Electron diffraction

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Description

An image is formed in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) by electron diffraction. First observed in 1927 by G.P.Thomson, L.H. Germer, and C.J. Davisson, electron diffraction is used to study the molecular structure of materials. When a directed beam of electrons impinges on a crystalline material, the electrons are diffracted in a geometric pattern (diffraction pattern) that corresponds to the spacings in its structure.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Elektronenbeugung (Deut.); diffraction électronique (Fr.);

Resources and Citations

  • Walter C. McCrone, John Gustave Delly, The Particle Atlas, W. McCrone Associates, Chicago, IV, 1972
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998