Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (Sr-XRF)

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) is one of two general types of X-ray Fluorescence techniques used for elemental analysis applications. In EDXRF spectrometers, all of the elements in the sample are excited simultaneously, and an energy dispersive detector in combination with a multi-channel analyzer is used to simultaneously collect the fluorescence radiation emitted from the sample and then separate the different energies of the characteristic radiation from each of the different sample elements. Resolution of EDXRF systems is dependent upon the detector, and typically ranges from 150 eV – 600 eV. The principal advantages of EDXRF systems are their simplicity, fast operation, lack of moving parts, and high source efficiency.