XRF Wiki
Welcome to the XRF Wiki. This Wiki is a repository of information contributed by members of [email protected]. Members can view and edit the pages. The pages are currently not viewable by the public. The pages below represent a rough overview of the technology and techniques associated with X-Ray Florescence Spectroscopy as well as serving as a place for members to organize the spectra that they have contributed to the forum.?
As a starting point, the pages will be populated by information taken from member posts from the past few years - with references/attribution. Perhaps in time, these pages can be edited by members to make them more complete and less choppy. Members can also edit this page, making the structure of the content more organized.?
Pages can contain information about a particular topic, links to relevant resources (such as manuals, research papers, etc.), links to relevant forum discussions on the topic, book titles, or anything that might be useful.
What follows is very much a work in progress.
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Adding to the Wiki
For those unfamiliar with the Wiki phenomenon, it is basically a user editable encyclopedia. The idea is that there are pages with different articles, which the user can read and also choose to edit if desired. If a piece of information is incorrect, a link outdated, or the presentation choppy or unclear, the user can just click "Edit Page" at the bottom and then fix the mistake. There is also a "Page History," so if you a user were to make a mistake or maliciously destroy a page (which wouldn't happen here) an editor can come along and restore the page to a previous version.?
If you have used MediaWiki (the engine that runs behind the scene of Wikipedia.org) you will be familiar with a certain style of creating an article. There are tags that one uses to change the formatting of the parts of the article. The Wiki on Groups.io uses a different background engine and so the standard MediaWiki syntax does not apply here. Rather, the page is edited using the same tools as one would use to compose a message on the forums. If you are a programmer or someone who likes using the tagged syntax directly, you can access the underlying page source code, be activating the advanced editing toolbar (the icon with three lines on the far right of the basic toolbar) and then clicking on the source code icon <> on the far right of the Advance Editing Toolbar. You will immediately notice that the underlying source code is HTML. Most things can be done just by using the various icons, but advanced features like table can only be implemented by manually writing the source code. (Although there are website available that will generate the source code for you through a graphical interface.)
Here are some useful resources from Groups.io:?
Wiki Guide for Users and Editors
Message Composition Tips and Tricks
Overview of XRF
X-Ray Florescence vs. X-Ray Diffraction
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Hardware
This section describes the hardware used for XRF. We will describe the basic theory of operation of each stage in the processing tool chain and then present different commercial systems that are available as these systems are often integrated together.
[Editor note: General theory needs to be in an independent page separate from specific manufacturer information.
[Editor note - question: Should this be arranged by category, e.g detectors, preamps, etc or by manufacturer with the manufacturers product line on one page. Perhaps it's best to put a list of products with theory but the details of the products on a manufacture page...]
Detectors?- what's available, theory of operation, tradeoffs
Detector Cooling?- keeping detectors cool to avoid thermal noise and keeping the TEC from overheating
Preamps?- theory of operation, brief summary of what out there (and what not to do - such as trying to use a PMT preamp for a SiPIN diode...)
Pulse Processing Theory - high level overview of the stages of going from detector pulse to channel peaks on the computer
Commercial Systems - many commercial systems are integrated so it seems to make sense to present, for example all Amptek products together. [question: are their other affordable integrated systems besides Amptek?]
Amptek XRF System
Activation Sources - what do you use to make the sample fluoresce (that's within the amateur budget and doesn't require special licensing)
Software
- Device Control Software - what do you use to collect the data from the detector system
- XRF Analysis Software - what do you use to analyze the data, especially for quantitative measurements (composition percentages, thin film measurement)
- Free Software Tools
Note: there may be software packages that possess some or all of these characteristics.
Materials Spectra
Metals Spectra
Historic/Archeological Spectra
Reference Materials Spectra
Household Objects Spectra
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Resources
Videos
Articles
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Non-XRF Techniques
Gamma Spectroscopy
Raman Spectroscopy
FTIR - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Inductively Coupled Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Spark Emission Spectroscopy
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
LIBS - Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
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Re: Trinitite
Another bummer. Been trying to load DECAY_v4 since last night. No go. Install program insists the program be loaded to PROGRAM FILES, but WIN10 wont let me mess with that folder, even tho logged in as
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1225
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Edited
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Re: Si pin xrf ..1st go
Probably not much on the metal surface helping heat, because there there are rubber feet on the bottor to allow airflow on the bottom surface.
