Powder diffraction is often used as an analytical tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Law courts often rely on expert interpretation of powder diffraction data for decisions on patents, ownership, and authenticity. The picture shows part of the Sevso silver treasure whose ownership was contested in a USA court in 1993. Powder diffraction data, collected in the Department of Crystallography (now the School of Crystallography) at Birkbeck College, London, was successfully used as evidence by the defence.

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