Use of coherent X-ray diffraction to map strain fields in nanocrystals

A new method is proposed to analyze the internal strains inside nanometer-sized crystals. The method employs a coherent beam of X-rays to obtain a continuous diffraction pattern in the immediate vicinity of each of the Bragg reflections. The symmetric part of the diffraction is given by the Fourier transform of the crystal’s shape, while the asymmetric part can be associated with the strain. Iterative Fourier transform methods can then be applied to reveal the strain as a three-dimensional spatial image.