Primers - explaining the underlaying concepts

In this section, you can find out more about the photon source and about the theory that is behind the generation of synchrotron light at a storage ring or a free-electron laser (FEL) and the experiments.

These primers give you an overview of the theory behind research with synchrotron light. To understand most of them 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.

Additional 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) 10.1038/s43586-023-00264-5 (via DESY/PUBDB).


LINAC II, PIA and DESY II are preaccelerators for the operation of the storage ring PETRA III, which serves as the worldwide best light source for the research with photons together with the two free-electron lasers FLASH1 and FLASH2 and the European X-ray laser XFEL. (Photo: DESY / Reimo Schaaf / Britta Liebaug 2020)

LINAC II, PIA and DESY II are preaccelerators for the operation of the storage ring PETRA III, which serves as the worldwide best light source for the research with photons together with the two free-electron lasers FLASH1 and FLASH2 and the European X-ray laser XFEL. (Photo: © DESY / Reimo Schaaf / Britta Liebaug 2020)