FAME-UHD, the French Absorption spectroscopy beamline in Material and Environmental sciences at Ultra-High Dilution, is dedicated to high energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption spectroscopy (HERFD-XAS) for structural investigation of ultra-diluted samples. The key element of the beamline is thus a crystal analyser spectrometer, which enables XANES analyses at concentrations as low as 1ppm and EXAFS at 10ppm.

This low detection limit is obtained thanks to the combination of state-of-the-art cooled optics (designed firstly to maximize the photon flux on the sample and secondly to optimize the beamline stability and reduce the non-statistical noise) and multi-crystal analyser spectrometer.

This is of particular interest for environmental and biological systems: study of trace elements in soils, effect of pollutants at low concentrations...

Opened to users since January 2017, the beamline is designed to accept easily different sample environments: the beamline helium cryostat but also, HP-HT vessel, electrochemical cells, cells for gaseous reactions...

FAME-UHD is one of the French CRG beamlines at the ESRF: beamtime can be asked both through the ESRF and the Soleil program committees.