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X-Ray Fluorescence of Intermediate- to High-Atomic-Number Elements Using Polarized X Rays

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

R. B. Strittmatter*
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, NM 87545
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Extract

The use of polarized x rays as the excitation source for x-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements has been shown to significantly improve signal-to-background ratios. However, previous studies on polarized x rays applied to XRF techniques have concentrated on low-energy fluoresced x rays (<30 keV). In many cases strong matrix effects exist or the analyte is encased by a material that strongly attenuates low-energy x rays. These situations may preclude accurate assays based on L x-ray detection, and techniques based on the detection of higher energy K x rays may be more suitable because of the increased penetrability of higher energy x rays. The measurements and calculations reported in this work were made to assess the improvement in signal-to-background ratios and the increase in accuracy and detection sensitivity achievable by using polarized x rays as the excitation source for fluoresced x rays having energies between 25 and 110 keV.

Type
II. XRF Methods: Practical, Mathematical
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 1981

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References

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