Experimental determination of differential scattering coefficients for nickel by means of linearly polarized x-ray radiation

Performing an x-ray scattering analysis can underpin the quantitative description of a sample of interest, for example, to complement an x-ray fluorescence analysis. However, the reliability of such an analytical approach depends on good knowledge of scattering coefficients (or scattering cross-sections), which describe the probability of interaction and are characteristic of each chemical element. In this work, a metrological study of experimentally determining differential Rayleigh and Compton scattering coefficients for nickel is presented. Angular scans of the scattering intensities at different positions are enabled by a flexible experimental set-up and, therefore, allow for the robust determination of differential scattering coefficients at a wide range of forward and backward scattering angles. As a result, scattering coefficients in the range from 0.117 ( 14 ) × 10 − 3 cm 2 g −1 sr −1 to 33.7 ( 39 ) × 10 − 3 cm 2 g −1 sr −1 were determined in the momentum transfer range of 12.1 nm −1 to 22.4 nm −1 . In addition, utilizing monochromatized and highly linearly polarized synchrotron radiation ( E 0 = 30 keV ) ensures direct comparability to theoretical databases.