Although heavy‐metal biomonitoring in aquatic environments has been traditionally based on chemical analyses, these do not reflect the impact on organisms; because of this, international environmental agencies have proposed the use of biomarkers. In this study Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb were bio‐monitored in different species of aquatic plants using Total Reflection X‐Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry

The screening parameter (Z‐S) of a self‐consistent field of 1s electrons was experimentally determined for Be, B, and C atoms and for atoms with the number Z ≤ 9 included in the LiF, Li2CO3, Li4B4O7, B4C, B2O3, H2O, and C2H6O compounds. The determination was made by the experimental dependence of the ratio of the intensities of Rayleigh and Compton scattering on the momentum transfer variable in the

In this contribution, we present the first analytical study of the painting “Christ in Gethsemane” (from a parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Żagań, Silesia, Poland) which attribution to Michael Willmann (1630–1706) has been questioned recently by art historians. After some preliminary non‐invasive investigations, the painting was subjected to Macro XRF scanning. The further

Confocal X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry can be used to perform three‐dimensional elemental analysis, which is impossible using general micro XRF spectrometry without any collimating optics in the detection channel. In this study, we designed, for the first time, a new confocal line XRF (C‐L‐XRF) system that can obtain elemental information of a larger area and higher intensity in XRF analysis

We present a new open‐source software for the integration of the radial Dirac equation developed specifically with muonic atoms in mind. The software, called mudirac, is written in C++ and can be used to predict frequencies and probabilities of the transitions between levels of the muonic atom. In this way, it provides an invaluable tool in helping with the interpretation of muonic X‐ray spectra for

Kaolins, clays, sepiolites, nitrates, carbonates, and so forth are commonly used in the food industry, either as additives or technological contributories in fining and bleaching processes. These materials must be thoroughly controlled as they can contain some heavy metals that must be in very low concentration as they are toxic to humans. Methods using ICP‐OES, AAS, and ICP‐MS for the determination

Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) is an artist highly valued by the public. However, his works have been little studied by natural scientists. The project “Modigliani and His Secrets” follows two closely correlated purposes: a better knowledge of the materiality of the works and a better understanding of the studio practice of the artist. The corpus (25 paintings and 3 sculptures, works belonging to French

Besides various materials, glass becomes very important, as it has started to be used in many applications. Thus, their radiation shielding properties should be determined for safely using in critical applications such as for medical purposes With this in mind, the present study investigated the radiation shielding parameters of waste soda‐lime (SLS) containing varying amounts of lanthanum oxide (La2O3)

It is with great sadness that we learned that Professor Jean‐Claude Dousse passed away on June 21st, 2020. Professor Dousse was the former vice‐dean of the Faculty of Sciences and head of the Atomic and X‐Ray Physics Group at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He was also a former member of the editorial board of the X‐Ray Spectrometry journal. Jean‐Claude's contributions to science and the scientific

How should one select the best detector and the best spectrometer configuration for a particular measurement in X‐ray spectroscopy? The end user is typically interested in obtaining the best precision, accuracy, and detection limit but these are indirectly related to the typical spectrometer specifications, such as energy resolution measured with 55Fe, maximum count rate, or detector area. In this

The present work proposes the use of two‐dimensional correlation mapping (2D‐CM) methods to analyze both particle induced X‐ray emission (PIXE) and Rutherford back scattering (RBS) spectra. RBS spectra of ion irradiated (H+ and He2+) poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) films were analyzed by both generalized and hybrid 2D‐CM techniques to reveal the chemistry involved in different ion irradiation types

During initial conservator's investigation of paneled wooden vault of the church in Le Quillio, 17th century paintings, hidden behind painted canvas nailed on the panels were discovered. A closer look on these paintings and some exposure windows showed the presence of an older paint layer. This layer corresponds to the first vault decoration, dating back all the way at the end of 15th century, existence

A vignetting profile form is incorporated with characteristic X‐ray emission data from a Johann‐mounted crystal diffractometer. We prove the validity of the specific form of the vignetting profile. A new characterisation of the Kα profile for vanadium is presented, which supports and is superior to the current benchmark. Using the profile form as a correction for systematic vignetting reduces energy

We have conducted a comprehensive, year‐long, sampling campaign for particulate matter (PM) at a site near a major highway, following standard protocols. Total mass, elemental and chemical composition of the fine fractions (PM2.5) of particulates originating from traffic are determined using several complementary techniques. These complementary techniques include gravimetric analysis, X‐ray fluorescence

We present a new approach to 3‐dimensional chemical imaging based on X‐ray computed micro tomography (CT), which enables the analysis of the internal elemental chemistry. The method uses a conventional laboratory‐based CT scanner equipped with a semiconductor detector (CdTe). Based on the X‐ray absorption spectra, elements in a sample can be distinguished by their specific K‐edge energy. The capabilities

