Use of Extinction Corrections in Neutron Diffraction Experiments

Abstract

The study of extinction by neutrons reveals many features of the extinction problem: theory and practical cases, polarised and unpolarised neutron cases. Special attention is given to the usual extinction corrections for neutron diffraction experiments, showing the relative importance of structure factor, wavelength, Lorentz factor, mosaic and the path of neutrons through the crystal. Two problems are reviewed: (a) how to detect the presence of extinction in both cases of a single crystal experiment with polarised and unpolarised neutrons; and (b) after experimental evidence for extinction in a neutron diffraction experiment, how to follow a reliable way to correct the neutron diffraction data in both cases of polarised and unpolarised neutron experiments. Some examples are given.