Ion Coulomb crystals

The following text will give a brief introduction to the physics of the spatially ordered structures, so-called Coulomb crystals, that appear when confined ions are cooled to sufficiently low temperatures. It will as well briefly comment on the very diverse scientific applications of such crystals, which have emerged the past two decades. While this document lacks figures, it includes a substantial number of references in which more detailed information can be found. It is the hope that the text will stimulate the reader to dig deeper into one or more of the discussed subjects and inspire her/him to think about new potential applications.