Synchrotron radiation. Structure research techniques of materials, by G.V. Fetisov, edited by L.A. Aslanov

The book by Gennady Fetisov titled ‘Synchrotron radiation. Structure research techniques of materials’ familiarizes its readers with great potentialities for synchrotron radiation (SR) as applied to structural studies of crystalline materials. Written as a textbook, it meets the special demands for the standard of data presentation, particularly taking into account that there is almost no literature in Russian on such a subject and the book should provide readers with a modern view of the topic. The author has coped brilliantly with his task, assisting readers in getting answers for a series of very important questions. What does SR mean? How does it arise and which unique properties does it possess? Which new knowledge does SR allow us to extract as compared with X-radiation from laboratory sources? Which SR generators are available at the moment and which ones will appear in the near future? What is the difference between X-ray and SR experiments? Which special equipment of SR experiments has already been available? Which types of diffraction and spectroscopic measurements did come true recently owing to SR? The narration is developed in several directions. Fundamental scientific problems and experimental techniques, as well as the machines required, both existing and projected ones, are all discussed. The author is right in his remark that no book of reasonable thickness is enough for describing all the SR applications. This book covers the radiation sources and the X-ray technical equipment, but it is limited to only one aspect of the SR use, namely, to the research of atomic structure in the solid state, although there are some examples of the research on liquids in Chapter 5. This book of 672 pages consists of six chapters, including four basic and two supplementary ones. Chapter 1 gives the concept of electromagnetic radiation, X-ray diffraction and X-ray techniques of structure analysis, which makes the book accessible even to those readers who are confronted with X-ray techniques for structure research for the first time. Evidently, the information given in this chapter is by no means a complete elucidation of these matters. It should be emphasized, however, that the author manages to achieve the right balance between depth and simplicity of the explanation both in this and in the following chapters. Not only beginners but also more experienced researchers will be able to derive benefit from reading all the chapters of this book, including the first one. Chapter 2 answers the question of what SR is like, describing the four generations of radiation sources.