Book excerpt: The updated guide to the fundamental concepts, techniques and applications of synchrotron radiation and its applications in this rapidly developing field Synchrotron light is recognized as an invaluable research tool by a broad spectrum of scientists, ranging from physicists to biologists and archaeologists. The comprehensively revised second edition of An Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation offers a guide to the basic concepts of the generation and manipulation of synchrotron light, its interaction with matter and the application of synchrotron light in x-ray scattering, spectroscopy, and imaging. The author, a noted expert in the field, reviews the fundamentals of important experimental methods, and explores the most recent technological advances in both the latest generation of x-ray sources and x-ray instrumentation. Designed to be an accessible resource, the book contains full-colour illustrations of the underlying physics and experimental applications, as well as the most commonly-used synchrotron techniques. In particular, the updated second edition now includes: In-depth descriptions of the latest x-ray-source technologies, notably diffraction-limited storage rings and x-ray free-electron lasers The latest advances in instrumentation, x-ray optics, and experimental methods in synchrotron radiation The most recent developments in macromolecular crystallography, time-resolved studies, and imaging techniques A comprehensive set of problems for each chapter, plus their ideal solutions in the appendices. Written for undergraduate and postgraduate students from all areas of the natural and physical sciences, An Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation, Second Edition is an invaluable up-to-date reference source in this highly multidisciplinary field. PowerPoint slides of all the figures within the text are available for download, for instructors and users of this book, at http://booksupport.wiley.com