Synchrotron texture analysis with area detectors

J. Appl. Cryst. (2003). 36, 1040–1049

Intensity variations along Debye rings on synchrotron diffraction images, as that of rolled copper measured during recrystallization at ESRF, immediately reveal crystallite preferred orientation. This is problematical to structural crystallographers who need true diffraction intensities, but of great interest to those concerned with anisotropic material properties. The article addresses both issues by demonstrating a method to determine the quantitative orientation distribution from single images, with algorithms from tomography. The orientation distribution can then be used to normalize intensities and to calculate textural characteristics. This method is being refined to process images directly with the Rietveld approach, allowing simultaneous retrieval of structural, textural and microstructural parameters.