2024 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 3-12
This paper reviews non-resonant meV-resolved inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) as a complementary method to inelastic neutron scattering (INS). Two aspects of IXS that are notable in this context are (1) that x-rays allow straightforward measurements of phonons in small (sub-mm, and even ~0.01 mm) samples with ~1 meV resolution and excellent Q resolution and (2) that x-rays avoid the kinematic constraints of INS. The first allows both new geometries (thin films, diamond anvil cells) and easy access to new materials, while the second allows high-quality data on disordered materials โ e.g. scans with sub-meV resolution to arbitrarily high energy transfer are possible, even at Q = 1nm-1. The review briefly discusses the spectrometers and compares the practical forms for the dynamic structure factor, ๐(๐, ๐), for crystals, glasses and liquids. This is followed by a longer review of work on liquids and then shorter discussion of work on glasses, crystals, and in specific geometries. The paper is designed to be complementary to a longer introduction/review of IXS at http://arxiv.org/abs/1504.01098 .
