The Proton Microprobe: A Powerful Tool for Nondestructive Trace Element Analysis
FRITZ BOSCH 1,
AHMED EL GORESY 1,
BERND MARTIN 1,
BOGDAN POVH 1,
RAINER NOBILING 2,
DIRK SCHWALM 2, and
KURT TRAXEL 2
1 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, D-6900 Heidelberg, Germany
2 Physikalisches Institut der Universität Heidelberg, D-6900 Heidelberg
A proton microprobe capable of focusing proton beams with energies up to 6 million electron volts to a spot size of 2 x 2 square micrometers has been used for chemical analysis of small grains of minerals in lunar samples by proton-induced x-ray emission. The proton microprobe is preferable to the electron microprobe for analyzing trace elements whose concentrations are below the detection limit of the latter and for analyzing objects with numerous major and trace elements with a wide range of atomic numbers. Application of the proton microprobe to biological samples is feasible.
Submitted on May 23, 1977
Revised on December 12, 1977
