Study of imperfect natural diamonds with the application of the X-ray synchrotron radiation (the “Laue-SR” method)

Abstract The “Laue-SR” method has been realised for fast gathering experimental data in the study of imperfect natural and synthesised diamonds which are hard to investigate with the conventional X-ray methods. Time to obtain a diffraction pattern with the use of the polychromatic SR is shorter by several orders; the resolution of the image of substructure defects of a crystal lattice (as compared to the conventional Laue method) is improved by an order and does not vanish even at large disorientation or other non-coherent disturbances of the crystal lattice. The “Laue-SR” method is especially appropriate for the study of intact, sufficiently large diamond crystals (up to 5 mm), since the diamond has a small coefficient of the X-ray absorption and is practically transparent in the operational range of the SR waves, λ =0.5–1.5A. This method was shown to be applied successfully for an accelerated study of a large bulk of imperfect natural diamond crystals without any preliminary preparation and without their destruction, which enlarges the information output in the study and, besides that, increases significantly the efficiency of the work. X-ray “Laue-SR” topograms of imperfect diamonds with different types of distortions of the crystal lattice by natural processes during the formation of the diamonds and by epigenetic impacts are shown.