The first MOOC to provide an extensive introduction to synchrotron and XFEL facilities and associated techniques

Are you interested in investigating materials and their properties with unsurpassed accuracy and fidelity? Synchrotrons and XFELs count as Science’s premier microscopic tool in scientific endeavours as diverse as molecular biology, environmental science, cultural heritage, catalytical chemistry, and the electronic properties of novel materials, to name but a few examples.

This six-week course is pitched at a level to provide valuable insights into this powerful and interdisciplinary tool, from the interaction of x-rays with matter, via the generation of x-rays, to a detailed description of the machines (synchrotrons and XFELs) that produce intense x-ray sources and the manipulation of x-rays (reflection, focussing, etc) and control of the experimental stations ("beamlines") in which synchrotron and XFEL experiments are carried out.

What you'll learn

• What are x-rays and how are they produced
• Interactions of x-rays with matter
• The generation of x-rays using accelerators
• Beamline optics and instrumentation
• Synchrotron and XFEL facilities