PUMA (French for "Photons Utilisés pour les Matériaux Anciens") is a hard X-ray imaging beamline optimized for the scientific communities of the heritage sciences. It has a 2D scanning endstation with an X-ray microbeam of 5 µm (horizontal) x 3 µm (vertical) spot size, allowing users to obtain X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) data from their samples. The X-ray beam energy range is tunable between 4 and 22 keV. Continuous scanning is supported for the acquisition of large maps. A video-microscope allows for in-situ sample observation and alignment. A second experimental station for 3d imaging with X-ray energies up to 60 keV will be added in the future. This station will aim to provide micron resolution with a focus on in-line phase contrast imaging.
Potential Results
The XANES analysis allows the determination of the chemical state of the probed element and its local sourroundings; the XRD determines the mineranological phases inside the sample, in special cases can give long-range order and texture information; the XRF gives the elemental composition of the sample with a spacial resolution equal to the beam size.