A new method of analyzing the orientational structure of molecular solids is proposed. It is based on an expansion of the coherent scattering-length density of a molecule into a complete set of orthonormal functions. Explicit expressions for the structure factor are given in the three-dimensional case with use of symmetry-adapted cubic harmonics and for planar molecules with use of trigonometric functions. The method is especially well suited for analysis of plastic crystalline phases, orientationally disordered phases and ordered phases with molecules performing large librational motions. The treatment reveals a close analogy between orientationally ordered or disordered systems and magnetic systems.
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Press et al. (1973) studied this question.
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