Characterization of a continuous muon source for the non-destructive and depth-selective elemental composition analysis by muon induced x- and gamma-rays
Date
2022
Authors
Biswas, Sayani
Gerchow, Lars
Luetkens, Hubertus
Prokscha, Thomas
Antognini, Aldo
Berger, Niklaus
Cocolios, Thomas Elias
Dressler, Rugard
Indelicato, Paul
Jungmann, Klaus
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Applied Sciences
Abstract
The toolbox for material characterization has never been richer than today. Great progress
with all kinds of particles and interaction methods provide access to nearly all properties of an object
under study. However, a tomographic analysis of the subsurface region remains still a challenge
today. In this regard, the Muon Induced X-ray Emission (MIXE) technique has seen rebirth fueled
by the availability of high intensity muon beams. We report here a study conducted at the Paul
Scherrer Institute (PSI). It demonstrates that the absence of any beam time-structure leads to low
pile-up events and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with less than one hour acquisition time per
sample or data point. This performance creates the perspective to open this technique to a wider
audience for the routine investigation of non-destructive and depth-sensitive elemental compositions,
for example in rare and precious samples. Using a hetero-structured sample of known elements and
thicknesses, we successfully detected the characteristic muonic X-rays, emitted during the capture of
a negative muon by an atom, and the gamma-rays resulting from the nuclear capture of the muon,
characterizing the capabilities of MIXE at PSI. This sample emphasizes the quality of a continuous
beam, and the exceptional SNR at high rates. Such sensitivity will enable totally new statistically
intense aspects in the field of MIXE, e.g., elemental 3D-tomography and chemical analysis. Therefore,
we are currently advancing our proof-of-concept experiments with the goal of creating a full fledged
permanently operated user station to make MIXE available to the wider scientific community as well
as industry.
Description
Keywords
non-destructive technique, negative muon induced X-ray emission, continuous muon beam, sandwich sample, depth-dependent elemental analysis
Citation
Biswas, S., Gerchow, L., Luetkens, H., Prokscha, T., Antognini, A., Berger, N., . . . Amato, A. (2022). “Characterization of a continuous muon source for the nondestructive and depth-selective elemental composition analysis by muon induced xand gamma-rays.” Applied Sciences, 12(5), 2541. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052541