Performance and status of beamline BL8 at SLRI for X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Beamline BL8 of the Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Thailand) is routinely operated for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in an intermediate photon energy range (1.25-10 keV). The photon energy is scanned by using a double-crystal monochromator, the crystal pair of which can be interchanged among KTP(011), InSb(111), Si(111) and Ge(220). The experimental set-up conveniently facilitates XAS measurements in transmission and fluorescence-yield modes at several K-edges of elements ranging from magnesium to zinc. Instrumentation and specification of the beamline and the XAS station are described, together with the determination of the available photon flux [0.1-6 × 10¹⁰ photon s^-1 (100 mA)^-1], energy resolution (1-5 × 10^-4) and stability of photon energy calibration (0.07 eV), representing the beamline performance. Data quality and accuracy of XANES and EXAFS measured at BL8 are compared with those of other well established beamlines. A noted distinction of BL8 is its relatively high sensitivity for studying phosphorous, sulfur and chlorine in diluted systems and its maximum beam size of 14 mm (width) × 1 mm (height), which is suitable for bulk characterization.