X‐ray Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy

Summary

Photon spectroscopy exploits the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. The radiation perturbs the system and creates excited states. Spectroscopy records the energies of the excited states and the probabilities of creating them, i.e. the spectral intensities. This allows the spectroscopist to describe the atomic and electronic structure of the system. This chapter presents X‐ray absorption and emission spectroscopy (XAS‐XES). It first provides a basic introduction to the theory of the interaction of X‐rays with atoms, which allows us to discuss fundamental mechanisms and derive from them different spectroscopic techniques. This approach allows showing of the relations between the techniques and their common origins. Next, the chapter discusses the information that can be obtained on the system under study by the various techniques, by giving selected examples. This strategy results in a text that allows the reader to understand the basics of inner‐shell spectroscopy while presenting some selected new trends.