You can however place a goodly chunk of aluminum on the
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1224
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Re: Si pin xrf ..1st go
Geo
Ok will do it ...
As you can see in the pic,I placed the detector on a ?metal surface
I hope it also acts as a heatsink?
Taray
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1223
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Re: Si pin xrf ..1st go
Your sensor box and RAPCAP (AmX6 ring) are in good geometry. The case of the GEO-1-2-3 is also a heat sink so make sure there is airflow around it.No blower needed, just natural air. The case gets
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1222
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Re: Si pin xrf ..1st go
Super work Taray. We look forward to your work because you have access to samples we usually don't see here!
Geo
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 6:00:07 AM
Subject: [XRF] Si
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1221
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Re: Si pin xrf ..1st go
Oops
Error in BIPP pic
Here it is ..
Also managed to correct Am241 orientation and added 2 more.
These exciters are flat-top unlike the regular button like regular ones I used before.
Really sticks
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1220
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Si pin xrf ..1st go
Hi guys
Using 6 Am241 /ludlum lead disc glued to cardboard box
Si pin near orifice
Due to the shape of detector and fear of samples potentially damaging Be window,I opted for this way
Anyway it is
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1219
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Re: Trinitite
Ver 3 is out of date and has errors in it. Use Ver 4.
Dud
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 5:37 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [XRF] Trinitite
My version is 3.0, 1999 I find it easier
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Dude
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#1218
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Re: Trinitite
By
GEOelectronics@...
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#1217
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Re: Trinitite
My version is 3.0, 1999 I find it easier to use.We're talking about Pu-239 correct?:Photon Emission Products: Pu-239
Fraction Energy(MeV)
0.000476 0.112910
0.044141 0.013600
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1216
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Re: Trinitite
What version?
Hacker¡¯s Rad Decay Ver 4 shows these yields much lower 238 = La 3.79, 239 La 1.57. Other references also support the lower yields.
Dud
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 3:50 PM
To:
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Dude
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#1215
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Re: Trinitite
Using "Prof. C. Hacker's DECAY program", same one as always since day 1. If you see it elsewhere, please reference the source.Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1214
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Re: Trinitite
Now on to quantification.
It takes the calibrated sample ~3 times longer to reach the peak height of the
BLOB when using the 17.22 keV line.
(C)George Dowell
27SEP2020
Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1213
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Re: Trinitite
Geo,
Double check those yields. They look to be about 3x too high. Which program were you using?
Dud
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 12:31 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [XRF] Trinitite
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Dude
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#1212
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Re: Trinitite
From Prof. C. Hacker's DECAY program,
the likelihood of Pu-238 decay producing a Ka1 X-Ray from it's progeny U-234 is 11.57%
Photon Emission Products: Pu-238
Fraction? ?Energy(MeV)
0.000473
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1211
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Re: Trinitite
Americium? vs. Plutonium via? Neptunium vs. Uranium Daughter XRF.
Part 3
Case study of decay prompted progeny XRF from "the blob" also known as 2-dot metal only sample of Atomsite.
* Equipment
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1210
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Re: Trinitite
"I don't know, but it may be possible that two different elements may have an electron transition energy (optical or x-ray) that is the same for both."
There are some close together XRF but as far as
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1209
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Re: Trinitite
Almost entirely Correct.
I don't know, but it may be possible that two different elements may have an electron transition energy (optical or x-ray) that is the same for both.
Even if true, the
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Randall Buck
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#1208
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Re: Trinitite
some information that will come in handy later:
Table 3.
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Measured concentrations of 137 Cs and 239 Pu in Trinity nuclear debris, decay corrected to July 16, 1945
Sample 137 Cs, atoms/g 239
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1206
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Re: Trinitite
Americium? vs. Plutonium via? Neptunium vs. Uranium Daughter XRF.
Part 2.2
*Comparing known Am/Np and known U-234 X-Ray scans together.*
* Equipment used:
* Amptek GEO-1-2-3 with integral DPP/PC5
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1205
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Edited
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