A direct observation of diffraction in nuclear resonant scattering

Effects produced by nuclear resonant (Mössbauer) diffraction are usually masked by accompanying changes in electronic scattering. This complication can be removed by scattering from a compound at a diffraction spectrum for which the structure factor for electronic scattering is very small. Measurements on such a spectrum from a crystal of potassium ferrocyanide clearly show a diffraction peak in the 57 Fe nuclear resonance scattering.