ABSTRACT
It is clearly important, in order to appreciate the way in which an electron microscope works and the meaning of the information which it provides, that we understand the nature of the possible interactions between the electron beam and the other parts of the microscope (e.g. lenses or camera) and between the electrons and the specimen. In order to achieve this understanding it is necessary to consider in more detail the nature of the electron and the various possible interactions between an electron and an atom. Those readers who need only a very superficial understanding of electron microscopy or who wish to get the ‘feel’ of the subject on a first reading may like to skip the rest of this chapter and the next and pass on to Chapter 4.
