The purpose of this unit is to learn the basics of facilities such as synchrotrons and spallation sources, and the kind of characterisation techniques that they allow. Program:
(1) Particle accelerators, synchrotron radiation and neutron sources. (Basics of particle accelerators: general introduction, types of accelerators, methods of acceleration; circular accelerators, magnetic systems; main accelerator systems: RF, diagnostics; Beam characteristics. Generation of e.m. radiation: Bremsstrahlung, synchrotron radiation, characteristics and generation, insertion devices; beamlines and experiments: the Alba synchrotron; ion accelerators; spallation sources.
(2) Data analysis and elementary scattering theory (Frequentist data analysis; data and errors: a statistical view; classical fitting methods; statistical distributions; hypothesis testing; Bayesian data analysis: bayesian statistics and probability distribution functions; Bayes theorem, measurement, fitting functions; Marcov Chain Montecarlo method; Model selection in Bayesian statistics; basics of X-ray and neutron scattering (Bragg Law; the phase problem; reflectometry and small angle scattering; diffraction of liquids and amorphous materials; inelastic scattering: coherent and incoherent scattering, Van –Hoff functions.
(3) Some synchrotron and Neutron applications (XRD and powder diffraction; EXAFS – XANES; hard X-ray synchrotron imaging Techniques; Neutron applications: inelastic neutrons scattering methods: Time of flight, Spin Echo, Backscattering; magnetism using neutrons; imaging using neutrons; speciallized seminars by ALBA staff; practices at ALBA in the accelerators group: magnetic measurements, RF measurements, vacuum system