Determination of the crystallographic orientation of a single crystal using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

Using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) we have determined the crystallographic orientation of a tantalum single crystal from a measurement of its mechanical resonance spectrum. This accomplishment is significant not only because it reduces the sample requirements for RUS but also because it is the simplest method for simultaneous determination of a crystal’s elastic constants and microscopic crystallographic orientation.