The Laue Method

Book excerpt: The Laue Method demonstrates why and how the Laue method provides an easy vehicle for identification of crystalline species. The more important aspects of classical crystal theory and projection methods (such as the stereographic, gnomonic and stereognomonic projections) are discussed. The subject matter of this book falls into two parts. After a brief historical introduction that considers early interpretation of Laue photographs and Laue's theory of diffraction by crystals, the first part provides, at an elementary level, a simple and compact treatment of the Laue method and the background needed to make use of it. The stereographic projection, gnomonic projection, stereognomonic projection, and crystallochemical analysis are covered here. The chapters that follow examine the Laue method on a higher level, paying particular attention to the polychromatic component, the cross ratio and its application in crystallography, and the indexing of Laue photographs. The reader is also introduced to the optics of the Laue method and the application of Laue photographs to the study of diffuse scattering. The book concludes with a very simple new interpretation of the Laue method. This book should appeal to both students and specialists who study crystals.