Determination of particle size distributions by small-angle scattering with polarized neutrons using maximum-entropy method

The extension of the small-angle scattering technique with polarized neutrons invokes the necessity of new tools for data analysis. Up to five scattering curves can be derived from a single experiment. It is shown that for the case of a dilute system of particles in a matrix, the maximum-entropy method can be modified to analyse any combination of these curves in order to find the underlying particle size distribution. An additional step of simplex or simulated-annealing optimization is introduced in order to determine the particle form-factor parameters. Computer simulations demonstrate the functionality of this method.