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Internal Conversion in Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis of Actinide-Containing Materials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2007

Thierry Wiss ,
Hartmut Thiele ,
Bert Cremer  and
Ian Ray
Thierry Wiss
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Hartmut Thiele
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Bert Cremer
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Ian Ray
Affiliation:
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
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Abstract

The use of X-ray elemental analysis tools like energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) is described in the context of the investigation of nuclear materials. These materials contain radioactive elements, particularly alpha-decaying actinides that affect the quantitative EDS measurement by producing interferences in the X-ray spectra. These interferences originating from X-ray emission are the result of internal conversion by the daughter atoms from the alpha-decaying actinides. The strong interferences affect primarily the L X-ray lines from the actinides (in the typical energy range used for EDS analysis) and would require the use of the M lines. However, it is typically at the energy of the actinide's M lines that the interferences are dominant. The artifacts produced in the X-ray analysis are described and illustrated by some typical examples of analysis of actinide-bearing material.

Keywords

actinidesalpha-decayinternal conversion
Type
SPECIAL SECTION: MICROANALYSIS OF MATERIALS TODAY
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , June 2007 , pp. 196 - 203
Copyright
© 2007 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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