Aim

This is the 1st international Summer School (SrSS22) organized in Greece on Synchrotron radiation (SR), its properties and applications. SR is produced in electron accelerators and possesses very attractive properties which render it unique for conducting non-destructive research at the nanoscale, in a plethora of scientific fields including physics, chemistry & catalysis, biology, pharmaceuticals, materials science, geology, cultural heritage etc. The aim of the SrSS22 is to train young scientists, researchers in industrial R&D departments as well as experienced scientists who want to expand their research using Synchrotron Radiation. The tutors are world-renowned experts in the field of SR production and applications. Hands-on experience in data analysis will be provided via lab-courses. The participants who will take successfully an online test will be awarded 2 ECTS. The School is organized by the School of Physics and is supported by the ESRF and the Greek Synchrotron Users Network (GrSUN).

Objectives

The SrSS22 program will provide key pieces of information, which are necessary for potential SR users, on the production of SR, its manipulation by focusing and/or other beamline elements and the most common material characterization techniques based on SR.

More specifically the participants:

• Will be exposed to different kinds of experiments which run with better spatial/energy/time resolution compared to lab-scale setups.
• will learn the procedure applications in order to gain access to SR facilities
• will explore new research and possibly new career opportunities
• will be provided the means to integrate theory and practice via the morning theory sessions in combination with the corresponding afternoon laboratory sessions
• will assess their interests and abilities in their field of study
• will have the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with world renowned scientists from Europe and the USA
• they will be awarded 2 ECTS upon completion of an online exam

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, participants will:

• Learn the basic principles of production of Synchrotron Radiation and light emitted by free electron lasers as well as their properties and will familiarize with common aspects of beam properties which are important for successful experiments.
• Familiarize with the basic beamline components (mirrors, slits, monochromators, focusing elements) and their basic functions
• Learn the fundamental principles, applicability, outcomes, and methods of analysis of SR data including diffraction/scattering, spectroscopies, microscopy and tomography.
• Acquire hands-on experience on X-ray optics and data analysis of real data from spectroscopic, diffraction, and imaging experiments.
• Learn the application procedures for access to SR facilities via a successful proposal submission.

Participant selection & Requirements

The Summer School is addressed to B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. students as well as to scientists working/involved in the field of natural and biomedical sciences and engineering. The program includes hour-long lectures in the morning and lab-courses in the afternoon sessions. To participate in the lab-courses the students should bring their own laptops with internet connectivity. They should also have a personal e-mail and basic knowledge of Ms Office.  The candidates will be selected on the basis of their academic credentials (academic and/or professional degrees, grades, career stage and expertise)

Method

The tutors are world-renowned experts in the field of Synchrotron Radiation production, instrumentation and methods. The course is intensive, will last 4 days and each day is dedicated to a different subject: The 1st day to SR production and instrumentation, the 2nd to X-ray diffraction and scattering, the 3rd to X-ray spectroscopies and the 4th to X-ray imaging and to SR application in the industry. The afternoon lab-courses will be related to the morning lectures and will offer hands-on experience on data manipulation and analysis. Information on the necessary software will be provided before the beginning of the School. A certificate of attendance will be provided to all the participants whereas 2 ECTS and a Certificate of Completion will be awarded to the participants that will take successfully the online exam.

Lectures

• Welcome – introduction (0.5 h)
• Interaction of X-rays with matter and methods (1 h)
• Accelerator physics for synchrotron light users (1 h)
• X-ray optics and beamlines (1 h)
• Synchrotron Radiation instrumentation (1 h)
• Free Electron Lasers: principles and selected applications (1 h)
• Powder and Single Crystal Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (1 h)
• Introduction to macromolecular crystallography (1 h)
• Small angle X-ray Scattering from macromolecular systems (1 h)
• X-ray total scattering in Materials Science (1 h)
• X-ray protein crystallography – challenges and opportunities from sample preparation to 3D structure determination (1 h)
• X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies for the study of matter (1 h)
• X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (1 h)
• X-ray spectroscopies (1 h)
• X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism on ultra-thin layers (1 h)
• X-ray microscopy (1 h)
• X-ray tomography (1 h)
• Inelastic x ray scattering: technique and sample environments (1 h)
• ndustrial applications of Synchrotron Radiation (1 h)

Lab courses (tutorials)

• X-ray tracing (2 h)
• Virtual beamline tour (0.5 h)
• X-ray diffraction (3 h)
• XAFS spectroscopies (2 h)
• Sy-XRF: spectrum analysis and quantification (2 h)
• X-ray imaging (2 h)
• X-ray tomography (2 h)

Educational Material

The course provides participants with:

1. Copies of power point presentations

2. Necessary software for the analysis to be conducted during the lab-courses

Evaluation/ Certificate

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

For the successful completion of the program, the participants should:

A)     attend all the teaching units. Absences may not exceed 10% of the scheduled training hours.

B)     pass an online exam in the form of a quiz to be run on the MOODLE platform of AUTH (e-learning). The quiz (multiple choice) will take place a few days after completion of the course.

C)     each student is expected to upload on the e-learning platform infographics related to the lab-courses.

D)     have paid the tuition fees by the 1st of September 2022.

Participants, who attended the SrSS22 but did not take the exam, will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance.

Participation fees/Discount

The participation cost is 150€ whereas for the students (B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.) is 100 €.

For further information, please contact Dr. Fani Pinakidou, Secretary of the Organizing Committee (srss22@physics.auth.gr)

More information can be found in the web page of the Summer School: http://xafslab.physics.auth.gr/srss22.html