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 bee n 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 dat a were analysed using the impulse approximation and the known density of states. Within the 4% accuracy of the experiment, the results are c onsistent with sodium behaving as a harmonic solid.