Dynamic structure factor
In condensed matter physics, the dynamic structure factor is mathematical function that contains rich information about inter-particle correlations and their time evolution. Experimentally, it can be accessed most directly by inelastic neutron scattering.
The dynamic structure factor is most often denoted S(q,ω) where q (also k) is a wave vector (a wave number for isotropic materials), and ω a frequency (sometimes stated as energy, ). It is the spatial and temporal Fourier transform of van Hove's time-dependent pair correlation function G(r,t), whose Fourier transform with respect to r, F(Q,t), is called the intermediate scattering function and can be measured by neutron spin echo spectroscopy.[1] In an isotropic sample (with scalar r), G(r,t) is a time dependent radial distribution function.
References
- ^ Hansen, J.P.; McDonald, I.R. (1986). Theory of Simple Liquids. Academic Press.
Further reading
- van Hove, L. (1954). "Correlations in Space and Time and Born Approximation Scattering in Systems of Interacting Particles". Physical Review. 95 (1): 249. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.95.249.