In this study, the mass attenuation coefficients of copper–silver thin‐film alloys, produced by the thermal evaporation method at various concentrations, were measured at six different energies in the range of 14.93–48.82 keV (keV) by X‐ray Fluorescence technique (XRF). A 241Americium radioisotope source, having 50 mCi intensity and 59.54 keV energy photons, was used to stimulate the samples, and an

The nonplanar shape of a painting as well as practical constraints often result in the painting's surface not being parallel to the plane in that the measurement head of a MA‐XRF scanner is being moved. Changing the working distance affects the measurement geometry, so that the sensitivity for the same element may vary throughout the investigated area and induce visible artifacts. These artifacts are

During metal welding and cutting, large amounts of particulate matter (PM) are produced that might represent a significant health risk for the exposed workers. In the present pilot study, we performed an elemental analysis of fine PM collected in a metal workshop. Also, elemental analysis of the hair and nail samples collected from workers exposed to the workshop dust and control group was done. Concentrations

The quantification of archaeological artefacts with X‐ray Fluorescence is quite complex because it demands some calibration procedure. It is also rather more challenging when the customization of the portable equipment for in situ measurements is required. The objective of this study was to introduce a quantitative method by performing a calibration curve for a ternary gold alloy (Au, Ag and Cu). Fast

The topic under discussion is the influence of X‐ray polarization and filtration, as well as the influence of detectors count rate on sensitivity and detection limits (DLs) in spectrometers with energy dispersion (EDS). Parameters calculation technique for searching optimal analysis conditions has been developed. Typical DLs of elements with medium and high atomic numbers on various spectrometers are

Scanning macro‐XRF, XRF point measurements and hyperspectral reflectance imaging in the visible and near‐infrared range were combined to characterize the pigments of a Tibetan painting. The complementary use of the different investigation techniques allowed us to (a) clearly identify the pigments used by the artist, (b) strengthen the few data present in historical and contemporary sources and (c)

This paper presents the results of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of bricks sampled from historical places in Pernambuco, a state in the northeastern region of Brazil. In this study, twenty bricks found in historical sites were analyzed. Two bricks made in the 17th century, presumably used as ballast in ships coming from Holland, five locally manufactured bricks: one from 18th century, three from

Recently, an oil‐on‐panel painting, portraying Leonardo da Vinci, was found in the monastery of Camaldoli (Arezzo, Italy). The painting comes from a private donation and, over time, it never was moved from the monastery or loaned to museums or art galleries for exhibitions. Historians hypothesise that the painting could be a seventeenth‐century copy of a portrait or a self‐portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), one of the most famous German 19th c. painters, created paintings throughout his artistic life using different paint palettes, including many new pigments from the turn from the 18th to the 19th century. In that regard especially blue and yellow pigments are the focus of this non‐invasive chemical study using X‐ray fluorescence imaging, as these are a landscape painter's

The L1, L2 and L3 subshells of Hf, Ta and Re atoms have been excited selectively by using microprobe XRF beam line, Indus‐2, RRCAT, India. The consequent characteristic L X‐ray photons, emitted from the targets due to creations of vacancies in L subshells, are measured using silicon drift detector (X‐123) spectrometer. As the energy of synchrotron radiation increases, the contribution of characteristic

This paper explores the application of Total Reflection X‐Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry for chromate (CrO42−) and phosphate (PO43−) determinations in synthetic solutions after their adsorption onto dolomite. The competition between both contaminants is also evaluated. Adsorption processes are considered an inexpensive, non‐contaminating alternative for retaining, on a selected substrate, a variety

This paper critically compares the performance of four non‐invasive techniques that match the accuracy, flexibility, time‐efficiency, and transportability required for in situ characterization of leaded glass windows: macroscopic X‐ray fluorescence imaging (MA‐XRF), UV–Vis–NIR, Raman spectroscopy, and infrared thermography (IRT). In order to compare the techniques on equal grounds, all techniques were

An analytical method was proposed for the quantification of Cd, Pb, Mn, and Fe in ground coffee samples using energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. External calibration was possible using the coffee matrix itself as standards with samples previously analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The ground coffee samples were analyzed in the form

Self‐organising map (SOM), an unsupervised machine learning algorithm based on neural networks, is applied to introduce a novel approach for the analysis of XRF spectral imaging data. This method automatically reduced hundreds of thousands of XRF spectra in a spectral image dataset to a handful of distinct clusters that share similar spectra. In this study, we show how clustering and the combination

