X-rays, Neutrons and Muons: Photons and Particles for Material Characterization

Spectroscopy is a versatile tool for the characterization of materials, and photons in the visible frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum have been used successfully for more than a century now. But other elementary particles such as neutrons, muons and x-ray photons have been proven to be useful probes as well and are routinely generated in modern cyclotrons and synchrotrons. They offer attractive alternative ways of probing condensed matter in order to better understand its properties and to correlate material behavior with its structure. In particular, the combination of these different spectroscopic probes yields rich information on the material samples, thereby allowing for a systematic investigation down to atomic resolutions. This book gives a practical account of how well they complement each other for 21st century material characterization, and provides the basis for a detailed understanding of the scattering processes and the knowledge of the relevant microscopic interactions necessary for the correct interpretation of the experimentally obtained spectroscopic data.