Instrumental distortion effects in atomic resolution neutron holography

The influence of instrumental effects has to be taken into account in assessing various limitations to the quality of holographic images obtained with thermal neutrons. In comparison with the traditional treatment of resolution effects in the field of neutron scattering this requires a somewhat different approach. The reconstruction of the position of a nucleus from a hologram leads to a spot-like distribution of finite width in real space and the knowledge of the functional shape of this distribution is of crucial importance. In this context, the choice of the angular range covered by the recording process, the wavelength as well as the wavelength spread of the neutrons have to be considered. In planning a particular experiment, a proper choice for each of these quantities has to be worked out. Instrumental resolution also defines a limiting distance in real space up to which neighbouring object nuclei can be distinguished. The mathematical background of the above considerations is discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.