Infrared synchrotron radiation: from the production to the spectroscopic and microscopic applications

This study reviews the various mechanisms exploited to produce infrared synchrotron radiation (IRSR). It shows that at long wavelengths (long when compared to the critical wavelength of the bending magnet in an electron storage ring), the radiation emitted from a bending magnet edge can be brighter than standard synchrotron radiation. For this purpose, we will discuss the various IRSR sources, namely the bending magnets, the wigglers, the undulator and the bending magnet edges. We will then briefly review a high-resolution study of isolated molecules in the far infrared, the detection of a very narrow Drude term in a high-T-c superconductor, a description of ultra-high pressure experiments, an investigation of water encapsulated in non-ionic reverse micelles, and finally, a brief review of spatially resolved studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.