MSE 6710

Principles of Diffraction

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2015-2016.

Graduate-level introduction to diffraction/scattering phenomena in the context of solidstate and soft condensed-matter systems. The primary topic is using the scattering and absorption of neutron, electron, and X-ray beams to study physical systems. Particular emphasis is placed on issues related to synchrotron X-ray sources. Specific topics include elastic and inelastic scattering; diffraction from two- and three-dimensional periodic lattices; the Fourier representation of scattering centers and the effects of thermal vibrations and disorder; diffraction, reflectivity, or scattering from surface layers; diffraction or scattering from gases and amorphous materials; small angle scattering; X-ray absorption spectroscopy; resonant (e.g., magnetic) scattering; novel techniques using coherent X-ray beams; and a survey of dynamical diffraction from perfect and imperfect lattices.

When Offered Spring (not offered every year).

Prerequisites/Corequisites Assumes some knowledge of statistical thermodynamics, crystallography, elementary quantum mechanics, and theory of rate processes.

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