Interpretation of quasielastic scattering spectra of probe species in complex fluids

The objective of this paper is to correct an error in analyses of quasielastic scattering spectra. The error invokes a valid calculation under conditions in which its primary assumptions are incorrect, which results in misleading interpretations of spectra. Quasielastic scattering from dilute probes yields the incoherent structure factor g((1s))(q, t) = , with q being the magnitude of the scattering vector q and Δx(t) being the probe displacement parallel to q during a time interval t. The error is a claim that g((1s))(q, t) ~ exp (-q(2)<(Δx(t))(2)>∕2) for probes in an arbitrary solution, leading to the incorrect belief that <(Δx(t))(2)> of probes in complex fluids can be inferred from quasielastic scattering. The actual theoretical result refers only to monodisperse probes in simple Newtonian liquids. In general, g((1s))(q, t) is determined by all even moments <(Δx(t))(2n)>, n = 1, 2, 3, ... of the displacement distribution function P(Δx, t). Correspondingly, <(Δx(t))(2)> cannot in general be inferred from g((1s)) (q, t). The theoretical model that ties g((1s))(q, t) to <(Δx(t))(2)> also quantitatively determines exactly how <(Δx(t))(2)>∕2) must behave, namely, <(Δx(t))(2)> must increase linearly with t. If the spectrum is not a single exponential in time, g((1s))(q, t) does not determine <(Δx(t))(2)>.