Patterson function

The Patterson function is a mathematical construct used in the field of crystallography, particularly in the interpretation of X-ray diffraction data. It is named after the American physicist Alfred L. Patterson, who introduced the method. In crystallography, when X-rays are scattered by a crystal, the resulting diffraction pattern contains information about the electron density within the crystal structure. However, the phase information, which is crucial for determining the absolute positions of atoms, is lost in the Fourier transform that generates the diffraction pattern.