at CHESS

XLEAP (X-rays for Life, Environmental, Agricultural, and Plant Sciences) is a cutting-edge micro-focusing x-ray facility under construction at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) and scheduled to open for users in 2028. This beamline aims to revolutionize the study of elemental processes in biological and environmental systems, spanning sub-micron to whole organism scales. Motivated by scientific community input, XLEAP will offer a unique combination of capabilities to accelerate discovery in biological sciences. Science priority areas emphasize plant sciences, soil and environmental sciences, leveraging proximity to and close collaboration with Cornell's world-leading agricultural research facilities. The construction of the XLEAP beamline includes close collaboration with the University of Texas at El Paso for student training in x-ray techniques and scientific infrastructure. This project is made possible by a US National Science Foundation Midscale Research Infrastructure 1 award (USNSF-2330043).

XLEAP Sample Prep

XLEAP Beamtime Guide

XLEAP Documentation - Staff

Beamline Description

XLEAP will offer its users:

• Tunable x-ray energies from 5-70 keV, in high-bandwidth (multilayer monochromator) or high-energy-resolution (silicon DCM) modes.
• Tunable spot sizes down to <1µm
• Numerous experimental modes, including:
  • 2D XRF imaging
  • XAS
  • 3D XRF imaging in tomography and confocal modes
  • 2D XANES imaging
  • 2D XRD imaging (can collect XRF simultaneously)

Facilities Description

XLEAP will offer supporting facilities including:

• Multiple on-site growth chambers with a wide range of temperature and lighting options
• Microtome
• Dissecting microscope
• High-resolution optical/fluorescence microscopy
• Complementary vibrational spectroscopy
• A range of sample environments such as:
  • Cryo-cooling for high-resolution/high-dose experiments
  • Moderate cooling for hydrated dissected tissues
  • Controlled conditions for low-resolution in-vivo imaging

CHESS/XLEAP Web Utilities

• WebTopicList - all topics in alphabetical order
• WebChanges - recent topic changes in this web
• WebNotify - subscribe to an e-mail alert sent when topics change
• WebRss, WebAtom - RSS and ATOM news feeds of topic changes
• WebPreferences - preferences of this web