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Diffraction patterns can be created with

A)All of these are correct
B)Electrons
C)X-rays
D)Neutrons

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Diffraction patterns can indeed be created with electrons, X-rays, and neutrons, which are fundamental in studying wave-particle duality and crystal structures.

Step-by-step explanation:

Diffraction patterns can be created with electrons, X-rays, and neutrons. This phenomenon is fundamental to understanding wave-particle duality and has been instrumental in advancing fields such as crystallography. American physicists Clinton J. Davisson and Lester H. Germer, as well as British physicist G. P. Thomson, demonstrated that electrons produce diffraction patterns when scattered from crystals, concretely supporting the concept of electron wave behavior. Similarly, X-rays interact with crystal structures to form diffraction patterns, a technique known as X-ray crystallography, which was crucial in the discovery of DNA's helical structure. Both electrons and X-rays have wavelengths that are commensurate with the spacings in crystalline lattices, which allows them to diffract and form interference patterns. This process is described by the Bragg law in X-ray crystallography. Similarly, neutrons, though not charged, also have a de Broglie wavelength that allows them to diffract off crystal lattices, serving as a tool to probe material structures.

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