Simultaneous fluorescence and Compton scattering computed tomography based on linear polarization X-ray

Purpose To propose a method for simultaneous fluorescence and Compton scattering computed tomography by using linearly polarized X-rays.Methods Monte Carlo simulations were adopted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.In the simulations,the phantom is a polytetrafluoroethylene cylinder inside which are cylindrical columns containing aluminum,water,and gold(Au)-loaded water solutions with Au concentrations ranging between 0.5 and 4.0 wt%,and a parallel-hole collimator imaging geometry was adopted.The light source was modeled based on a Thomson scattering X-ray source.The phantom images for both imaging modalities were reconstructed using a maximumlikelihood expectation maximization algorithm.Results Both the X-ray fluorescence computed tomography(XFCT)and Compton scattering computed tomography(CSCT)images of the phantom were accurately reconstructed.A similar attenuation contrast problem for the different cylindrical columns in the phantom can be resolved in the XFCT and CSCT images.The interplay between XFCT and CSCT was analyzed,and the contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of the reconstruction was improved by correcting for the mutual influence between the two imaging modalities.Compared with K-edge subtraction imaging,XFCT exhibits a CNR advantage for the phantom.Conclusion Simultaneous XFCT and CSCT can be realized by using linearly polarized X-rays.The synergy between the two imaging modalities would have an important application in cancer radiation therapy.

Accuracy analysis of iron content of galvanized coating using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with an L-spectrum

The accuracy(repeatability and reproducibility) of the iron content analysis of galvanized coating using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with an L-spectrum is not better than that of flame atomic absorption spectrometry, sometimes it exceeds the quality control limit.Influences, such as current, voltage, equipment(internal circulating water, 10%CH4+90%Ar, and vacuum) checking, instrument monitoring, sample cleaning, and oper-ators, were investigated by means of 6-sigma and lean operations to improve accuracy.

Research on a deconvolution algorithm for laser-induced fluorescence diagnosis based on the maximum entropy principle

Laser-induced fluorescence(LIF)spectroscopy is employed for plasma diagnosis,necessitating the utilization of deconvolution algorithms to isolate the Doppler effect from the raw spectral signal.However,direct deconvolution becomes invalid in the presence of noise as it leads to infinite amplification of high-frequency noise components.To address this issue,we propose a deconvolution algorithm based on the maximum entropy principle.We validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm by utilizing simulated LIF spectra at various noise levels(signal-to-noise ratio,SNR=20–80 d B)and measured LIF spectra with Xe as the working fluid.In the typical measured spectrum(SNR=26.23 d B)experiment,compared with the Gaussian filter and the Richardson–Lucy(R-L)algorithm,the proposed algorithm demonstrates an increase in SNR of 1.39 d B and 4.66 d B,respectively,along with a reduction in the root-meansquare error(RMSE)of 35%and 64%,respectively.Additionally,there is a decrease in the spectral angle(SA)of 0.05 and 0.11,respectively.In the high-quality spectrum(SNR=43.96 d B)experiment,the results show that the running time of the proposed algorithm is reduced by about98%compared with the R-L iterative algorithm.Moreover,the maximum entropy algorithm avoids parameter optimization settings and is more suitable for automatic implementation.In conclusion,the proposed algorithm can accurately resolve Doppler spectrum details while effectively suppressing noise,thus highlighting its advantage in LIF spectral deconvolution applications.

L-shell x-ray fluorescence relative intensities for elements with 62≤Z≤83 at 18 keV and 23 keV by synchrotron radiation

The relative intensities of L-subshell x-ray fluorescence(XRF)for elements with atomic numbers 62≤Z≤83 were measured at two excitation energies,18 keV and 23 keV,using a synchrotron radiation source at a beamline of the Synchrotron Light Center for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East(SESAME),Jordan.The experimentally measured results of the relative intensities were compared with the calculated results using the subshell fluorescence yield and the Coster-Kronig transition probabilities recommended by Campbell and the values based on the Dirac-Hartree-Slater model by Puri.The experimental and theoretical results are in agreement.In this work,L XRF relative intensities for the elements Sm,Gd,Tb,Er,Ta,W,Re,Hg,Pb and Bi at energies of 18 keV and 23 keV were measured.

