Applications of synchrotron radiation in crystallography

The Committee

print version

Members

Tasks

Departments

Statute

Newsletters

Documents

Internal

Editorial

Information for users
and on how to become a user

New on this page

Access

Methods

Funding

Science Awards

Conferences & Courses

Job Offers

News from the Centres

Sources

Organisations

Website funded by:

Applications of synchrotron radiation in crystallography

Modern crystallography has a very interdisciplinary character. Crystallographers have a holistic approach to the studied materials. A physicist, is probably interested in physical properties of a crystal or a special effect, for the chemist synthesis, reactions and chemical bonds of molecules are in the focus and the materials scientist studies and models e.g. real structure, microstructure and properties of materials. From a crystallographers point of view those aspects are all facets of the same object called crystal. He tries to find a consistent view of correlations between chemical composition, structure and properties of a material.

Crystallography with synchrotron radiation is mostly done in medium to short wave X-ray spectrum at particle energies of E>2keV, in Germany mainly at HASYLAB at DESY. It requires qualitatively new experiments: use of the adjustability of the primary radiation (e.g. for energy dispersive powder diffractometry, anomalous dispersion, EXAFS), its collimation (e.g. high resolution, interferometry, standing waves), its polarisation (non-Bragg-scattering, atomic anisotropies, X-ray crystal optics) and its time structure (kinetics). These fields of research are developing dynamically.

The availability of powerful, bright synchrotron radiation is a prerequisite for successful structure determination. Its technique will even be more powerful with the so called X-ray laser (see FEL).

Sources: Deutsche Gesellschaft für crystallography / RWTH Aachen: crystallography - Apparative und methodische Entwicklungen an Großforschungsanlagen

More on the topic:

The Broken Symmetry Phase of Solid Deuterium

ESRF-Highlights 2005

The solid hydrogens (H2, D2, HD) are considered essential for the discovery of new quantum many-body effects of density. Numerous calculations of exciting properties of dense hydrogen have been made, such as the recently predicted ‘metal superfluid’ state. However, experimental verification presents technical challenges and often the observed properties are more subtle than predicted. Determination of the structure of phase II of deuterium is a clear illustration of the special status of the solid hydrogens. [mehr]

> What is Research with Synchrotron Radiation?
	Introduction
	History
	Synchrotron Radiation

> Fields of Research
Materials
Life
Soft Matter
Magnetism
Surface/Interface and Nanosciecs
Dynamics
Free Atoms, Molecules and Clusters

> Applications
	Physics
	Chemistry
	Crystallography
	Materials Sciences
	Biology
	Medicine
	Geosciences
	Archeology
	Art History