A DEEP-INELASTIC NEUTRON-SCATTERING STUDY OF SODIUM

Using the high-energy neutrons available at the ISIS facility, a deep inelastic neutron scattering study of polycrystalline sodium has been made. In this experiment the scattering function, S(Q, omega), has been measured at four different temperatures (30 K, 100 K, 200 K, 300 K) in order to study the changes in the neutron Compton profiles. The data were analysed using the impulse approximation and the known density of states. Within the 4% accuracy of the experiment, the results are consistent with sodium behaving as a harmonic solid.