Instrumental resolution effects in small-angle neutron scattering

Experimentally measured scattering data differ from theoretical curves because of departures from point geometry in a real instrument. In a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument, there are essentially three contributions to the smearing of an ideal curve: (1) the finite divergence of the beam, (2) the finite resolution of the detector, and (3) the poly chromatic nature of the beam. Where the scattering is azimuthally symmetric about the incident beam, indirect Fourier transform (IFT) methods may be used not only to smear an ideal scattering curve, but also to desmear an observed pattern. For experiments where the assumption of azimuthal symmetry cannot be made, alternative procedures based on Monte Carlo (MC) techniques have been developed which simulate the smearing of a given theoretical scattering function. This procedure permits the evaluation of smearing effects in anisotropic systems. Both IFT and MC procedures are illustrated with a range of applications from data taken on the 30 m SANS facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is shown that for experiments with scattering dimensions < 200 Å smearing effects are small (< 5%) and that dimensions up to ~ 1200 Å may be accurately resolved after proper evaluation of resolution effects. The procedures described may also be extended to include small-angle X-ray scattering, and an example of one such application is given.