Condensed Matter Physics - X-Ray Diffraction : Atomic Scattering Factor/Form Factor
The atomic scattering factor, also known as form factor is a fundamental concept in X-ray crystallography, essential for understanding the structure and properties of crystalline materials at the atomic level. It describes how X-rays are scattered by an individual atom in a crystal. It is a function of the scattering angle and depends on the type of atoms and the wavelength of the X-rays. In quantitative way it defined as the ratio of the amplitude of the scattered radiation by an atom to the amplitude of the scattered radiation by a single electron. In general its value is less than Z, where Z is the atomic number i. e. number of electrons in an atom. In limiting condition it is equal to Z. In this video the general expression for atomic scattering factor has been obtained.