Statistical measures of spottiness in diffraction rings

Spotty diffraction rings arise when the size distribution of crystallites illuminated by the incident beam includes crystallites that are large compared with the size of the beam. In this article, several statistical measures are used in conjunction to quantify spottiness and relate it to a crystallite size distribution: the number of peaks, the normalized root mean square intensity variation and the fractal dimension. These are demonstrated by way of example using synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns collected during in situ corrosion of mild steel in carbon dioxide-saturated aqueous brine.