Comment on 'X-ray scattering from a randomly rough surface'

Recently, in this journal, Leskova and Maradudin published a new method for calculating x-ray scattering from a rough surface. In this comment their results will be compared with those obtained by other methods, especially the distorted-wave Born approximation. It is concluded that their results are useful in the limit of small transverse correlation length of the surface roughness. For intermediate values of the correlation length the results of both approximations are equivalent, being valid for small root-mean-square roughness and/or large incident perpendicular wavevector. In the case of large correlation length, neither approximation is correct. It is noted that the new method includes cross-polarization effects.