Found the delay time from upper and lower branches of SDL with a frosted-YAG.
The upper branch is -512.8 and the lower branch is -513.28.
The delay time difference is about 500 fs. 
The Mid SDL delay tuner should be investigated further more. 
The next step is find the spatial overlap on the Suna microscope and measure the fringes. 
 

Found the spatial overlap on the Suna microscope with Zyla.
Found the SDL motor position giving 200 fs time difference between the upper and lower branches. 
The encoder and current values of DC2_CASZ and DC1_CASZ are not 100 % correlated. 
The SDL delay scan using ScanTool has an issue due to the incorrect motor movement. 
The manual delay scan has been attempted, which was not successful. 
 

Found spatial overlap at Suna microscope with Zyla cam.
The splitting ratio was obtained about 1:1. 
The spatial jittering from upper and lower branch were investigated.
The temporal overlap and fringe will be investigated further.
 
 

Found the interference fringe at Suna microscope with Zyla cam from MID split-and-delay line. 
The fringe patterns were recorded as a function of delay controlled by the upper branch motor position. 
Obtained the interference fringe patterns with two pulses with different repetition rate of machine. 
BKR provided the two color HXRSS seperated by a few eV, and SDL was aligned accordingly. 
The fringe patterns were recorded as a function of delay with two X-ray photon energies.

- DAQ was crashed after taking darks of AGIPD. It was solved by DOC and OCD.

- Laser could not switched from optical to RF lock. Solved by OCD (using doocs).
- Energy scan was attempted, which was not successful. 
- Seeding optimization was ongoing. It will continue tomorrow morning. Still there is intensity loss during the energy scan.
- We might see second (maybe higher) photon energy component on the beam. (https://mylog.connect.xfel.eu/#narrow/stream/201-MID_6877_UrsStaub/topic/.E2.9C.94.20Troubleshooting/near/72056)
- The beam was focused with CRL 2 arm 4 and 5. A precise beam size measurement would be useful. 
- The timing of XFEL and PP laser has been found from a frosted-YAG on the X-ray eye. T0 = 1374.94.
- The air gap between the MPC and DES are closed. 
- The first user sample is mounted and delivered in the PUMA setup.
- The spatial overlap of XFEL and PP laser has been found at the sample position with YAG crystal.
- The substrate peak (th = 20.7, tth = 41.4) was found on the fluorescent screen. 
- The SDL diamond detector was aligned on the beam, and now move it out.

 
Tomorrow
- Continuing of optimization of seeding and improving the energy scan.
- Cool down the sample and search the film peak on AGIPD.

- The seeding optimization result: Total 450 uJ (Seeding of 150 uJ  + SASE of 300 uJ).  BKR will be able to start optimization on Saturday around noon if necessary. 
- The pump-probe (PP laser and PuMa pulse) experiment data on the substrate peak was collected. 
- Found the film peak on the AGIPD. Intensity optimization was not successful. We keep losing diffraction peak intensity over the measurement time and number of pulses. We assume the X-ray-induced heating can affect the diffraction intensity.
- Rotating Phi angle by moving the manipulator Z direction helped to bring the peak out of the detector gap. 

- The seeding optimization is ongoing, which was not successful. Now we have a total of 170 uJ including SASE and seeding. 
- The option to switch to SASE is relatively not complex and can be done with the support of BKR without a seeding expert.  BKR expects to provide about (more than) 1 mJ. To be discussed with user later. 
- An investigation of the asymmetric film peak is ongoing to optimize the measurement conditions, such as diffraction angle, sample temperature dependence, and pump laser effect. Still, the PP laser effect on the diffraction peak on the asymmetric peak is unclear.  The higher sample temperature suppresses the diffraction intensity.  Unclear intensity changes over time have been observed. 
- The AGIPD moved closer to the sample to cover the more solid angle. 
- The MDL of the coupled motion of the hexapod and puma manipulator is not working reliably. 
- The delay time between the X-ray and the PP laser was cross-checked to ensure its correctness. No timing drift was confirmed. 
- Laser pump and X-ray probe experiment is being conducted at the vicinity of subtract peak. After optimizing the spatial overlap by scanning, the pump laser effect was clearly achieved. 
- The user program will be ongoing over the night. 

- Pump-probe experiments are being conducted using PuMa and PP laser. 
- The user program is ongoing over the night.

Tomorrow, 
- Rotating the sample phi angle. The sample holder will be retracted from the MPC.
- Search the asymmetric film peak and conduct the PuMa and PP laser experiment.

Started the day with vacuum & detector issues
real start of the experiments only at about 6 p.m. 
measurement of a selection of samples (urea, ludox) using the levitation device

issues: vacuum (behind AGIPD), motor (bend2 of the DES was in error - used for the beamstop)

started initial alignment for the ptycho experiment 
Continued with XPCS measurement using the levitation device

issues: contribution of the 2nd harmonic of 8 keV at 16 keV visible on the Jungfrau detector - surpressing via mirror alignment not successful

continued with the evaluation of the XPCS analysis packages
investigated the effect of alignment optimizations and forced misalignments on the contrast directly with the online XPCS tool
checked additional standard samples 

01:49

Worked on the XPCS analysis packages
measured the TetraPack samples
continued with the levitation device

issues:

1. Jungfrau detector had an error - R. Shayduk restarted the device - it should be power cycled as described in the manual
2. The bunch number selctor does not work - the system didn't accepted 150 pulse but moved it back to 30 pulses - the machine switched off the user selection - should be followed up tomorrow

12.389keV, HXRSS, 1-400+ bunches, 450uJ

• Seeding alignment
• Beamline alignment (Mirror + foccussing)
• Measured energy and moved it the requested value
• Cryos for sample and monochromator are prepared
• Aligned DES spectrometer
• Started with DCCM characterization (440)

MID operation limited to 55 bunches by SA2_XTD1_OPTICS_PROTECTION/MDL/ATT1 because of inserted Si 0.5mm. Seems a bit too tight for 1mJ@17keV, since diamond is not so usefull at this photon energy anymore.

Today we have observed multiple large disturbances to beam stability. These can be characterised by large jumps in the horizontal beam position, which at its extreme amounts to a loss of beam from our behalf. M2 mirror feedbacks are able to return the beam to the initial position after ca. 10 minutes. Beam jumps have been approximately 1hr apart. We do not observe the beam on the XTD6 tunnel imager in this case, but do observe good lasing quality on the XGM.

The jumps keep repeating very frequently since yesterday afternoon. The overall drift of the beam seems to accalerate as well.

And since the 4th there are some instabilities in the vacuum levels at M1 and M2 as well.