X-ray topography of diamond using forbidden reflections: which defects do we really see?

The article discusses a study on the use of X-ray topography that employs quasi-forbidden reflections in investigating natural and synthetic diamonds with different types of defects. An X-ray topograph is a two-dimensional map of a crystal generated through the use of Bragg-diffracted X-rays. The study demonstrates the suitability of the XRT technique for mapping the distribution of several types of point defect and weak strain fields. The study used plates cut from diamond crystals grown using the high-pressure-high-temperature (HPHT) method.