Large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction patterns via conditional generative adversarial networks

We show how generative machine learning can be used for the rapid computation of strongly dynamical electron diffraction directly from crystal structures, specifically in large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction (LACBED) patterns. We find that a conditional generative adversarial network can learn the connection between the projected potential from a cubic crystal’s unit cell and the corresponding LACBED pattern. Our model can generate diffraction patterns on a GPU many orders of magnitude faster than existing direct simulation methods. Furthermore, our approach can accurately retrieve the projected potential from diffraction patterns, opening a new approach for the inverse problem of determining crystal structure.