Diffuse scattering in electron diffraction patterns

Abstract
The influence of dynamical interactions on the diffuse scattering observed in electron diffraction is examined for a number of different scattering potentials. The diffuse intensity round the centre spot in the diffraction pattern tends to be stronger or weaker than that round neighbouring spots according to whether the diffuse scattering transitions are mainly intraband or mainly interband. Scattering from plasma oscillations and from some disorder effects belong to the former category, whereas scattering due to lattice distortion is of the interband type. It is concluded from symmetry arguments that the thermal diffuse scattering close to the centre spot should vanish when the incident beam is parallel to a crystal symmetry axis or plane.