Synchrotron techniques
Synchrotron radiation is very intense, highly collimated and tunable, and can be polarized and pulsed, enabling time-resolved measurements. Synchrotron techniques can therefore be used to probe the properties of a wide variety of samples and are now central to many fields, ranging from condensed matter physics to structural biology. The development of fourth-generation synchrotrons and the commissioning of next-generation X-ray free-electron lasers offer new tools for materials characterization with very high spatial and temporal resolution. This collection showcases how advances in synchrotron techniques, and their theoretical evaluation, are providing insight into quantum materials and heterogeneous catalysis. Applications in cultural heritage and palaeontology, new big facilities and the opportunities for productive research collaborations at such facilities are also discussed.
