Diffuse Scattering of X-Rays and Neutrons by Crystal Defects

Abstract

As discussed in Chap. 3, the shifts of the positions of Bragg reflections and the weakening of their intensities caused by defects yield useful information on the concentration of defects in imperfect crystals and their parameters. As noted earlier, however, the most detailed information on the arrangement of defects in crystals, their symmetry, dimensions and structural features and on the static displacements of atoms around defects can be derived from the results on the diffuse scattering of X-rays or thermal neutrons to angles different from the Bragg angles. A particularly useful characteristic for obtaining this information is the distribution of the diffuse scattering intensity I 1(Q) as a function of the diffraction vector Q throughout the reciprocal lattice space. This distribution can be found from the results on the scattering of monochromatic radiation by a single crystal for various scattering angles and various crystal orientations (Sect. 1.1).