https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510070116
Chord length distributions and small-angle scattering
Department of Physics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg,
SAS-Laboratory, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle, Germany
Received:
15
March
1999
Revised:
26
April
2000
Published online: 15 October 2000
Chord length distributions describe size, shape and spatial arrangement of geometrical objects (particles). The chord length distribution is in principle proportional to the second derivative of the correlation function of small-angle scattering. It is calculable from a relative measurement of the scattering intensity I(h). In structure research, the characterization of numerous particle systems can be achieved by comparing experimental chord distributions with theoretical ones, provided the latter are available with sufficiently high precision for a lot of fundamental, universal shapes. Both sides of this concept are exemplified: - the step from a relative measurement of the scattering intensity of an isotropic two-phase sample to the chord length distribution (errors in hk and in Ik, limited h-interval, corresponding to the region (1-2) nm < r in real space, must be observed); as well as the geometric matter of calculation of chord distributions as fingerprints for basic geometric figures, including the non-convex case.
PACS: 61.10.Eq – X-ray scattering (including small-angle scattering) / 61.12.Ex – Neutron scattering techniques (including small-angle scattering)
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2000