X27A—A new hard X-ray micro-spectroscopy facility at the National Synchrotron Light Source

A new hard X-ray micro-spectroscopy beamline has recently been installed at bending-magnet beamline X27A at the National Synchrotron Light Source, where the focus of research is primarily directed towards the environmental, geological and materials science communities. This instrument delivers moderate, ∼10 μm spatial resolution using achromatic dynamically bent Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors, in addition to providing high X-ray flux throughput and selectable energy resolution. The balance between moderate spatial resolution and high flux throughput, in combination with a liquid nitrogen-cooled 13-element energy-dispersive high-purity germanium detector, is particularly well suited to the investigation of dilute and thin-film systems using the fluorescence X-ray absorption fine-structure mode of detection. In this paper, we report on the design and performance of this instrument and highlight a recent experimental study undertaken at this facility.