Third generation synchrotron radiation facilities, such as the Advanced Photon Source (APS) presently under commissioning at Argmnne National Laboratory, will be the world's leading sources of x-rays for scientific research. The greatly increased spectral brilliance and unique spectral properties of the APS insertion device x-ray sources in the intermediate and hard x-ray regions offer the possibility to significantly advance existing scientific frontiers and, more important, to open new research areas. The concurrent development of x-ray optics technology ensures that x-ray beams which parallel those properties of the source can be delivered to the sample. However, in order to take full advantage of these opportunities, similar development of data acquisition instrumentation must take place. Source and optics developments allow researchers to take their data faster, to examine much smaller (and hence more readily available) crystals, and to study time-resolved scattering phenomena. As a consequence the data acquisition rate has increased dramatically thus requiring novel diffractometer and detector systems. New detectors such as the emerging CCD-based systems have the potential to meet the new demands. However, all of these systems can only be used optimally if they are carefully integrated into dedicated x-ray experimental stations. We propose to develop integrated data acquisition systems, comprised of fast and reliable diffractometers, and optimized detectors and read-out systems with understandable instrument control software, that allow researchers at all level of expertise to focus on their experiments rather than operation of the system. Particular emphasis will be placed on system integration, equipment protection and reliability, since expensive area detectors can be ruined in seconds when inadvertently exposed to high-powered f x-ray beams. These instruments share a common research focus in structural biology ~/ and related a reas of chemistry. The data acquisition systems are composed of: - development of novel fast diffractometers which address the particular need for research on small samples and which can accommodate large and heavy detector systems, and essential peripheral equipment such as cryostats and single crystal micro-photospectrometers; - acquisition of four state-of-the-art detectors, their optimization for particular experiments, and characterization of these detectors to eliminate artifacts; - development of display software and a graphical user interface, which aids researchers to assess initial cr~stal and data quality in real time and hence to make sensible on-line decisions in the conduct of their experiments. The APS and associated x-ray beamlines represent a large national investment from many funding agencies, namely the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the State of Illinois, private foundations and institutions. The research effort at The University of Chicago is organized in the Consortium of Advanced Radiation Sources (CARS), comprising the Geo-, Soil-, and Environmental Sciences (GSECARS), the Biological Sciences (BioCARS), and Chemistry and Material Sciences (ChemMatCARS). The proposed total project cost is estimated to be $ 2.05M. One half of the funding is requested in this proposal and the other half will be provided as a nonFederal match from funds granted by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) to The University of Chicago acting for and on behalf of CARS.
