The bio-crystallography beamline (BL41XU) at SPring-8

The bio-crystallography beamline (BL41XU), one of two pilot beamlines at SPring-8, was constructed using a standard in-vacuum-type undulator and opened for general users from domestic and overseas countries. Many tests and improvements were carried out on beamline elements and equipment for macromolecular crystallography, especially on the so-called “pin-post” water cooling crystal of rotated-inclined double crystal monochromator. The maximum brilliance at sample position reached to 4×1015 photons/s/mm2/mrad2 at an X-ray energy of 11 keV. Commercially available X-ray detectors of CCD and imaging plate were installed in the experimental station. A beamline control software system for beam tracking and an on-line reader for large-format imaging plate were newly developed.