The multidisciplinary and multi‐technical study of the coffin lid of Neskhonsuennekhy (Turin, Museo Egizio, inventory number S.05245) datable to the 26th dynasty (664–525 BC) was launched in 2015 at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale during the conservation activities required by the Museo Egizio, as part of wider research on the so‐called red coffins. Widespread abrasions and gaps

Micro X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (μXRF) is a standard technique used for the elemental analysis of glass fragments in forensic casework. The glass specimens encountered in casework are usually small (<1 mm), thin fragments that are partially transparent to the exciting X‐ray beam. In addition to providing fluorescence from the small glass fragments, the primary beam X‐rays can scatter within the

In energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence analysis (EDXRF), many baseline estimation algorithms have been proposed for the accurate characteristic peak area. However, the true value of the characteristic peak area of measured spectrum is unknown and cannot be used to evaluate the accuracy of the baseline estimation algorithms. In this article, an assessment method was proposed based on Monte Carlo simulation

X‐ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of transition metal compounds is a powerful tool for investigating the spin and oxidation state of the metal centers. Valence‐to‐core (vtc) XES is of special interest, as it contains information on the ligand nature, hybridization, and protonation. To date, most vtc‐XES studies have been performed with high‐brightness sources, such as synchrotrons, due to the weak

A new portable macro X‐ray fluorescence scanner has been specifically designed for in situ, real‐time elemental mapping of large painted surfaces. This system allows scanning 80 × 80 × 20 cm3 along the X , Z, and Y directions, respectively, with adaptive beam size at the energy of the Rh Ka‐line. The detection system consists of a 50 mm2 active area detector coupled to a CUBE pre‐amplifier and to the

The intensity of the analytical ClKα‐line continuously increases during the measurement of a rock sample. The main cause of this effect is the migration of chlorine into the irradiated (emitting) part of the sample. The hypothesis was credibly proved through the experiment in which a rock sample was measured first on one side, and then on the other. An increase in the intensity of the analytical line

The X‐Ray Fluorescence (XRF) scanning spectrometer developed in the framework of Cultural Heritage Network ‐ National Institute of Nuclear Physics, is specifically customised for cultural heritage applications, designed with a focus on having a lightweight scanner (weighing approximately 10 kg), easy to handle and thus easily transportable in two medium‐sized boxes. The research presented here deals

Scientific investigation is very important in studies addressing issues of archaeological and historical objects. Ion beam analysis (IBA) and macro X‐ray fluorescence (MA‐XRF) spectroscopy are remarkable tools to obtain information about elemental composition and imaging of historical artefacts with a non‐invasive character. These investigation techniques were employed in the framework of a project

Absorption tomography has been a unique technique for 3D imaging in many scientific research and applications. However, the use of polychromatic x‐ray sources for quantitative tomography has been limited due to the well‐known beam hardening effect. In this article, we will describe the theoretical details of a new technique for quantitative tomography using polychromatic x‐rays. The technique incorporates

Grain size is an important consideration in the determination of the bulk chemistry of Martian rocks and unconsolidated materials in situ by the alpha particle X‐ray spectrometer (APXS), deployed on the NASA‐led Mars Science Laboratory mission. We used 2.5 MeV protons to emulate the particle‐induced X‐ray emission (PIXE) branch (5 MeV alphas) of the APXS. Seven polished rock slabs (igneous and sedimentary)

In this study, we investigated the possibility of using an artificial neural network (ANN) to classify human hair samples according to pigment (original or bleached hair) and sex (female or male) from numerical data obtained by wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and by laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The results were promising, showing that the developed ANNs are able to

X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is a powerful approach to discriminate iron‐gall inks from different inscriptions. The representativeness of spot measurements is though often impaired by the material history and conservation state of historical artefacts bearing such inscriptions. The method proposed here, using a XRF scanner, not only improved the readability of inscriptions, thanks to the enhanced

In this article, the X‐ray fluorescence technique is proposed for the quantitative determination of major elements in ferromanganese nodules and crusts, which is a necessary stage of the oceanic ferromanganese deposits investigation and development. The research was performed using a wavelength‐dispersive spectrometer S4 Pioneer (Bruker AXS, Germany). Certified reference materials of ferromanganese

The method of determination of major (Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Mn, P, Ti) and trace elements (As, Ba, Br, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Ga, Nb, Sr, La, Ni, Pb, Rb, S, U, Th, V, Y, Zn, Zr) in geochemical samples by wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer with a new sample preparation technique‐high pressure pressed pellet and covered with a 3.6 μm polyester film is proposed. The pellet was

During the restoration process of a huge oil canvas (266 cm × 361 cm × 3 cm) by Agostino Bosia, a deep diagnostic campaign was carried out to characterize the original materials and those stratified over time. The activity was supported by the technologies available today in the field of conservation of the Cultural Heritage. Multispectral analyses (UV fluorescence, infrared reflectography, infrared

