Synchrotron radiation: earth, environmental and material sciences applications: Grant S. Henderson and Don R. Baker, Editors (Short Course Series, Vol. 30, Robert Raeside, Series Editor), Mineralogical Association of Canada, Ontario, Canada, 2002, 178 pp., ISBN 0-921294-30-1 ($40)

Abstract

This book is the latest in a series of volumes from by the Mineralogical Association of Canada presenting a range of science- and technique-based reviews in various areas of mineralogy. The present volume describes applications of synchrotron radiation (SR) to probe systems of relevance to the earth, environmental, and material sciences. Synchrotron radiation sources are well matched to many of the diverse needs of the earth and environmental science communities. There are, however, few comprehensive reviews that attempt to describe both the relevant fundamentals of synchrotron facilities and the application of SR techniques to the earth and environmental sciences. Although active SR scientists often rely on the 'X-ray data booklet' produced by the Center for X-ray Optics and the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this compact booklet is not well suited as a general introduction. The present volume, a more elementary introduction to the characteristics of SR and its applications, is derived from a short course held at the University of Saskatoon (Canada) on May 25-26, 2002. In many ways, this volume acts as a 'calling card' for the new Canadian Light Source (CLS; currently under construction, to be commissioned by early 2004); it provides summariesmore » by Canadian-based SR scientists of the main techniques that will be employed at the CLS. The first two chapters provide background and overview. The subsequent chapters describe the following individual SR techniques that represent the traditional SR approaches to studies of materials: (1) the principles of powder and single-crystal diffraction; (2) the principles of X-ray absorption spectroscopy; (3) the X-ray interactions that led to the development of the X-ray microprobe; (4) a review of the principles of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; and (5) techniques to probe amorphous materials.« less