Advances in EXAFS Studies of Thermal Properties of Crystals

Thanks to the peculiar sensitivity to correlation of vibrational motion, EXAFS contains original information on thermal properties of crystals. The thermal expansions measured by EXAFS and by Bragg scattering have a different physical meaning. They can be experimentally distinguished by accurate temperature dependent measurements, leading to the evaluation of the perpendicular mean square relative displacement (MSRD). These results, besides giving a deeper insight on the connection between EXAFS and lattice dynamics, open new perspectives for studying the local origin of negative thermal expansion