Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) spectroscopy is a widely used instrumental spectroscopy method for a variety of samples.

Apatite is present as an accessory phase in many meteorites and is often formed as a secondary product of aqueous alteration. Its propensity to incorporate rare earth elements (REE) results in apatite usually being the main REE-bearing phase in hydrously altered meteorites. Asteroid Ryugu is thought to have experienced pervasive aqueous alteration and material collected from the surface of Ryugu is expected to provide insight into asteroidal aqueous alteration processes without influence by terrestrial weathering. Morphologies and mineral associations of apatite grains from five rock fragments collected from the asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft were examined and their REE concentrations were measured by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) spectroscopy. The main minerals associated with apatite are dolomite, magnetite, and pyrrhotite. Grain boundary corrosion of the interfaces between apatite assemblages and the surrounding matrix suggest that paragenetic formation on the asteroid was followed by a later episode of hydrous alteration. Light REE (LREE) concentration levels recorded at 20-150 times those of bulk CI levels together with a steady increase from LREE toward enrichment of medium REE (MREE, up to Er) at 50-400 times bulk CI levels may suggest postgenetic removal of LREE from Ryugu apatite grains by late-stage circulation of a hydrothermal fluid.

Samples of the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu were brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We analyzed 17 Ryugu samples measuring 1 to 8 millimeters. Carbon dioxide-bearing water inclusions are present within a pyrrhotite crystal, indicating that Ryugu's parent asteroid formed in the outer Solar System. The samples contain low abundances of materials that formed at high temperatures, such as chondrules and calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions. The samples are rich in phyllosilicates and carbonates, which formed through aqueous alteration reactions at low temperature, high pH, and water/rock ratios of <1 (by mass). Less altered fragments contain olivine, pyroxene, amorphous silicates, calcite, and phosphide. Numerical simulations, based on the mineralogical and physical properties of the samples, indicate that Ryugu's parent body formed ~2 million years after the beginning of Solar System formation.

Reliable identification of chondrules, calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs), carbonate grains, and Ca‐phosphate grains at depth within untouched, unprepared chondritic samples by a nondestructive analytical method, such as synchrotron X‐ray fluorescence (SXRF) computed tomography (CT), is an essential first step before intrusive analytical and sample preparation methods are performed. The detection of a local Ca‐enrichment could indicate the presence of such a component, all of which contain Ca as major element and/or Ca‐bearing minerals, allowing it to be precisely located at depth within a sample. However, the depth limitation from which Ca‐K fluorescence can travel through a chondrite sample (e.g., ∼115 µm through material of 1.5 g cm−3) to XRF detectors leaves many Ca‐bearing components undetected at deeper depths. In comparison, Sr‐K lines travel much greater distances (∼1700 µm) through the same sample density and are, thus, detected from much greater depths. Here, we demonstrate a clear, positive, and preferential correlation between Ca and Sr and conclude that Sr‐detection can be used as proxy for the presence of Ca (and, thus, Ca‐bearing components) throughout mm‐sized samples of carbonaceous chondritic material. This has valuable implications, especially for sample return missions from carbonaceous C‐type asteroids, such as Ryugu or Bennu. Reliable localization, identification, and targeted analysis by SXRF of Ca‐bearing chondrules, CAIs, and carbonates at depth within untouched, unprepared samples in the initial stages of a multianalysis investigation insures the valuable information they hold of pre‐ and post‐accretion processes in the early solar system is neither corrupted nor destroyed in subsequent processing and analyses.

The trace element content and distribution including rare Earth elements (REEs) measured in mm-sized asteroidal samples returned by JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission are important chemical parameters to decipher asteroid Ryugu's chronology of formation linked to early Solar System processes. In order to identify and analyze ancient Solar Nebula components, such as calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), by their trace element and REE content, a synchrotron beam with an incident energy of 90 keV is used to optimize the XRF signal and increase the information depth in the sample. The application of a (sub-)microscopic X-ray beam with such a high excitation energy not only allows for the detection of a wide range of heavy elements, but also to study their 3 dimensional distribution in mm-sized samples by means of X-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XRF-CT). The experiment was performed in anticipation of the initial analysis of the Hayabusa2 return samples at beamline ID15a of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. The samples were analyzed with a focused beam of 0.5 x 0.5 mu m2, achieving limit of detection values as low as 0.5 ppm with an acquisition time of 1 s. Here we present results of scanning XRF(-CT) analysis of a mm-sized sample of the Murchison meteorite, a Mighei type chondrite (CM2), wherein a 9.6 x 11.5 x 8.2 mu m(3) CAI phase was detected and analyzed. The CAI grain is shown to be detectable throughout the entire sample volume (~700 mu m) during an XRF-CT scan over a full 360 & nbsp; angular range, thus proving the applicability of the method to study the microscopic distribution of high-Z elements at trace level concentration within millimeter-sized asteroidal particles.

Identifying the manufacturer of historical wall tiles is often based on visual inspection by an expert. This is a subjective and time-consuming approach, as it can only be performed on sight by few experts. In this work, it is evaluated whether Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy can create a chemical fingerprint to discriminate the tile manufacturers based on their provenance. Using both analytical techniques and combining this with chemometrical analysis, different historical Belgian tile manufacturers are characterized. We were successful in discriminating the brown from the white glazes, as well as for discriminating most Belgian tile manufacturers based on their origin. For the latter, only the results of the white glazes were used. The results show that both Raman and XRF parameters are important markers, which is underlining the significance of their combined use and opens perspectives for their non-destructive use to distinguish the tile manufacturers, in situ.

