Scattering and Diffraction

The electron is a low-mass, negatively charged particle. As such, it can easily be deflected by passing close to other electrons or the positive nucleus of an atom. These Coulomb (electrostatic) interactions cause electron scattering, which is the process that makes TEM feasible. We will also discuss how the wave nature of the electron gives rise to diffraction effects. What we can already say is that if the electrons weren’t scattered, there would be no mechanism to create TEM images or DPs and no source of spectroscopic data. So it is essential to understand both the particle approach and the wave approach to electron scattering in order to be able to interpret all the information that comes from a TEM. Electron scattering from materials is a reasonably complex area of physics, but it isn’t necessary to develop a detailed comprehension of scattering theory to be a competent microscopist.