Proposal for a prototype of portable micro-XRF spectrometer

XRF is a powerful instrument for non-destructive characterization of materials of cultural interest. At the XLab Frascati Laboratory this technique is already well performed thanks to the polyCO set equipment allowing simultaneous micro-XRF 2D mapping. However, due to the strict demand for in situ analysis in this particular field, a new portable micro-XRF spectrometer equipped with a full polycapillary lens conjugated with a transmission anode X-ray tube is proposed. Many cultural objects are characterized by elements (Ag, Sn, etc.) with high energy fluorescence K-lines. Thus, the capability of a full lens to deliver a high energy fraction of X-ray spectrum, in order to excite the fluorescence K-lines of such elements, is tested.