Group1

NOTES FROM GROUP A

Q-calibration samples

We propose to design a variety of highly aligned/well ordered samples for Q calibration on x-ray and neutron beamlines. Whilst in some cases, calibration can be done by other means (e.g. accurate distance measurement), not all beamline designs permit this (e.g. multiple detectors with translation and rotation) and calibration by sample is a valuable cross check. Several possible samples were discussed: Silicon based gratings, imprint lithography, 1-tetradecanol, and porous silica materials.

Multi-modal Measurement & Analysis

To address the growing emphasis on multi-modal analysis, where scientists will use a broad panel of methods to analyse their samples, we need to provide tools that allow users to combine scattering analysis with analysis of data from other methods e.g. TEM and SFM, DLS, NMR. To achieve that we first need to provide a detailed summary of the current state of art of combining other methods with scattering - this could take the form of a list of categorized articles on the SAS portal. This aggregation of existing methodologies is the first step to being able to embed these algorithms into software tools.

Expectations from SAS methods

Need for understanding of how other sizing methods compare with SAS methods - e.g. what size should SAXS give if DLS gives size X and size distribution Y? Users often arrive at large scale facilities with prior characterization from lab methods - can we develop guidelines or tools to help them work out what to expect from the SAS measurements.