Hyperspectral X-ray detectors, which provide the full energy spectrum detected by each individual pixel, have become available for use in lab-based facilities. The addition of spectral information currently comes at the cost of low overall acceptable flux rates, and can introduce countrate nonlinearity at higher energies. Neither of these drawbacks are desirable for transmission imaging and tomography. In this paper a new data processing software chain is presented for the SLcam, a pnCCD-based hyperspectral camera prototype, allowing for more control over the conversion from raw frames to hyperspectral images. Complementary to the processing software, a set of live data visualisations was developed to aid in monitoring ongoing experiments and to allow for preliminary data processing on-the-fly. The combination of these software elements forms the first step towards general applicability of hyperspectral imaging at laboratory tomography setups.

Microbeam X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy is applied, next to an art-historical analysis, to determine the time and place of origin of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. In the performed experiments, two groups of kraak porcelain samples (A and B) have been analyzed with XRF spectroscopy to obtain quantitative data, (trace) elemental distributions and fingerprints within different regions of interest. The outcome was processed with Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and with the obtained results it was possible to conclude that the two groups show similar elemental fingerprints and were manufactured in the same time period with a comparable use of raw materials. Additionally, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements have been performed on the pigment layer, confirming the use of Cobalt Blue as an underglaze pigment.

A novel optical thermometer based on a multinuclear mixed Eu3+/Tb3+ polyoxometalate, displaying excellent temperature sensing properties in the cryogenic region (<100 K), is proposed.

A novel quantitative reconstruction model for synchrotron-based confocal X-ray fluorescence imaging has been developed and validated.

Every infection is a battle for trace elements. Neutrophils migrate first to the infection site and accumulate quickly to high numbers. They fight pathogens by phagocytosis and intracellular toxication. Additionally, neutrophils form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to inhibit extracellular microbes. Yet, neutrophil trace element characteristics are largely unexplored. We investigated unstimulated and phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated neutrophils using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) on the sub-micron spatial resolution level. PMA activates pinocytosis, cytoskeletal rearrangements and the release of NETs, all mechanisms deployed by neutrophils to combat infection. By analyzing Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, P, S, and Ca, not only the nucleus but also vesicular granules were identifiable in the elemental maps. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed a neutrophil-specific composition of Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn in comparison with J774 and HeLa cells, indicating a neutrophil-specific metallome complying with their designated functions. When investigating PMA-activated neutrophils, the SR-XRF analysis depicted typical subcellular morphological changes: the transformation of nucleus and granules and the emergence of void vacuoles. Mature NETs were evenly composed of Fe, P, S, and Ca with occasional hot spots containing Zn, Fe, and Ca. An ICP-MS-based quantification of NET supernatants revealed a NETosis-induced decrease of soluble Zn, whereas Fe, Cu, and Mn concentrations were only slightly affected. In summary, we present a combination of SR-XRF and ICP-MS as a powerful tool to analyze trace elements in human neutrophils. The approach will be applicable and valuable to numerous aspects of nutritional immunity.

In this research, the transparent glaze layers of Chinese porcelain samples were investigated. Depending on the production period, these samples can be divided into two groups: the samples of group A dating from the Kangxi period (1661–1722), and the samples of group B produced under emperor Qianlong (1735–1795). Due to the specific sample preparation method and the small spot size of the X-ray beam, investigation of the transparent glaze layers is enabled. Despite the many existing research papers about glaze investigations of ceramics and/or porcelain ware, this research reveals new insights into the glaze composition and structure of Chinese porcelain samples. In this paper it is demonstrated, using micro-X-ray Fluorescence (μ-XRF) spectrometry, multivariate data analysis and statistical analysis (Hotelling's T-Square test) that the transparent glaze layers of the samples of groups A and B are significantly different (95% confidence level). Calculation of the Seger formulas, enabled classification of the glazes. Combining all the information, the difference in composition of the Chinese porcelain glazes of the Kangxi period and the Qianlong period can be demonstrated.

Lake sediments contain valuable information about past volcanic and seismic events that have affected the lake catchment, and they provide unique records of the recurrence interval and magnitude of such events. This study uses a multilake and multiproxy analytical approach to obtain reliable and high-resolution records of past natural catastrophes from similar to 600-yr-old annually laminated (varved) lake sediment sequences extracted from two lakes, Villarrica and Calafquen, in the volcanically and seismically active Chilean Lake District. Using a combination of micro-X-ray fluorescence (mu XRF) scanning, microfacies analysis, grain-size analysis, color analysis, and magnetic-susceptibility measurements, we detect and characterize four different types of event deposits (lacustrine turbidites, tephra-fall layers, runoff cryptotephras, and lahar deposits) and produce a revised eruption record for Villarrica Volcano, which is unprecedented in its continuity and temporal resolution. Glass geochemistry and mineralogy also reveal deposits of eruptions from the more remote Carran-Los Venados volcanic complex, Quetrupillan Volcano, and the Huanquihue Group in the studied lake sediments. Time-series analysis shows 112 eruptions with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) >= 2 from Villarrica Volcano in the last similar to 600 yr, of which at least 22 also produced lahars. This significantly expands our knowledge of the eruptive frequency of the volcano in this time window, compared to the previously known eruptive history from historical records. The last VEI >= 2 eruption of Villarrica Volcano occurred in 1991. Based on the last similar to 500 yr, for which we have a complete record from both lakes, we estimate the probability of the occurrence of future eruptions from Villarrica Volcano and statistically demonstrate that the probability of a 22 yr repose period (anno 2013) without VEI >= 2 eruptions is <= 1.7%. This new perspective on the recurrence interval of eruptions and historical lahar activity will help improve volcanic hazard assessments for this rapidly expanding tourist region, and it highlights how lake records can be used to significantly improve historical eruption records in areas that were previously uninhabited.