Wigglers and undulators as intense x-ray sources

It is now evident, from both theoretical and operational experience, that the synchrotron radiation emitted by special purpose insertion devices (wigglers and undulators), is several orders of magnitude more intense than the radiation from conventional bending magnets. The radiation is highly polarized, and, in the case of undulators, quasi-monochromatic and highly polarized. These properties have motivated the construction of such devices on a number of electron storage rings, many of which have now fully instrumented beam lines. In what follows, the spectral properties of the radiation emitted by such devices are discussed , and the facilities that are available for atomic physics research are summarized. 2 references, 1 table