Gamma-Ray Compton Profiles of Diamond, Silicon, and Germanium

160-keV $\gamma$ rays were used to measure the Compton profiles of diamond, silicon, and germanium single crystals in five crystallographic directions ($〈100〉$, $〈110〉$, $〈111〉$, $〈112〉$, and $〈221〉$). The data are analyzed so as to obtain the differences in the profiles in the various directions for each material. A direct comparison of the data is made with band calculations for Si which suggests that the differences in the profiles can provide a sensitive test of band calculations. Interesting comparisons between the three materials are made by normalizing the data to equal electron density for the outer valence electrons. In addition to providing information on the three materials studied, this work demonstrates that systematic studies of families of solid-state systems by Compton scattering can be a very powerful experimental technique.