Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF (ROBL) in operation since 1998 [1] is together with the INE Beamline at ANKA and the micro-XAS beamline at SLS one of three dedicated radionuclide XAS beamlines in Europe. ROBL is specialized in handling actinide nuclides up to Cf with a total activity to 185 MBq. The wide energy range (5 to 35 keV) permits to run actinide L1, L2 and L3 edges, important for the investigation of mixed actinide systems. Both the high photon flux (6 1011 ph/s on the sample) and the high-performance fluorescence detection makes ROBL suited for very low concentrations (according to XAS standards,  1 ppm XANES,  20 ppm EXAFS). Research at ROBL encompasses basic actinide chemistry, biogeochemistry, environmental chemistry and materials sciences, with applications for the improvement of nuclear waste repositories, remediation of uranium mining areas and other contaminated sites, development of fourth generation nuclear fuels, minor actinide waste forms and transmutation targets. The ROBL team supports users before, during and after the experiments. Own research specializes on the development of new data analysis tools (statistical tools, wavelets, Monte-Carlo simulations, PDF) as well as on actinide redox chemistry (structure of aqueous and non-aqueous complexes, redox mechanisms at water/mineral interfaces). From 2012 on, a major upgrade of the ROBL optics will further increase photon flux, energy range, and spectral resolution; and reduce spot size and data acquisition time; while maintaining reliable and relatively easy operation.

[1] W. Matz et al., Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 6, 1076-1085 (1999).