Ultrabright Synchrotron-Radiation Opens up New Research Frontiers

We present an update on recent events concerning ultrabright synchrotron radiation. First and foremost, a new generation of sources has been put in operation in the past few months. Second, microscopy and spectromicroscopy - arguably the techniques that will mostly profit from ultrahigh brightness - have produced interesting results demonstrating that they are absolutely needed for a realistic picture of solid surfaces and interfaces, as well as for biological applications. Third, ultrahigh-resolution photoemission has broken new ground in the study of collective phenomena, notably the properties of the superconducting gap. Finally, we will comment on the recent use of another class of sources for practical research: infrared free electron lasers.