October 7, 2020
Updated on October 11, 2022

Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)

Constraints associated with COVID-19 are expected in conducting users’ experiments to ensure the health and safety of visitors and SACLA staff. Please follow the guidance below to conduct your experiments.
 

1. In case users are able to come on-site

All users who come to SACLA should follow the guideline “Prevention measures against COVID-19 at SPring-8/SACLA”. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, we strongly request users to minimize the number of on-site participants. The other group members should join in the experiment remotely by using tools below, for example.

• Web conference tools
  • Remote communications using Zoom, Microsoft teams, Google Meet, etc.
• Documents and data sharing
  • Access to Google Docs, Sheet, and Drive from operation consoles at experimental stations
  • Experimental Data Transfer Service
• Fast X server¹⁾
  • Efficient remote data analysis using FastX for software on the SACLA High Performance Computing (HPC) system
• Online storage server (Nextcloud)¹⁾

¹⁾Please contact the beamline staff well in advance if you like to use those tools.
 

2. In case users are not able to come on-site

Experiments may be carried out by the facility staff even in case no users are able to be on-site. Please discuss the feasibility of mail-in-type experiments with the point of contact at SACLA. We anticipate carrying out such experiments on behalf of the users by using standard instruments of SACLA. Accordingly, some types of experiments or operations are impossible to conduct, for example (but not limited to):

• Experiments using equipment owned by users.
• Experiments relying on unestablished methods or complex procedures.
• Sample preparation
• 24-hour on-site operations

The experimental plans should be finalized at least 6 weeks before the beamtime.
If you have to cancel your experiments, please inform the Users Office. This notification should be made at least one month before the beamtime.

3. Remote experiments

We have started pilot experiments using a remote-operation system that allows users to control experimental instruments from outside the facility since 2021B. The remote system is currently available for some experiments depending on the experimental conditions and the status of system preparation. Please confirm with the beamline staff well in advance whether the remote system is applicable to your experiment.

For users visiting from abroad

The latest information of entry procedures by the Japanese government can be found from the links on “Prevention measures against COVID-19 at SPring-8/SACLA”.
 

Contact/Consultation

• General Inquiries
  SPring-8/SACLA Users Office
  Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)
  e-mail：sacla.jasri@spring8.or.jp

• Consultation for Technical Issues
  XFEL Utilization Division
  Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)
  e-mail：sacla-bl.jasri@spring8.or.jp