Radiative auger emission satellites observed by microcalorimeter‐based energy‐dispersive high‐resolution PIXE

Abstract

AbstractParticle‐induced X‐ray emission is a well‐known technique able to provide information on absolute amounts of chemical elements present in samples, even if in very small amounts. Solid state as well as chemical effects are known to exist, and affect results, but are assumed to be second‐order small effects and until recently only experimentally accessible to high‐resolution Wavelegth Dispersive Spectrometer (WDS) systems. Microcalorimeter‐based high‐resolution energy‐dispersive X‐ray detector systems, which became commercially available recently, may radically change this situation. High‐resolution spectra obtained from point scan irradiations of an agate sample are presented in this work. In addition to a clear separation of the Si‐Kα and the Si‐Kβ groups, secondary order radiative auger emission satellites are observed. Finally, details of the spectrum structure are discussed and the presence of intrinsic plasmon satellites proposed to be a strong possibility to explain these details. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.