Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Determination of Crystal Structures

Determination of Crystal Structures

In the late 1800s, the revelation that light extended beyond visible wavelengths led to the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. Recognized as high-energy electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths, X-rays prompted exploration into their interaction with crystals. Max von Laue proposed in 1912 that the periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystals would cause them to diffract X-rays, a hypothesis confirmed through experiments with copper sulfate and zinc sulfide...

X-ray Crystallography

X-ray Crystallography

The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed 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...

$X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples$ 01:10

X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples

X-ray diffraction or XRD is an analytical tool that utilizes X-rays to study ordered structures such as crystalline organic and inorganic samples, polycrystalline materials, proteins, carbohydrates, and drugs.
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Talbot effect and Cornu's spiral.

Applied optics·2010

Same author

Talbot effect reinterpreted: reply to comment.

Applied optics·2010

Same author

Talbot plane patterns: grating images or interference effects?

Applied optics·2010

Same author

Talbot effect reinterpreted.

Applied optics·2010

Same author

Light propagation in moderately dense particle systems: a reexamination of the Kubelka-Munk theory.

Applied optics·2010

Same author

Light scattering by aggregates of large colloidal particles.

Applied optics·2010

Same journal

Multifunctional reconfigurable terahertz metasurface based on vanadium dioxide phase transition: achieving broadband absorption and efficient polarization conversion.

Applied optics·2026

Same journal

High-Q-factor electromagnetically induced transparency utilizing quasi-bound states in the continuum in an all-dielectric terahertz metasurface.

Applied optics·2026

Same journal

Automated stitching interferometry for high-precision metrology of X-ray mirrors.

Applied optics·2026

Same journal

Experimental demonstration of an approach to designing a metal-dielectric DBR resonant cavity structure.

Applied optics·2026

Same journal

High-precision wavefront reconstruction from a single-shot interferogram using a physics-driven hybrid feature calibration network.

Applied optics·2026

Same journal

Ultra-high-Q Fano resonance based on coupled topological corner states in Kagome photonic crystals.

Applied optics·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

$Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene$

Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene

Published on: August 22, 2017

Determination of diffractor size and shape from diffracted light.

|March 6, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores using Fraunhofer diffraction patterns to determine the geometry of diffracting objects. Researchers developed intuitive methods to approximate diffractor size and shape from light patterns, revealing limitations and capabilities.

More Related Videos

Design and Building of a Customizable, Single-Objective, Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscope for the Visualization of Cytoskeleton Networks

Design and Building of a Customizable, Single-Objective, Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscope for the Visualization of Cytoskeleton Networks

Published on: January 26, 2024

$Studying Soft-matter and Biological Systems over a Wide Length-scale from Nanometer and Micrometer Sizes at the Small-angle Neutron Diffractometer KWS-2$

Studying Soft-matter and Biological Systems over a Wide Length-scale from Nanometer and Micrometer Sizes at the Small-angle Neutron Diffractometer KWS-2

Published on: December 8, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

$Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene$

Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene

Published on: August 22, 2017

Design and Building of a Customizable, Single-Objective, Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscope for the Visualization of Cytoskeleton Networks

Design and Building of a Customizable, Single-Objective, Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscope for the Visualization of Cytoskeleton Networks

Published on: January 26, 2024

$Studying Soft-matter and Biological Systems over a Wide Length-scale from Nanometer and Micrometer Sizes at the Small-angle Neutron Diffractometer KWS-2$

Studying Soft-matter and Biological Systems over a Wide Length-scale from Nanometer and Micrometer Sizes at the Small-angle Neutron Diffractometer KWS-2

Published on: December 8, 2016

Area of Science:

Optics
Diffraction Physics

Background:

Predictive equations for Fraunhofer diffraction exist but are insufficient for inverse problems.
Deducing diffractor geometry from observed light patterns is a challenging inverse problem.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between diffractor geometry and observable diffraction patterns.
To develop approximate methods for determining diffractor characteristics from diffracted light.
To assess the utility of diffraction patterns for characterizing unknown systems.

Main Methods:

Utilized existing Fraunhofer diffraction equations to analyze functional relationships.
Employed intuitive approaches to derive approximate expressions.
Compared diffraction patterns of complex and simple diffractors with equivalent dimensions.

Main Results:

Established functional relations between diffractor geometry and diffraction patterns.
Developed simple approximate expressions for deducing size and shape.
Observed that some complex diffractors exhibit behavior similar to simple diffractors of equivalent dimensions.

Conclusions:

Diffracted light offers insights into unknown diffracting systems but has inherent limitations.
Approximate methods provide a viable approach for inverse diffraction problems.
Understanding the capabilities and limitations of diffraction analysis is crucial.