Glancing incidence x-ray fluorescence spectrometry based on a single-bounce parabolic capillary

Glancing incidence x-ray fluorescence spectrometry using a single-bounce parabolic capillary is proposed for the analysis of layered samples.The divergence of the x-ray beam was 0.33 mrad.In this paper,we used this instrumental setup to analyze a Si single crystal and a 50 nm HfO_(2) single-layer film deposited on a Si substrate.

Elemental composition x-ray fluorescence analysis with a TES-based high-resolution x-ray spectrometer

The accurate analysis of the elemental composition plays a crucial role in the research of functional materials.The emitting characteristic x-ray fluorescence(XRF)photons can be used for precisely discriminating the specified element.The detection accuracy of conventional XRF methodology using semiconductor detector is limited by the energy resolution,thus posing a challenge in accurately scaling the actual energy of each XRF photon.We adopt a novel high-resolution x-ray spectrometer based on the superconducting transition-edge sensor(TES)for the XRF spectroscopy measurement of different elements.Properties including high energy resolution,high detection efficiency and precise linearity of the new spectrometer will bring significant benefits in analyzing elemental composition via XRF.In this paper,we study the Ledge emission line profiles of three adjacent rare earth elements with the evenly mixed sample of their oxide components:terbium,dysprosium and holmium.Two orders of magnitude better energy resolution are obtained compared to a commercial silicon drift detector.With this TES-based spectrometer,the spectral lines overlapped or interfered by background can be clearly distinguished,thus making the chemical component analysis more accurate and quantitative.A database of coefficient values for the line strength of the spectrum can then be constructed thereafter.Equipped with the novel XRF spectrometer and an established coefficient database,a direct analysis of the composition proportion of a certain element in an unknown sample can be achieved with high accuracy.

Quantitative energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis for unknown samples using full-spectrum least-squares regression

The full-spectrum least-squares(FSLS) method is introduced to perform quantitative energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis for unknown solid samples.Based on the conventional least-squares principle, this spectrum evaluation method is able to obtain the background-corrected and interference-free net peaks, which is significant for quantization analyses. A variety of analytical parameters and functions to describe the features of the fluorescence spectra of pure elements are used and established, such as the mass absorption coefficient, the Gi factor, and fundamental fluorescence formulas. The FSLS iterative program was compiled in the C language. The content of each component should reach the convergence criterion at the end of the calculations. After a basic theory analysis and experimental preparation, 13 national standard soil samples were detected using a spectrometer to test the feasibility of using the algorithm. The results show that the calculated contents of Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn have the same changing tendency as the corresponding standard content in the 13 reference samples. Accuracies of 0.35% and 14.03% are obtained, respectively, for Fe and Ti, whose standard concentrations are 8.82% and 0.578%, respectively. However, the calculated results of trace elements (only tens of lg/g) deviate from the standard values. This may be because of measurement accuracy and mutual effects between the elements.

FLUORESCENCE SPECTRUM ANALYSIS OF ETHER-WATER SOLUTION BASED ON GAUSSIAN DECOMPOSITION METHOD

The fluorescence spectrum of the ether-water solution excited by the ultraviolet light with the wavelength of 245 nm is experimentally detected. Based on the second derivative analysis, the fluorescence spectrum of the ether-water solution is used as Gaussian decomposition and seven Gaussian spectral lines are obtained. The center wavelength, the peak intensity and the half peak bandwidth of each Gaussian spectral line are measured, and the multi-peak fitting is made by using Gaussian primitive parameters. The highest and the lowest oscillation energy level differences in the ground state of each Gaussian spectrum are calculated. It is found that there are seven types of luminescent association molecules formed by ether and water molecules in different configurations existed in the solution. The location of each optimum absorption wavelength and the half peak bandwidth of the Gaussian spectral line is different. The energy level difference with the central wavelength of 304 nm attains the maximum value The result can contribute to the study of the molecular association in ether-water solution.

