Events in Physics
Prof. Bill Stirling, Grenoble
A bright future for synchrotron light
W.G. Stirling, CEA-Grenoble/ESRF
Synchrotron light is a remarkable microscopic probe of matter, providing structural and dynamic information at the atomic level for a very wide range of scientific disciplines. Over the last decade many new synchrotron radiation (X-ray) sources have been constructed world-wide as synchrotron light has become an essential tool for palaeontologists and art historians, as well as biologists, chemists, physicists and materials scientists.
In the first part of the talk illustrative examples of the use of synchrotron light will be presented, with a discussion of some of the new sources brought on line recently, as well as planned upgrades to the world’s largest facilities. Finally, the impact of the free-electron laser sources will be assessed.