Model-Independent Statistical Averages of the Hydrodynamic Radius via Dynamic Light Scattering

I present new, robust, and measurable nonparametric statistical averages that summarize major features of the distribution of the hydrodynamic radius. I explain how these descriptive statistical averages—the mean, standard deviation, and skewness of the intensity-weighted distribution—are obtained. Next, I demonstrate that—unlike the well-known and widely used Z-average and polydispersity index—these statistical averages bear a direct and physically meaningful interpretability. At the same time, these statistical averages are straightforward to obtain from experimental correlograms, and therefore, they merit a place in characterizing particle systems via DLS.