Spectrum Correction in Study of Solvation Dynamics by Fluorescence Non-collinear Optical Parametric Amplification Spectroscopy

Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spec- troscopy can extract the curve of spectral gain from its parametric superfluorescence. This unique spectrum correction method enables fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy acquiring the genuine transient fluorescence spectrum of the studied system. In this work we employ fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy technique to study the solvation dynamics of DCM dye in ethanol solution, and confirm that genuine solvation correlation function and shift of peak frequency can be derived from transient fluorescence spectra after the spectral gain correction. It demonstrates that fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy can benefit the research fields, which focuses on both fluorescence intensity dynamics and fluorescence spectral shape evolution.

Geochemical analysis of marine sediments using fused glass disc by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

A method was developed for content determination of Na, Mg, A1, Si, P,S, C1, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Nb, Zr, Y, Sr, Rb, Ba, La and Ce etc. covering 26 major, minor, and trace elements in marine sediment samples using fused glass disc by X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry. Calibration was made using marine sediment certified reference materials and the synthetic standard samples prepared by mixing several marine sediments with stream sediment and carbonate standard samples in different proportions. The matrix effect was corrected using theoretical alpha coefficients, experience coefficients and the scattered radiation as the internal standard （for the trace elements）. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by analysis of certified reference materials GBW07314, GBW07334 and GSMS6. The results are in good agreement with the certified values of the standards with RSD less than 2.60%, except for Y, Cr, Ga, Ce, La, Nb, Rb, and V with RSD less than 9.0% （n=12）.

Hydrothermal Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Fluorescence Spectrum Studies of a Supramolecular Compound {[2-(2-Pyridyl)benzimidazoleH_2]^(2+)·[SbCl_5]^(2-)}_2

A new supramolecular compound, { [2-（2-pyridyl）benzimidazoleH2]2＋.[SBC15]2-}2, was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of o-diaminobenzene, 2-pyridinecarboxylie acid and SbCl3 in 1：1 HC1 solution, and characterized by chemical analysis, elemental analysis, IR spectra, thermogravimetfic analysis and fluorescence spectra. The crystal structure was deter- mined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P211c, with a = 16.0397（13）, b = 14.3189（12）, c = 15.6370（13） A, β = 105.8980（10）°, V = 3454.0（5） A3, Z = 4, C24H22Cl10N6Sb2, Mr = 992.48, Dc = 1.909 g/cm3,/z = 2.366 mm-1, S = 1.010, F（000） = 1920, R = 0.0254 and wR = 0.0555. The coordination anion, [SbCl5]2- which is a distorted tetragonal pyramid, is composed by coordinating action with Sb3＋ ion and five adjacent chloride ions. Every four coordination anions of [SbCl5]2- form a biquaternion ring structure through the secondary bonding of Sb...Cl. Moreover, the compound adopts a three-dimensional network supramolecular structure because of the hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking between the rings and the 2-（2-pyridyl）benzimidazole divalent cations. The title compound also shows good fluorescent behaviors.

Chemical Modification and Fluorescence Spectrum of Tryptophan Residues in Pullulanase

Tryptophan（Trp） residues in a pullulanase were modified by N-bromosuccinimide（NBS）. The results of the Spande method indicate that there are 18 Trp residues in the pullulanase and nine of them are located on the surface af the enzyme. Three of these Trp residues are nonessential residues which show the fastest reaction rate according to the Zou＇s plot. Two of the seven relative faster reacting residues are essential for the activity of the enzyme. The other eight are the slowest in the reaction rate or non-reactive residues for the reaction. The fluorescence and circular dichroism（CD） spectra of the pullulanase have been changed after the reaction with NBS. Potassium iodide（KI） and acrylamide also have remarkable influences on the fluorescence spectra of the pullulanase.

