Teaching Diffraction Using Computer Simulations over the Internet W0259 Teaching Diffraction Using Computer Simulations over the Internet. Germany Computer simulations are in general a versatile tool to enhance teaching diffraction physics and related crystallographic questions to students in chemistry, material science, physics and crystallography.
Simulated structures range from a single atom to complex disordered or modulated structures.
Students can systematically explore the relationship between real-space structure and the corresponding scattering intensity or even the amplitude and phase angle of the scattering amplitude, which are otherwise not accessible. Using the tutorial and the interactive examples in class, we indeed found that students focus much more on the science than on computational details such as how to use the programs, edit a file and so on. This allows the efficient use of these computer simulations in lectures where diffraction is only one of many topics. Th., J. Appl.