Influence of the elastic deformations on the form factor of polyhedral nanocrystals: the illustrative example of the pseudomorphic inclusion

Using an analytically tractable example, the pseudomorphic inclusion, this article examines the influence of elastic deformations on the form factor of polyhedral nanocrystals. A control parameter, the total amplitude of the variation of the complex density phase, is identified and it is shown that for low enough deformations the characteristic asymptotic behaviours as a function of the scattering vector associated with the polyhedral crystal shape are preserved, leading to a strong contrast in the dependence of the form factor on orientation. Using the sections method, it is explained why these results can be generalized to more realistic elastic situations.