The scientific aims outlined in the proposal for the VERSOX beamline are very diverse and include studies of heterogeneous catalysts, pharmaceuticals and biomaterials under realistic conditions, environmental and space science studies on liquids and ices, heritage conservation, and the study of electronic and photonic materials.
A common feature to all proposed studies is an interest in the chemical nature and composition of the near-surface regions of the samples, which are to be characterized using soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS/XANES).
They also have in common that they do not need extreme energy resolution or photon flux (in fact, many of the samples are extremely beam-sensitive), however they require non-standard sample environments and detection techniques, which are not usually found or possible at standard soft X-ray beamlines of 3rdgeneration synchrotron sources.