In physics, quasielastic scattering designates a
limiting case of
inelastic scattering
In chemistry, nuclear physics, and particle physics, inelastic scattering is a process in which the internal states of a particle or a system of particles change after a collision. Often, this means the kinetic energy of the incident particle is n ...
, characterized by energy transfers being small compared to the incident energy of the scattered particles.
The term was originally coined in nuclear physics.
It was applied to thermal
neutron scattering
Neutron scattering, the irregular dispersal of free neutrons by matter, can refer to either the naturally occurring physical process itself or to the man-made experimental techniques that use the natural process for investigating materials. Th ...
by
Leon van Hove and
Pierre Gilles de Gennes
(
quasielastic neutron scattering, QENS).
Finally, it is sometimes used for
dynamic light scattering
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is a technique in physics that can be used to determine the size distribution profile of small particles in suspension or polymers in solution. In the scope of DLS, temporal fluctuations are usually analyzed using ...
(also known by the more expressive term photon correlation spectroscopy).
References
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Nuclear physics
Neutron scattering