SSRL: Synchrotron Radiation Wavelength
Synchrotron radiation is emitted over a very broad range of wavelengths from about 10-6 to 10-10 meters. With a device called a monochromator, the user can select the particular wavelength appropriate for the experiment being conducted. The wavelength or size of the radiation determines the size of the object it can detect. The wavelength is related to the energy of the individual photons that make up the beam of radiation. The individual photon energy is relevant to the excitation or bond breaking that the photon can cause. For example, if the photon energy is matched to the binding energy of an electron in an atom or molecule this photon is readily absorbed resulting in the liberation of the electron; the so-called photoelectric effect explained by Einstein. By selecting the photon energy to correspond to these so-called absorption edges, information can be obtained about the near-neighbor environment around a particular element in a complex material.
