A portable spectrometer for simultaneous PIXE and XRF analysis

A new portable system that performs simultaneous particle induced x-ray emission and x-ray fluorescence analysis is described. It is based on the use of a 244Cm radioactive source as a-particle and x-ray emitter, coupled to a Si drift detector. Particular care has been devoted to the choice of the materials surrounding the source. X-ray fluorescence spectra are presented, showing high detection efficiency for elements from Na (K lines) to Pb (L and M lines). The system can be used as a qualitative tool for 'fingerprint' analysis and, in some cases, as a quantitative one. Examples are presented and discussed.