Biophysics and Synchrotron Radiation


Book Description

This book the second volume in the "Springer Series in Biophysics" col lects together contributions to the conference on "Biophysics and Syn chrotron Radiation" held in July 86 at Frascati. This meeting addressed the advances on the structure of biological molecules obtained by using synchrotron radiation. In fact it was most timely to review the results of the research in biophysics which is rapidly developing at synchrotron radiation facilities. Moreover, there was interest to discuss the new perspectives opened up by the future high brilliance synchrotron radia tion sources. With the use of synchrotron radiation, x-ray spectroscopy of biological molecules is firmly established in the techniques of EXAFS and XANES. Contributions to the detailed knowledge of local structure of active sites of metalloproteins by this approach are presented in this volume, together with a number of studies of -the interaction of metal ions with other important biological macromolecular systems. Structural determination of very large biological systems at high reso lution, including a protein and its substrate, are reported. The experi mental advances in protein crystallography presented here reduce the time for solving protein structures, thus satisfying a major require ment of the rapidly-expanding field of protein engineering.




Synchrotron Radiation Applied to Biophysical and Biochemical Research


Book Description

The study of the interaction between light and matter has played a fundamental role in the development of natural sciences. Synchrotron radiation has characteristics of intensity, width and continuity of \Jave length range, time structure, tunability and polarization which are far superior to those of most other sources. It is possible with synchrotron radiation to perform experiments ~Jhich could previously be only thought about and to routinely carry out measureEents ~Jhich were once made only with great dif ficulties. The study of the enormously complicated but imF-ensely interesting biological structures seems to be particularly suited to this new approach. The above considerations lead us to consider the opportunity of critically discussing the achievements and perspectives of the use of synchrotron radiation in biology and presenting them to a selected audience within the framework of an advanced school. From the very beginning we were encouraged in our initiative by many discussions with colleagues in the Rome area, who were later to become r.:.embers of the Scientific Committee of this Course. \oie were fully aware that ~y of the results obtained so far were of a pre liminary nature; we feIt, however, that they were sufficiently promising to justify this venture, which seemed particularly im portant in consideration of the increasing nur.:.ber of centers, where synchrotron radiation is becoming available.










Neutron and Synchrotron Radiation for Condensed Matter Studies


Book Description

This second volume in the HERCULES Course on Neutron and Synchrotron Radiation for Condensed Matter Studies is devoted to selected applications in physics and chemistry of solids, with the fourteen chapters ranging from general considerations of symmetry in condensed matter to the most recent developments in magnetic excitations and electron spectroscopies in high Tc superconductors. The subjects were chosen either for their basic importance or because of interesting new developments, while the fifteen authors were selected both for their high scientific expertise and their teaching skills.




Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics


Book Description

The aim of this book is to present, on the one hand various topics in theoretical physics in depth - especially topics related to electrodynamics - and on the other hand to show how these topics find applications in various aspects of astrophysics. The first text on theoretical physics and astrophysical applications, it covers many recent advances including those in X-ray, &ggr;-ray and radio-astronomy, with comprehensive coverage of the literature







Macromolecular Crystallography with Synchrotron Radiation


Book Description

This highly illustrated monograph provides a comprehensive treatment of the study of the structure and function of the molecules of life--proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses--using synchrotron radiation and crystallography. Beginning with chapters on the fundamentals of macromolecular crystallography and macromolecular structure, the book goes on to review the sources and properties of synchrotron radiation, instrumentation, and monochromatic data collection. There are also chapters on the Laue method, on diffuse X-ray scattering, and on variable wavelength anomalous dispersion methods. The book concludes with a description and survey of applications including studies at high resolution, the use of small crystals, the study of large unit cells, and time-resolved crystallography (particularly of enzymes). Appendices are provided that present essential information for the synchrotron user as well as information about synchrotron facilities currently available.




Particle Accelerator Physics I


Book Description

In this second edition of Particle Accelerator Physics, Vol. 1, is mainly a reprint of the first edition without significant changes in content. The bibliography has been updated to include more recent progress in the field of particle accelerators. With the help of many observant readers a number of misprints and errors could be eliminated. The author would like to express his sincere appreciation to all those who have pointed out such shortcomings and wel comes such information and any other relevant information in the future. The author would also like to express his special thanks to the editor Dr. Helmut Lotsch and his staff for editorial as well as technical advice and support which contributed greatly to the broad acceptance of this text and made a second edition of both volumes necessary. Palo Alto, California Helmut Wiedemann November 1998 VII Preface to the First Edition The purpose of this textbook is to provide a comprehensive introduction into the physics of particle accelerators and particle beam dynamics. Parti cle accelerators have become important research tools in high energy physics as well as sources of incoherent and coherent radiation from the far infra red to hard x-rays for basic and applied research. During years of teaching accelerator physics it became clear that the single most annoying obstacle to get introduced into the field is the absence of a suitable textbook.




Synchrotron Light Sources and Free-Electron Lasers


Book Description

Hardly any other discovery of the nineteenth century did have such an impact on science and technology as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen’s seminal find of the X-rays. X-ray tubes soon made their way as excellent instruments for numerous applications in medicine, biology, materials science and testing, chemistry and public security. Developing new radiation sources with higher brilliance and much extended spectral range resulted in stunning developments like the electron synchrotron and electron storage ring and the freeelectron laser. This handbook highlights these developments in fifty chapters. The reader is given not only an inside view of exciting science areas but also of design concepts for the most advanced light sources. The theory of synchrotron radiation and of the freeelectron laser, design examples and the technology basis are presented. The handbook presents advanced concepts like seeding and harmonic generation, the booming field of Terahertz radiation sources and upcoming brilliant light sources driven by laser-plasma accelerators. The applications of the most advanced light sources and the advent of nanobeams and fully coherent x-rays allow experiments from which scientists in the past could not even dream. Examples are the diffraction with nanometer resolution, imaging with a full 3D reconstruction of the object from a diffraction pattern, measuring the disorder in liquids with high spatial and temporal resolution. The 20th century was dedicated to the development and improvement of synchrotron light sources with an ever ongoing increase of brilliance. With ultrahigh brilliance sources, the 21st century will be the century of x-ray lasers and their applications. Thus, we are already close to the dream of condensed matter and biophysics: imaging single (macro)molecules and measuring their dynamics on the femtosecond timescale to produce movies with atomic resolution.




Recent Books