Fluorescence spectrum characteristic of ethanol-water excimer and mechanism of resonance energy transfer

The steady-state fluorescence spectrum characteristic of ethanol-water excimer has been studied in this paper. By analysing the features of the sharp emission spectrum with fine structures in a shortwave band and the characteristics of the broad and featureless fluorescence peaks in the longwave band, one can conclude that the excimers are formed between the new ethanol-water cluster molecules in the excited state and the ground state through the interaction among different chromophores. The excitation spectra in the two fluorescence bands have been studied, and their emission mechanisms have been ascertained based on the energy transfer theory. Furthermore, the critical distance of the resonance energy transfer has been calculated.

Potential Applications of X-ray Fluorescence Core Scanner in Elemental Analyses of the Muddy Sediments on the Coastal Shelves of China and in Ecological Study

Large areas of muddy sediments on the coastal shelves of China provide important samples for studying climate and ecological changes. Analysis of a large number of such samples, which is essential for systematic study on environmental information recorded in mud areas because of complicated sedimentary environment and variable sedimentary rate, requires a fast and economical method. In this study, we investigated the potential of X-ray fluorescence core scanner （XRFS）, a fast analytical instrument for measuring the elemental concentrations of muddy sediments, and observed a significant correlation between the element concentrations of muddy sediments determined by regular X-ray fluorescence spectrometer （XRF） and XRFS, respectively. The correlations are mainly determined by excitation energy of elements, but also influenced by solubility of element ions. Furthermore, we found a striking link between A1 concentrations and marine-originated organic carbon （MOC）, a proxy of marine primary productivity. This indicates that MOC is partly controlled by sedimentary characteristics. Therefore, XRFS method has a good potential in fast analysis of a large number of muddy sediment samples, and it can also be used to calibrate MOC in ecological study of coastal seas.

Elemental and proximate analysis of coal by x-ray fluorescence assisted laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Although laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS),as a fast on-line analysis technology,has great potential and competitiveness in the analysis of chemical composition and proximate analysis results of coal in thermal power plants,the measurement repeatability of LIBS needs to be further improved due to the difficulty in controlling the stability of the generated plasmas at present.In this paper,we propose a novel x-ray fluorescence(XRF) assisted LIBS method for high repeatability analysis of coal quality,which not only inherits the ability of LIBS to directly analyze organic elements such as C and H in coal,but also uses XRF to make up for the lack of stability of LIBS in determining other inorganic ash-forming elements.With the combination of elemental lines in LIBS and XRF spectra,the principal component analysis and the partial least squares are used to establish the prediction model and perform multi-elemental and proximate analysis of coal.Quantitative analysis results show that the relative standard deviation(RSD) of C is 0.15%,the RSDs of other elements are less than 4%,and the standard deviations of calorific value,ash content,sulfur content and volatile matter are 0.11 MJ kg,0.17%,0.79% and 0.41%respectively,indicating that the method has good repeatability in determination of coal quality.This work is helpful to accelerate the development of LIBS in the field of rapid measurement of coal entering the power plant and on-line monitoring of coal entering the furnace.

Highly sensitive detection of Rydberg atoms with fluorescence loss spectrum in cold atoms

Fluorescence loss spectrum for detecting cold Rydberg atoms with high sensitivity has been obtained based on lock-in detection of fluorescence of 6 P3/2 state when cooling lasers of the magneto-optical trap are modulated.The experiment results show that the signal to noise ratio has been improved by 32.64 dB when the modulation depth(converted to laser frequency)and frequency are optimized to 4 MHz and 6 kHz,respectively.This technique enables us to perform a highly sensitive non-destructive detection of Rydberg atoms.

