K-shell cross sections for analytical electron microscopy

Abstract

There has during the last few years been a renewed interest in the calculation of ionization cross-sections for use in AEM-based x-ray analysis, due to the fact that modern AEM's can operate up to accelerating potentials of 400 kV. In this regime relativistic effects are considerable and the extrapolation of the “accepted” microprobe-based formulae to these levels is questionable and the relativistic Bethe equation is the most appropriate formulation.