View source for Ion Beam Analysis - Proton Induced X-ray Emission

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==Overview==
 
==What it measures==
Energetic protons can also eject inner-shell electrons and the subsequent electron transitions to fill the empty, inner shell orbitals also produce characteristic x-ray energies.  Photons, electrons and protons lead to the production of characteristic energy x-rays that can be used to identify elements in pigments or in metallic artifacts.
==Most common uses in conservation==
analysis of manuscript ink, small statues, metallic plate, coins
==Applications==
In PIXE the proton beam irradiates a relatively small area of the artifact (beam sizes are approx. 1mm x 1mm down to 0.1mm x 0.1mm - the diameter of a paper clip wire or smaller) thus small enough to lie well within a line of ink on a manuscript or a well defined ara of a painting.  Additionally one of the advantages of PIXE is that calibration of the amount of pigment is easier than with other techniques (e.g. XRF). PIXE (requires an ion acelerator which is a large, fixed piece of equipment and so unlike with XRF the painting or artifact must be brought to the equipment in the lab.   
==Case Study==

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