Use of portable X-ray fluorescence in the analysis of surficial sediments in the exploration of hydrothermal vents on the Southwest Indian Ridge

Hydrothermal plumes released from the eruption of sea floor hydrothermal fluids contain large amounts of oreforming materials. They precipitate within certain distances from the hydrothermal vent. Six surficial sediment samples from the Southwest Indian Ridge（SWIR） were analyzed by a portable X-ray fluorescence（PXRF） analyzer on board to find a favorable method fast and efficient enough for sea floor sulfide sediment geochemical exploration. These sediments were sampled near, at a moderate distance from, or far away from hydrothermal vents. The results demonstrate that the PXRF is effective in determining the enrichment characteristics of the oreforming elements in the calcareous sediments from the mid-ocean ridge. Sediment samples（〉40 mesh） have high levels of elemental copper, zinc, iron, and manganese, and levels of these elements in sediments finer than 40 mesh are lower and relatively stable. This may be due to relatively high levels of basalt debris/glass in the coarse sediments, which are consistent with the results obtained by microscopic observation. The results also show clear zoning of elements copper, zinc, arsenic, iron, and manganese in the surficial sediments around the hydrothermal vent. Sediments near the vent show relatively high content of the ore-forming elements and either high ratios of copper to iron content and zinc to iron content or high ratios of copper to manganese content and zinc to manganese content. These findings show that the content of the ore-forming elements in the sediments around hydrothermal vents are mainly influenced by the distance of sediments to the vent, rather than grain size. In this way, the PXRF analysis of surface sediment geochemistry is found to satisfy the requirements of recognition geochemical anomaly in mid-ocean ridge sediments. Sediments with diameters finer than 40 mesh should be used as analytical samples in the geochemical exploration for hydrothermal vents on mid-oceanic ridges. The results concerning copper, zinc, arsenic, iron, and manganese and their ratio features can be used as indicators in sediment geochemical exploration of seafloor sulfides.

Spatial resolution and image processing for pinhole camera-based X-ray fluorescence imaging: a simulation study

Spatial resolution and image-processing methods for full-field X-ray fluorescence(FF-XRF)imaging using X-ray pinhole cameras were studied using Geant4simulations with different geometries and algorithms for image reconstruction.The main objectives were:(1)calculating the quantum efficiency curves of specific cameras,(2)studying the relationships between the spatial resolution and the pinhole diameter,magnification,and camera binning value,and(3)comparing image-processing methods for pinhole camera systems.Several results were obtained using a point and plane source as the X-ray fluorescence emitter and an array of 100×100 silicon pixel detectors as the X-ray camera.The quantum efficiency of a back-illuminated deep depletion(BI-DD)structure was above 30%for the XRF energies in the 0.8–9 keV range,with the maximum of 93.7%at 4 keV.The best spatial resolution of the pinhole camera was 24.7μm and 31.3 lp/mm when measured using the profile function of the point source,with the diameter of 20μm,magnification of 3.16,and camera bin of 1.A blind deconvolution algorithm with Gaussian filtering performed better than the Wiener filter and Richardson iterative methods on FF-XRF images,with the signal-to-noise ratio of 7.81 dB and improved signalto-noise ratio of 7.24 dB at the diameter of 120μm,magnification of 1.0,and camera bin of 1.

Simulation Study of Quantitative X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Ore Slurry Using Partial Least-Squares Regression

X-ray fluorescence （XRF） in combination with partial least-squares （PLS） regression was employed to analyze the ore slurry grade. Using the Monte Carlo simulation code PENELOPE, X-ray fluorescence spectra of ore samples were obtained. Good accuracy was achieved when this method was used to analyze elements with concentrations of several percent or above. It was demonstrated that the more the number of X-ray fluorescence spectra used to calibrate, the better the obtained accuracy. In this method detector resolution was found to have little or no effect on the results of quantitative analysis. The effect of the concentration of water was investigated as well, and it was found to have little influence on the results.

Impact of Different Grinding Aids on Standard Deviation in X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Cement Raw Meal

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis utilizes particle size which is resulted from milling of a material. The milling ensures uniform and fine grained powder. The finer and more uniform the particle size is, the better the result and easier it is for material quality control. To ensure uniformity in particle size and finer powder, a comparative analysis was conducted with different grinding aids and pressed pellet method was used in obtaining analysis results. Pressed pellets of cement raw meal sample milled with different grinding aids (graphite, aspirin and lithium borate) were subjected to XRF. Graphite produced better particle size uniformity with a corresponding standard deviation that made quality control of raw meal easier and better than aspirin and lithium borate.