Progress in Magnetization Density Reconstructions Using Maximum Entropy

Abstract

Polarized neutron diffraction provides information on the Fourier components of magnetization density distributions in crystals. To obtain the densities themselves, one has to solve the inverse Fourier problem. This problem is complicated by the presence of noise and the incompleteness of the data. Several approaches exist and have been widely used, ranging from the most straightforward one, the Fourier synthesis, to the refinement of parametrized models. Recently, the application of the maximum-entropy principle caused a breakthrough in this field, allowing high quality maps to be reconstructed without any a priori knowledge of what the density should look like. This technique can be applied in different ways: all the approaches are discussed and illustrated by an example based on real polarized neutron diffraction data.