Synchrotron radiation and applications

Synchrotron radiation, light emitted by relativistic electrons or positrons and subjected to centripetal acceleration, provides a very broad spectrum of wavelengths from the far infrared to X-rays. The new generation of machines, specially designed to use this light, has opened up to a wide community of scientists in public and private laboratories a wide variety of methods for investigating condensed matter that complement and go beyond conventional methods. Spectral continuity and the use of monochromatic beams, the brightness of the source, its temporal structure, linear or circular polarization and coherence properties have given a new dimension to the study of the structural, chemical, electronic and magnetic properties of matter at an extreme level of resolution.

Methods of characterization and structural analysis based on X-ray diffraction-diffusion techniques, chemical characterization based on spectroscopy techniques across the entire energy range, analysis of electronic and magnetic behavior using dichroism and photoemission techniques, and new developments in two- and three-dimensional X-ray radiography are described with the help of various application examples chosen from the chemical, pharmaceutical, medical, metallurgical and plastics sectors, as well as materials for electronics. Particular emphasis is placed on imaging techniques, whether full-field or scanning: they represent the most remarkable breakthrough in the use of synchrotron radiation for the study of materials, especially industrial materials.

The technologies and instrumentation associated with synchrotron radiation – machines, light sources, associated optics, analysis stations –, are also briefly presented, not only for general information, but above all to emphasize the close link between improvements in synchrotron technologies and the performance of analysis techniques.