Energy-resolved X-ray imaging

Full field x-ray fluorescence imaging using micro pore optics for planetary surface exploration

“…MapX uses a Full-Field XRF (FF-XRF) imaging approach to image the entire surface in parallel, alleviating the requirement for precise scanning. FF-XRF systems have been demonstrated -including by our own initial studies-using a pinhole layout similar to early "camera obscura" photographic instruments [2], but offer low throughput due to the small aperture required to achieve an acceptable resolution. Glass polycapillary optics based FF-XRF have been developed [3], using similar imaging principle as fiber optic couplers, resolution and throughput are driven by the limited acceptance angle of capillaries.…”

“…Current planetary X-ray fluorescence spectrometers lack the spatial resolution to analyze such small features as they only provide global analyses of areas >100 mm 2 . A micro-XRF spectrometer will be deployed on the NASA Mars 2020 rover to analyze spots as small as 120µm.…”

“…The arm-mounted MapX instrument is placed directly on the surface of an object and held in a fixed position during measurements. A 25x25 mm 2 surface area is uniformly illuminated with X-rays or γ-rays and α-particles. A Micro Pore Optic focuses a fraction of the emitted X-ray fluorescence onto a CCD operated in single photon counting mode over thousands of short acquisitions.…”

Energy resolved X-ray fluorescence imaging based on a micropattern gas detector

“…Nowadays, this technique allows important applications in areas as biology and biomedicine, art history, and industry, among others. Different XRFI systems commonly used are based either on scanning systems, like a Scanning Electron Microscope or a microfocus X-ray system combined with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer [1], or on full field of view systems based on Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) or on Medipix 2 [2,3]. The first ones have high position and energy resolution, but need sample preparation and have the limitation of the sample size, presenting in addition the limitations inherent to the scanning systems, i.e.…”

Seeing elements by visible-light digital camera

“…Single photon counting mode can be easily achieved by reducing the amount of X-ray photon events on each image. Related discussion dates back to at least the 1980s 2 , and from then on it was applied to both special X-ray charge-coupled-device (CCD) cameras 3 4 5 and conventional CCD cameras 6 7 8 9 10 . Nevertheless, none of these CCD cameras are frequently seen as current ordinary visible-light digital cameras.…”