Frank E Brenker | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Elemental compositions of comet 81P/Wild 2 samples collected by Stardust.

We measured the elemental compositions of material from 23 particles in aerogel and from residue in seven craters in aluminum foil that was collected during passage of the Stardust spacecraft through the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2. These particles are chemically heterogeneous at the largest size scale analyzed ( approximately 180 ng). The mean elemental composition of this Wild 2 material is consistent with the CI meteorite composition, which is thought to represent the bulk composition of the solar system, for the elements Mg, Si, Mn, Fe, and Ni to 35%, and for Ca and Ti to 60%. The elements Cu, Zn, and Ga appear enriched in this Wild 2 material, which suggests that the CI meteorites may not represent the solar system composition for these moderately volatile minor elements.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Three-dimensional trace element analysis by confocal X-ray microfluorescence imaging.

A three-dimensional (3D) variant of scanning micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is described and evaluated at the ID18F instrument of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). The method is based on confocal excitation/detection using a polycapillary half-lens in front of the energy-dispersive detector. The experimental arrangement represents a significant generalization of regular two-dimensional (2D) scanning micro-XRF and employs a detector half-lens whose focus coincides with that of the focused incoming beam. The detection volume defined by the intersection of the exciting beam and the energy-dependent acceptance of the polycapillary optics is 100-350 mum(3). Minimum detection limits are sub-ppm, and sensitivities are comparable with regular scanning XRF. Next to the reduction of in-sample single/multiple scattering, the setup provides the possibility of sample depth scans with an energy-dependent resolution of 10-35 mum in the energy range of 3-23 keV and the possibility of performing 3D-XRF analysis by simple XYZ linear scanning. This provides a suitable alternative to X-ray fluorescence tomography. The method is illustrated with results of the analysis of solid inclusions in diamond and fluid inclusions in quartz.

Journal Article↗