LINAC II, PIA and DESY II are preaccelerators for the operation of the storage ring PETRA III, which serves as one of the worldwide best synchrotron radiation sources for the research with photons at DESY in Hamburg (Germany) together with the two free-electron lasers FLASH1 and FLASH2 and the European X-ray laser XFEL. (Photo: © DESY / Reimo Schaaf / Britta Liebaug 2020)
These primers give you an overview of the theory behind research with synchrotron light. To understand all details it would be useful, but not always necessary, to have some university-level education in physics.
Further information can also found in the book 'Synchrotron Light Sources and Free-Electron Lasers - Accelerator Physics, Instrumentation and Science Applications' (2020), Editors: E. Jaeschke, S. Khan, J. R. Schneider, J. B. Hastings, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23201-6 online and also available at DESY.
Future users may find this article helpful: 'Synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron lasers (X-FELs) explained to all users, active and potential', Y. Hwu and G. Margaritondo, Synchrotron Rad. (2021), DOI: 10.1107/S1600577521003325
Additional special information can also found in the article 'Materials under extreme conditions using large X-ray facilities' (2023), Sakura Pascarelli , Malcolm McMahon, Charles Pépin, Olivier Mathon, Raymond F. Smith, Wendy L. Mao, Hanns-Peter Liermann, Paul Loubeyre, Nature Reviews Methods Primers (2023), DOI: 10.1038/s43586-023-00264-5 (available e.g. via DESY publication database (PUBDB)).
