As part of the RIANA project, Junior Scientist Dr. Debasish Saha from LENS paid a working visit to the SOLARIS Centre to gain first-hand knowledge of its research infrastructure and strengthen collaboration with beamline scientists.

During the visit, Dr. Saha toured several SOLARIS beamlines and attended presentations delivered by the responsible beamline scientists and staff. These included the PIRX beamline (Dr. Marcin Zając), the PHELIX beamline (Dr. Tomasz Sobol), the DEMETER beamline and its PEEM and STXM end-stations (Dr. Paweł Nita and Dr. Krzysztof Matlak), as well as the ASTRA beamline (Dr. Alexey Maximenko and Dr. Lulu Alluhaibi).

Throughout the visit, discussions focused on the scientific capabilities of the beamlines, the range of experiments they support, and the opportunities they offer to RIANA users. The visit also enabled Dr. Saha to establish valuable professional connections with the SOLARIS beamline teams, enhancing his ability to support researchers in preparing competitive RIANA proposals and selecting the most suitable experimental techniques.

At the ASTRA beamline, Dr. Saha also had the opportunity to observe and participate in an experiment led by Prof. Carlo Meneghini from Roma Tre University. This provided valuable insight into beamline operations, experimental workflows, and the implementation of high-impact scientific research.

Working visits such as this play an important role in strengthening the RIANA network, facilitating knowledge exchange between partner institutions, and ensuring that future users receive expert guidance in accessing Europe’s leading research infrastructures.