Low energy muonic hydrogen reactions with heavy atoms

Under the “weak phase object” approximation, the component of the electron wave scattered by an object is phase shifted by π/2 with respect to the unscattered component. This phase shift has been confirmed for thin carbon films by many experiments dealing with image contrast and the contrast transfer theory. There is also an additional phase shift which is a function of the atomic number of the scattering atom. This shift is negligible for light atoms such as carbon, but becomes significant for heavy atoms as used for stains for biological specimens. The light elements are imaged as phase objects, while those atoms scattering with a larger phase shift may be imaged as amplitude objects. There is a great deal of interest in determining the complete object wave, i.e., both the phase and amplitude components of the electron wave leaving the object.

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Single Atom Image Contrast in Fixed Beam Dark Field Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100051840 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 366-367

Author(s):

Wah Chi

Keyword(s):

Scattering Amplitude ◽

Present Report ◽

Dark Field ◽

Image Contrast ◽

Single Atom ◽

Optical Theorem ◽

Hartree Fock ◽

Heavy Atoms ◽

Beam Stop ◽

Fixed Beam

Resolution and contrast are the important factors to determine the feasibility of imaging single heavy atoms on a thin substrate in an electron microscope. The present report compares the atom image characteristics in different modes of fixed beam dark field microscopy including the ideal beam stop (IBS), a wire beam stop (WBS), tilted illumination (Tl) and a displaced aperture (DA). Image contrast between one Hg and a column of linearly aligned carbon atoms (representing the substrate), are also discussed. The assumptions in the present calculations are perfectly coherent illumination, atom object is represented by spherically symmetric potential derived from Relativistic Hartree Fock Slater wave functions, phase grating approximation is used to evaluate the complex scattering amplitude, inelastic scattering is ignored, phase distortion is solely due to defocus and spherical abberation, and total elastic scattering cross section is evaluated by the Optical Theorem. The atom image intensities are presented in a Z-modulation display, and the details of calculation are described elsewhere.

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Relative Intensities in ED Patterns From Thin Gold Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100096436 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 636-637

Author(s):

R. H. Morriss ◽

J. D. C. Peng ◽

C. D. Melvin

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Calculations ◽

Diffraction Theory ◽

Gold Films ◽

Reasonable Accuracy ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Crystal Perfection ◽

Heavy Atoms ◽

Fine Focus ◽

Convergent Beam ◽

Beam Diffraction

Although dynamical diffraction theory was modified for electrons by Bethe in 1928, relatively few calculations have been carried out because of computational difficulties. Even fewer attempts have been made to correlate experimental data with theoretical calculations. The experimental conditions are indeed stringent - not only is a knowledge of crystal perfection, morphology, and orientation necessary, but other factors such as specimen contamination are important and must be carefully controlled. The experimental method of fine-focus convergent-beam electron diffraction has been successfully applied by Goodman and Lehmpfuhl to single crystals of MgO containing light atoms and more recently by Lynch to single crystalline (111) gold films which contain heavy atoms. In both experiments intensity distributions were calculated using the multislice method of n-beam diffraction theory. In order to obtain reasonable accuracy Lynch found it necessary to include 139 beams in the calculations for gold with all but 43 corresponding to beams out of the [111] zone.

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Electron microscopy of niobium and tantalum hydrides

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100110362 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 644-645

Author(s):

T. Schober

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Heat Storage ◽

Measurement Techniques ◽

Metal Hydrides ◽

Detailed Understanding ◽

Storage Devices ◽

Unit Cells ◽

Endothermic Reactions ◽

Hydrogen Reactions ◽

New Phase

Nb, Ta and V are prototype substances for the study of the endothermic reactions of H with metals. Such metal-hydrogen reactions have gained increased importance due to the application of metal-hydrides in hydrogen- und heat storage devices. Electron microscopy and diffraction were demonstrated to be excellent methods in the study of hydride morphologies and structures (1). - Figures 1 and 2 show the NbH and TaH phase diagrams (2,3,4). EM techniques have contributed substantially to the elucidation of the structures and domain configurations of phases β, ζ and ε (1,4). Precision length measurement techniques of distances in reciprocal space (5) recently led to a detailed understanding of the distortions of the unit cells of phases ζ and ε (4). In the same work (4) the existence of the new phase η was shown. It is stable near -68 °C. The sequence of transitions is thus below 70 %.

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