In condensed matter physics, the dynamic structure factor (or dynamical structure factor) is a mathematical function that contains information about inter-particle correlations and their time evolution.
It is a generalization of the structure factor that considers correlations in both space and time.
The dynamic structure factor is most often denoted
, is called the intermediate scattering function and can be measured by neutron spin echo spectroscopy.
:[2][3] Thus we see that the dynamical structure factor is the spatial and temporal Fourier transform of van Hove's time-dependent pair correlation function.
: The dynamic structure is exactly what is probed in coherent inelastic neutron scattering.
The van Hove function for a spatially uniform system containing
point particles is defined as:[1] It can be rewritten as:
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