Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid
Published on: December 20, 2016
X-ray scattering from liquid surfaces: effect of resolution
1SEAS and Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. pershan@seas.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Quantitative interpretation of X-ray reflectivity measurements from liquid surfaces requires methodical accounting of the effects of diffuse scattering from thermal capillary roughness. In this paper we discuss how this requires careful attention to the shape of the experimental resolution. These considerations, which are essential for measurement of the intrinsic structure factor of a liquid surface, require knowledge of the liquid surface tension. The paper closes with a brief comment on the most sensitive method for extraction of the surface tension from measurement of the off-specular diffuse scattering.
Related Concept Videos
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...
Chromatographic Resolution
The effectiveness of separation can be evaluated by determining the level of separation between two neighboring peaks in a chromatogram, which represents the individual components of a sample.
In chromatography,...
Determination of Crystal Structures
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

