Based on the Community Level above, please adhere to the corresponding COVID controls here. 
Below are highlights users should be aware of.  
 

Changes that became effective on August 24, regardless of CDC community transmission level, are:  

1. Users and visitors are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the Argonne site.
2. Social distancing is optional on the Argonne site, no matter the community transmission level.
3. The wearable proximity device program will be discontinued.
4. Voluntary diagnostic testing remains available at Argonne Health and Wellness only while onsite.
5. Limits on the number of people attending meetings and gatherings onsite have been lifted.
6. The APS will no longer cap the number of onsite users per Experiment Safety Assessment Form (ESAF).

Procedures that REMAIN in effect are: 

1. Users should not come to Argonne or the APS if they are not feeling well or exhibit symptoms consistent with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. If you become ill while at Argonne, stay away from others and immediately call the COVID-19 Question Line at 630-252-2555 for guidance on isolation and restriction requirements.
2. Requirements for face coverings will remain tied to community transmission levels. Face coverings will only be required when the community level for DuPage County is high (orange). Please check the latest information on the Users Office website.
3. Site Access can only be granted to users identified as onsite users on approved Experiment Safety Assessment Forms (ESAFs), or if a Gate Pass is requested and processed by the User Program Office. Visit the  My APS Portal to request a Gate Pass or email  [email protected]. 
   The Argonne Information Center (AIC) hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. US CT, Monday through Friday. The APS User Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. US CT, Monday through Friday.
4. NEW RULE - LATE ARRIVALS:  Users conducting experiments who have the potential of arriving after hours on weekdays, weekends, holidays, or during Laboratory shutdown periods must notify the APS User Program Office in advance by entering a Gate Pass request in My APS Portal or by sending an email to  [email protected] before 1:00 pm US Central Time on a given workday. This is necessary because the APS does not have staff after-hours to address these issues.

Important ESAF reminders: 

1. ESAFs must be submitted at least 3 weeks in advance of the start of an experiment. Late submissions (< 15 days) will be subject to automatic rejection and site access denial. 
2. ESAFs that contain experimenters that do not have access approval will not be approved.    
3. At the completion of the programming changes currently underway, users without an approved access status will be prohibited from being added to an ESAF.  
4. ESAFs containing on-site users must be submitted 14-days in advance of experiment.  
5. ESAFs containing mail-in or remote users (without on-site users) must be submitted 7-days in advance of experiment. 

All experimenters coming to Argonne must be listed as such on the ESAF, whether they actively participate ("On-site") or not ("Observer").
Those who aren't coming must be listed as "Off-site/Co-proposer”.

Site access is strictly limited to 5 experimenters per beamtime for low/medium risk experiments for the upcoming run (2022-2). High risk experiments and/or additional experimenters requires formal approval done on a case-by-case basis by the APS director office with at least 4 weeks processing time. Please contact beamline staff for more details.

In the “Description” Tab, briefly describe your experiment (no science details needed) and include the following statement(s) if relevant to your experiment:

          "After loading samples in the chamber, we will perform an in-vacuum annealing at (specify your temperature here - max T = 800C)."

If you are planning to come a day early to prepare and load samples, please change the starting date accordingly.

Describe any change to the current beamline set-up your experiment might require (e.g. vacuum suitcase) . If you are not bringing equipment and you are not requesting any change to the beamline set-up, please indicate: 

          "Regular scattering/ARPES experiment setup. No hazardous activities besides XXX."

List all the materials you are potentially bringing, whether they are listed in the proposal or not (e.g. back-up samples).
Make sure to review all the questions below the material information table, and check “Yes” in the appropriate boxes.

If you will be mounting your samples at the beamline, reply "yes" to the question:

          "Will you require to use ​​beamline laboratory facilities to prepare samples or perform other work"

This will enable the "Lab Use" tab.

The following equipment are currently available at the beamline and should be checked if required for your experiment:

• Cryogenics
• Heater: hot plate for curing (max temp 200C) and/or ARPES in-vacuum annealing (max temp 800C)

Any other equipment you are bringing, such as vacuum suitcases, must be listed appropriately and might require safety inspection by an certified APS technician. 

Please include the following statement (to be modified as needed):

          "We will use the Sector 29 laminar flow room ("clean room") to prepare samples. Samples will be handled with gloves and tweezers. In addition, this work may involve UHV cleaning with incidental quantities of ethanol and acetone. Sample will be mounted to the sample holders using carbon tape, silver epoxy, silver paste or Torr Seal; the Sector 29 hot plate may be used for curing (max temp 200C). Alternatively, samples will be secured to the sample plate by spot-welding Ta clips."

There are no chemical fume hood or glove box available at the beamline. If you need one to prepare your sample, please contact beamline staff at least 3 weeks ahead of your experiment so we can arrange with another sector.