Optimization of the experimental resolution for small-angle scattering

The instrumental optimization conditions for most small-angle scattering experiments in which the data are azimuthally symmetric require that the scattered flight path be equal to the incident flight path. This is in contrast to a recent analysis which shows that under some conditions the incident and scattered flight paths are in a ratio of two to one. The equal flight-path condition is also valid for experiments measuring sharp (Bragg-like) peaks, or where the intensity is required at specific scattering vectors, as in low-angle diffraction of ordered or semiordered systems. The implications of the optimization conditions on the resolution and count rates at the detector are discussed for both types of experiment, and the dependence of the resolution on the spectrometer geometry is considered.