The orange Book: ESRF UPGRADE PROGRAMME PHASE II (2015 - 2022)

The strength of modern X-ray science is its endeavour to provide unique tools and
methods to understand and picture how atoms make and evolve the living matter and
the materials that both surround us and of which we are constituted. Understanding
materials for electronic devices and for storing and producing new forms of renewable
and non-polluting energy, and unravelling the mysteries of biological reactions are
examples of key challanges for which we need to improve our capacity to design
future materials, processes, drugs, etc. These ambitious goals of 21st century science
require fundamental understanding and visualisation of the hierarchical static and
dynamic organisation of complex and functionalised matter with full continuity from
macroscopic objects down to interactions among single atom pairs.
Future X-ray science at modern synchrotrons and XFELs will bridge the gap between
visible light and electron microscopy, i.e. it will give full access to study changes within
heterogeneous atomic assemblies from ~1012 atoms down to only a few atoms; all
of this with spatial and temporal resolutions that will be approaching a few atoms in
space (nanometre) and inter-atomic motion in time (femtosecond) respectively. Such
incredible resolution and range in space and time are made possible by the absolutely
impressive and never-ending improvements of brightness, spectral range and degree
of spatial and temporal coherence and resolution of accelerator-based X-ray sources.
During the last ~50 years peak-brightness has increased up to 22 orders of magnitude
when compared to conventional laboratory sources.