74th Okazaki Conference: Frontier of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Molecular Science

Outline
The Okazaki conference has been one of the most important activities in Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), with its origin dated back to just after the foundation of IMS. The Conference has been normally held once or twice per year, with focusing on some specific topic that is emerging as a fundamental issue in the field of molecular science and related research area. The 74th Okazaki Conference is designated as "Frontier of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Molecular Science." We would like to discuss new science that can be opened by advanced XAFS techniques like spatial and/or time-resolved measurements. Although XAFS has matured as a sophisticated promising technique, recent progress based on the advance of synchrotron radiation light sources is still outstanding. We will summarize here the advanced XAFS methods and discuss near-future XAFS techniques and more importantly new science. It will be also fruitful if the new XAFS science can contribute to construction plans of diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation facilities in Japan.