Effects of electron correlation and relativistic effects in X-ray diffraction

Atomic scattering factors for the first row transition metal atoms cobalt and nickel have been evaluated using non-relativistic and ‘relativistic-corrected’ configuration interaction wavefunctions in the |αLSM _LM_S〉 representation. Relaxing the constraints imposed by the Hartree-Fock model results in a very small reduction of the atomic scattering factor at small momentum transfer with a negligible change at higher momentum transfer. Better agreement with the relativistic Hartree-Fock atomic scattering factors at small momentum transfer is obtained when theLS-dependent relativistic effects are included in the Breit-Pauli approximation.