Angular distributions of scattering intensities with the SAP code

Compton and Rayleigh scattering peak intensities and their ratio are used in reflection and transmission experiments to obtain information about the density of the investigated specimen. The ratio is preferred because it allows the reduction of the errors due to attenuation and geometry. In all cases it is fundamental to predict their angular distributions in order to design the optimal experiment for a given material. The code SAP (Scattering Angular distribution Plot) is a graphical tool to compute and plot Rayleigh and Compton differential cross-sections (atomic and electronic), form factors and incoherent scattering functions. In this work, the code is improved by adding the computation of Rayleigh and Compton first-order peak fluxes and intensities, and the Rayleigh-to-Compton peak ratio, in both, reflection and transmission geometries, for single elements, compounds and mixture of compounds, for monochromatic excitation in the range of 1–1000 keV. The new characteristics of the code are illustrated with some examples.