Advances in high brilliance energy dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Almost 30 years have elapsed since the design and evaluation of the first energy dispersive X-ray absorption spectrometer to measure Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectra rapidly using synchrotron radiation. Since then, applications of this method have greatly evolved, and technical solutions were found to adapt these spectrometers to even more challenging experiments. From the initial time-resolved studies to track rapid changes in the local and electronic structure of absorber atoms in disordered systems, to the investigation of matter at high pressure, new applications are now emerging such as studies at extreme pulsed magnetic fields and two dimensional mapping of heterogeneous samples with micron resolution, where each pixel contains full XAS information. In view of the construction of new synchrotron sources and beamlines, and of the upcoming X-Ray Free Electron Lasers, we give a few examples of the scientific impact of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (EDXAS) in different scientific domains. We then give a brief overview of recent technical advances, new applications and future developments in the field of high brilliance EDXAS.