Analysis of small-angle X-ray scattering data in the presence of significant instrumental smearing

Abstract

A new, numerically efficient method has been developed to account for instrumental resolution effects on isotropic small-angle X-ray scattering with pinhole collimation.

Abstract

A laboratory-scale small-angle X-ray scattering instrument with pinhole collimation has been used to assess smearing effects due to instrumental resolution. A new, numerically efficient method to smear ideal model intensities is developed and presented. It allows for directly using measured profiles of isotropic but otherwise arbitrary beams in smearing calculations. Samples of low-polydispersity polymer spheres have been used to show that scattering data can in this way be quantitatively modeled even when there is substantial distortion due to instrumental resolution.