The Advanced Photon Source Upgrade (APSU) has transformed the APS into a 4th generation light source. The new 6 GeV, 200 mA multi-bend achromat (MBA) storage ring, along with injector improvements and new front ends will provide an increased brightness and an orders-of-magnitude improvement in coherent flux over the current facility. To take advantage of these new capabilities, we have designed and constructed nine new “feature beamlines” and implemented numerous additional beamline enhancements, all while ensuring the compatibility of existing programs. This talk will present a comprehensive overview of the APSU beamline scope, focusing on successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

The In Situ Nanoprobe (ISN) is a newly constructed, best-in-class experimental instrument at sector 19 of the upgraded Advanced Photon Source (APS-U). The new ISN beamline provides a 5-30 keV monochromatic x-ray beam, high coherence, and focused flux of >3x10^11 photon/sec @ 25 keV. KB mirror focusing offers a focal spot as low as 20 nm. The KB mirrors also provide a long working distance of 61 mm, to enable a versatile suite of sample environments: in-vacuum or in-air operation, heating to >1000˚C, cooling to 40K, flow of liquids & gases, and applied electrical fields. The instrument supports fast fly-scanning of relatively large and heavy samples of ~10x10mm and 2kg at 1mm/s. Measurement techniques include 2D and 3D XRF mapping, ptychographic coherent structural imaging, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray excited optical luminescence. This work presents the first mechanical results from the ongoing technical commissioning in Summer 2025, including the design and architecture of the endstation, vibrational and thermal management, beam conditioning optics, KB mirror alignment, vacuum chamber design, sample scanning, sample environments, metrology, and detector systems design.

NMX, the neutron macromolecular crystallography beamline, with its 157m distance between neutron source and sample, is one of the long instruments about to enter into commissioning phase with neutrons at the European Spallation Source in Lund. While the neutron shielding system, 3 chopper disks and more than 150m of finely aligned neutron guide mirrors safely transport a tailored beam to the sample position, the end-station delivers extended automation capability to the experiment: As a robotic goniometer exchanges, positions, precisely aligns and orients the crystal sample, three industrial robots arrange the bespoke neutron detectors to optimize neutron scattering detection. Although the scientific technique has similarities with synchrotron MX beamline, some engineering challenges are specific to the integration in a modern neutron spallation source.

X-ray pump–probe techniques at XFELs have revolutionized ultrafast science by enabling precise control of X-ray pulse pairs with tunable delays. This talk highlights key engineering breakthroughs in LCLS behind two critical methods: magnetic chicane systems and split-and-delay optics. Magnetic chicane systems manipulate electron and photon beams to generate delays up to hundreds of femtoseconds, with LCLS upgrades extending tunable delays from 0 to 10 fs for attosecond-resolution studies. Split-and-delay optics use Laue crystals, diamond gratings, or mirrors to divide, delay, and recombine X-ray pulses, achieving delays from femtoseconds to sub-nanoseconds. We will explore the engineering challenges of designing, aligning, and stabilizing these systems, including high-precision mechanics, advanced control systems, and real-time diagnostics. Ongoing upgrades are enhancing performance and expanding opportunities in condensed matter physics, chemistry, and materials science, pushing the boundaries of ultrafast X-ray science.

Recent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases have highlighted the need for enhanced biosafety measures and research capabilities. Addressing this, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is spearheading the development of Orion, Latin America’s first facility to host a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) laboratory. More ambitiously, Orion will pioneer a groundbreaking global achievement: the integration between BSL4 areas and synchrotron beamlines. A connection between Orion and the 4th-generation storage ring Sirius/LNLS will enable unprecedented X-ray bioimaging opportunities in soft, tender and hard X-rays, with a program covering cells, tissues up to entire organisms. At the lower energy range, the SIBIPIRUNA beamline will allow for 3D imaging of infected single cells using cryogenic soft X-ray tomography. With a resolution target of 30~nm, rapid full tomography time around 5 to 10 minutes, and whole unstained samples, unmatching detailed studies of viral infection mechanisms will be unlocked. This work describes the design of the beamline and its end-stations, highlighting their compatibility and compliance with biocontainment and decontamination needs.