The small angle scattering regime (i.e. momentum transfers Q→0) yields information about long length scales or distances in real space. SAXS is the technique of choice to obtain structural information (size, morphology and correlations) of systems with typical length scales between few nanometers and the micron scale. These length scales are especially relevant in soft matter systems such as polymers, lamellae, micelles, ...

The accessible Q-range depends on the x-ray energy, the sample-to-detector distance and the detector and beam stop sizes. At XMaS, the maximum sample-to-detector distance is ~1.5 m and a Q-range between 0.02 to 0.34 Å^-1 is typically accessible at 12.4 keV, which corresponds to real space length scales between ~1.8 nm to 30 nm (the calculations have been done with the beam hitting the centre of the MAR detector).

SAXS experiments at XMaS can be done under applied magnetic fields up to 4 T. The available 2D detectors are described here.