ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the atomic scale structure of noncrystalline systems, that is, those condensed states of matter which are made up of atoms packed rather densely, but not ordered in a lattice. It reviews the theoretical and experimental bases of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) approach when used to study the atomic scale structure of noncrystalline materials. The structure of noncrystalline materials is described through the use of atomic distribution functions. The ultimate goal of the experimental studies about the atomic scale structure in noncrystalline systems might be considered the extraction of all the M(M+1)/2 partial pair correlation functions. The chapter follows the logical flow-sheet, which, starting from the experimental data, allows to obtain the radial distribution functions. It describes the flow-sheet, mainly referring to the experimental data. The chapter also describes the data handling which is needed when a transmission geometry is adopted.
