Article
Article
Proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE)
Article By:
Grodzins, Lee Physics Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Last reviewed:August 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.551350
A highly sensitive analytic technique for determining the composition of elements in small samples. Proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) is a nondestructive method capable of analyzing many elements simultaneously at concentrations of parts per million in samples as small as nanograms. PIXE has gained acceptance in many disciplines; for example, it is the preferred technique for surveying the environment for trace quantities of such toxic elements as lead and arsenic. There has also been a rapid development in the use of focused proton beams for PIXE studies in order to produce two-dimensional maps of the elements at spatial resolutions of micrometers.
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