ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Convergent beam electron diffraction

When we want to see something very small, like the tiny atoms that make up everything around us, we need a special tool called an electron microscope. It uses streams of electrons to create images of these small things.

One way we can use the electron microscope is by shining a beam of electrons at a tiny spot on the sample we want to look at. This is called convergent beam electron diffraction.

When the beam of electrons hits the sample, the electrons bounce off of all the tiny atoms and scatter in different directions. By measuring the angles of these scattered electrons, we can figure out the arrangement of the atoms in the sample.

It's kind of like when you throw a ball at a wall with lots of different-shaped objects on it, and the ball bounces off at different angles depending on what it hits. You can figure out what objects are on the wall by looking at where the ball bounces.

Convergent beam electron diffraction is a very powerful tool for scientists to understand the tiny details of materials down to the atomic level!