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Small
angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a laboratory technique, similar to the
often complementary techniques of small angle X-ray scattering
(SAXS) and light scattering. These are particularly useful because of the
dramatic increase in forward scattering that occurs at phase transitions, known as critical opalescence, and
because many materials, substances and biological systems
possess interesting and complex features in their structure, which match the
useful length scale ranges that these techniques probe. The technique
provides valuable information over a wide variety of scientific and
technological applications
including chemical aggregation,
defects
in materials, surfactants,
colloids,
ferromagnetic correlations in magnetism,
alloy segregation, polymers,
proteins, biological membranes,
viruses, ribosome
and macromolecules. While analysis of the data can
give information on size, shape, etc., without making any model assumptions a
preliminary analysis of the data can only give information on the radius of
gyration for a particle using Guinier's equation.
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