TOPAS-Academic - Tutorials

These tutorials assume the following:

Both TA and jEdit have been installed (see instructions).

The self extracting executable INP_jEdit.exe has been downloaded and extracted and the jEdit macro INP-SETUP.BSH run from within jEdit using the jEdit menu option "Macros/Run Other Macro".

You have downloaded the necessary data files for the tutorials. The data files themselves can be downloaded by extracting the .zip file linked here. Alternatively you can download the .zip file ta_tutorials.zip linked here (~3.5 Mb) and extract the contents to any directory. It contains all the webpages about topas academic, jedit and all the tutorial files. Open the folder ta_tutorials and launch ta_tutorials.html.

The DEMO version of TOPAS-Academic does not report parameter values and thus the tutorials can only be performed in a limited manner. It is however worthwhile to look through the tutorials to view the capabilities of TOPAS-Academic.

The tutorials describe using alt-tab to switch between windows applications. Such keyboard shortcuts are often quicker than using the mouse.

Here are the Tutorials

Running Examples

Simple Rietveld refinement of Laboratory X-ray data of Rutile

Pawley refinement of Y2O3

Peak fitting and Indexing of PbSO4

Structure solution of PbSO4

TOF calibration / refinement of CeO2

Variable Counting Time data - Rietveld

Discussion

The tutorials demonstate that editors of the calibre of jEdit is a natural choice in the writing of INP scripts. Remembering keywords or their placement in the TA data structures are not necessary and the speed and ease of setting up INP files are equal to the best of data input strategies. It is however necessary to have an idea of what some of the keywords and TA macros do. For example, the use of instrumental convolutions such as Divergence, Slit_Width or whether or not the anode is Cu or Co are User decisions. Also stressed is the searching of the TA Technical Reference for finding out about keywords.