Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
Published on: August 20, 2014
FaXToR: the hard X-ray micro-tomography beamline at the Spanish synchrotron ALBA
Alessandra Patera1, Federico Cova1, Victorien Bouffetier1
1Alba Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain.
Abstract:
FaXToR is the first hard X-ray imaging beamline built and commissioned at the Spanish synchrotron light source ALBA, and therefore the start of user operation marks the introduction of a new imaging user community to the facility. FaXToR has pushed the implementation of a multi-scale, multimodal approach to investigate the morpho-structural changes of a number of materials within a range of applications, including biomedicine, material science, cultural heritage and paleontology. In this work, we describe the FaXToR beamline optical layout and the beam properties and we provide details on the flexible in-house design of the endstation. Beamline commissioning results are presented as well. Finally, an overview of its main applications is provided, defining the main strategic program the beamline will develop during its lifetime.
Related Concept Videos
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
X-ray Imaging