An improved shift‐invariant wavelet (S‐I WT) de‐noising algorithm based on LLS operator is proposed for high‐resolution energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. Sym8 is chosen as the wavelet basis function and performed noise reduction on the analog signal. Comparison of the de‐noising effect of S‐I WT, improved WT and LLS S‐I WT (where LLS is the log square root operator) method are quantitatively evaluated

The fluorescence yields are useful X‐ray atomic fundamental parameters for X‐ray spectrometric purposes but suffer from large tabulated uncertainties, and this is the first time to our knowledge that all three subshell parameters are measured together. We determined the three L partial fluorescence yields and the associated Coster‐Kronig transition probabilities of gadolinium, by selectively ionizing

The energies and electric dipole rates of Kα X‐ray satellites due to 1s‐2p transitions in bromine and molybdenum with one to five vacancies in the 2p shell and other shells retaining their normal occupation numbers are computed using Multi‐Configuration Dirac Fock wavefunctions with the inclusion of relativistic and quantum electrodynamic corrections. As fully relativistic calculations on all the Kα

Reverse Monte Carlo iterative algorithm has been developed for quantification of energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence analysis in order to calculate the concentrations of the elementary composition in solid substances. The core of the simulation code was the MCNP6 that is a well‐established and widely applied software package in the nuclear research and practice for simulation of nuclear systems or

Absolute measurement of photon flux under high‐fluence rate X‐rays was required in photon diagnostics for X‐ray lasers. A free‐air ionization chamber used for the reproducibility of air‐kerma in high‐fluence rate X‐ray was designed, and the monoenergetic X‐rays flux of (6–20) keV were absolutely measured on Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The energy spectrum of the monoenergetic X‐rays was

In this study, the absorption experiments which are an application area in XRS are discussed. The effect on the absorption parameters of the pressure applied to make pellet powder samples was investigated. The mass attenuation coefficients ( μ m), mean free paths and half‐value layers of samples prepared at different pressures were experimentally determined. C6H10O5, VF4, CaO and Y2O3 samples were

Generally, full‐scale biogas plants require trace elements supplementation to sustain a stable process. The aim was to apply total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) to monitor the dissolved, active elements, for the first time, at μg/L levels in biogas plants. The digester liquid is comparable to sludge with high solids content and high salt concentrations. The ions are usually measured in the dried

A portable energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer and a micro‐Raman spectrometer are used for the nondestructive analysis of a batch of glazed pottery ornaments unearthed from Warring States Chu (楚) tombs (B.C.475–B.C.221) in Jiangling, Hubei Province, China. According to the chemical compositions obtained, all of the glazes belong to the lead–barium–silicate (PbO–BaO–SiO2) system and contain

A generalization of the Compton method for determining elements with a low atomic number Z from 1 (H) to 9 (F) by the ratio of the intensities of incoherent (Compton) and coherent (Rayleigh) scattering is proposed. The generalization takes into account not only the dependence of this ratio on the effective atomic number of the scatterer material but also the momentum transfer variable x = . The new

This research presents non‐destructive analyses of Chinese enamelled copper and porcelain decorated with polychrome enamels. This study utilises two key, high‐value art works with complex enamelling in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) to elucidate the composition and technology of objects with ruby‐backed decoration. These plates date from early Qing dynasty and are associated

Spherically‐bent crystal analyzers (SBCAs) see considerable use in very high‐resolution hard X‐ray wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, often called X‐ray emission spectroscopy (XES). While Si and Ge are the most frequently used diffractive components of SBCAs, we consider here the somewhat classical choice of muscovite mica as the dispersing element. We find that the various harmonics

Background suppression is discussed in wavelength‐dispersive polarization X‐ray spectrometer (WDPXRS), in which the goniometer scans in plane perpendicular to primary and secondary beams. Background suppression coefficients in WDPXRS and energy‐dispersive polarization X‐ray spectrometer are determined by different expressions (in “The scattering suppression of X‐rays with energy of 20–200 keV in spectrometers

A total of 47 pottery fragments were unearthed in Hachijojima Island, part of the Izu Islands (Tokyo, Japan). Among these samples, 36 found in the Kurawa site had designs resembling pottery dating back to the Jomon period (14,000–300 BC) distributed throughout Japan's main island, Honshu; five samples from the Jomon period found in the Yubama site were “undesigned”; the rest, found in the Yaene site

We present extreme ultraviolet spectra of 3s3p–3s3d transitions in Fe14+ observed with a compact electron beam ion trap. The contributions of indirect excitation via a metastable state and resonant excitation are studied by observing the electron energy dependence of the spectra for the energy range of 60–210 eV. The results indicate that the 3s3d 1D2 level is directly excited from the 3s2 ground state