NOTE: this software is for experiments in LCLS1-style hutches (XPP,XCS,MFX,CXI,MEC). LCLS2-style hutches (TMO, RIX, UED) use LCLS2-style software found here: LCLS-II Data Acquisition and Analysis.
This site documents the usage of "psana python", which is software that can be used to analyze LCLS data. Using relatively simple python code, it is possible to analyze LCLS data in parallel on hundreds of CPU cores, both offline and in real-time while data is being taken. NOTE: the graphical LCLS analysis tool AMI is used for many routine real-time monitoring plots. psana-python is typically used for real-time analysis that cannot be done in AMI and for offline analysis.
This video (53 minutes, made on Dec. 15, 2022) can also be used as an introduction to LCLS data analysis:
Before getting started, please consider if the LCLS supported frameworks will work for you. Due to the complexity of our systems and the changing nature of our hardware and setup, there some non-negligible overhead in writing your own analysis code at the psana-level.
To get started with a simple 17-line introductory script, and see a list of psana features click here. This link also shows you how to login to the analysis computers.
After that, we believe the best way for new users to learn is by running the many small "building block" examples here.
Get a computer at LCLS
Locate the
Look through our
The LCLS real-time online graphical analysis tool
How to get remote computer graphics working (e.g. on your laptop)
Send your questions to: pcds-help@slac.stanford.edu with relevant information (e.g. scripts, and other files involved in any failure you see). One of our experts will contact you. If it is the middle of the night and your experiment is having significant difficulty your hutch-scientist point-of-contact knows how to reach us by phone, 24/7.
Once in a while we also send updates on new features to our mailing list. This is a low-traffic list (i.e. no spam). You can subscribe by sending email to listserv@slac.stanford.edu with the following line in the body of the message:
subscribe pcds-ana-users-l |
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