Dreams with Synchrotron Radiation

Authors(s):G.K. Shenoy Publication:The Rudolf Mössbauer Story: His Scientific Work and Its Impact on Science and History Publication Date:January 14, 2012 Publisher: Springer Citation:Shenoy, Gopal, Dreams with Synchrotron Radiation, Chapter 78, The Rudolf Mössbauer Story: His Scientific Work and Its Impact on Science and History. Germany, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012. Link:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-17952-5_18

This is the Golden Jubilee year for the Mössbauer Effect Nobel Prize [1]. Since its discovery, the measurements of hyperfine interactions, recoilless fraction (the so-called Lamb–Mössbauer factor), and the second-order Doppler shift obtained from Mössbauer spectra have shed light on the magnetic, structural, and dynamical properties of matter. The applications of this tool have contributed to every area of science and technology including nuclear physics, condensed-matter physics, general physics, chemical physics, materials science, earth science, planetary science, environmental science, life science, and medical science. This volume addresses many of these applications in detail.

In 1962, Seppi and Boehm [2] suggested that resonant gamma-rays from radioactive nuclear decays be replaced with X-ray sources to excite the Mössbauer resonance. This was followed by a concrete proposal to use synchrotron radiation by Ruby in 1974 [3]. The ultra-high collimation and brightness of synchrotron radiation beams compared to those of radioactive gamma-ray sources provided new opportunities as demonstrated by the first experiment in 1985 [4], followed by a suite of new techniques. Three productive techniques have evolved over the years, all of which use time-differential measurements, complementing the traditional Mössbauer spectroscopy performed in the energy domain.

This is the Golden Jubilee year for the Mössbauer Effect Nobel Prize [1]. Since its discovery, the measurements of hyperfine interactions, recoilless fraction (the so-called Lamb–Mössbauer factor), and the second-order Doppler shift obtained from Mössbauer spectra have shed light on the magnetic, structural, and dynamical properties of matter. The applications of this tool have contributed to every area of science and technology including nuclear physics, condensed-matter physics, general physics, chemical physics, materials science, earth science, planetary science, environmental science, life science, and medical science. This volume addresses many of these applications in detail.

In 1962, Seppi and Boehm [2] suggested that resonant gamma-rays from radioactive nuclear decays be replaced with X-ray sources to excite the Mössbauer resonance. This was followed by a concrete proposal to use synchrotron radiation by Ruby in 1974 [3]. The ultra-high collimation and brightness of synchrotron radiation beams compared to those of radioactive gamma-ray sources provided new opportunities as demonstrated by the first experiment in 1985 [4], followed by a suite of new techniques. Three productive techniques have evolved over the years, all of which use time-differential measurements, complementing the traditional Mössbauer spectroscopy performed in the energy domain.