X-ray Microscopy

High-resolution x-ray imaging is a technique that relies on the availability of high source brightness for its successful implementation. The advent of synchrotron radiation sources has allowed this requirement to be met, and very significant developments in x-ray microscopy have taken place over the last 10-15 years. X-ray microscopy is finding an increasingly wide range of applications in materials science and biology, and can be used either in transmission mode or to study surface layers; the chemical specificity of the beam-specimen interaction means that it uniquely complements both the visible-light and the electron microscope, at a spatial resolution of a few tens of nanometres. This volume provides an up-to-date survey of the field, covering the principles of operation, the technology required for the various forms of microscope, and a comprehensive review of the applications, including the current trend towards the gathering of spectroscopic data from microscopic areas.