Micro-crystalline inclusions analysis by PIXE and RBS

David Strivay (1, 2) , Claire Ramboz (2) , J.P. Gallien (3) , D. Grambole (4) , Kalin Kouzmanov (5, 6)

1 Institut de Physique Nucléaire
2 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans
3 LPS - Laboratoire Pierre Süe
4 Ionenstrahlzentrum
5 CERI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches par Irradiation
6 Sciences de la Terre

A characteristic feature of the nuclear microprobe using a 3 MeV proton beam is the long range of particles (around 70 μm in light matrices). The PIXE method, with EDS analysis and using the multilayer approach for treating the X-ray spectrum allows the chemistry of an intra-crystalline inclusion to be measured, provided the inclusion roof and thickness at the impact point of the beam (Z and e, respectively) are known (the depth of the inclusion floor is Z + e). The parameter Z of an inclusion in a mineral can be measured with a precision of around 1 μm using a motorized microscope. However, this value may significantly depart from Z if the analyzed inclusion has a complex shape. The parameter e can hardly be measured optically. By using combined RBS and PIXE measurements, it is possible to obtain the geometrical information needed for quantitative elemental analysis. This paper will present measurements on synthetic samples to investigate the advantages of the technique, and also on natural solid and fluid inclusions in quartz. The influence of the geometrical parameters will be discussed with regard to the concentration determination by PIXE. In particular, accuracy of monazite micro-inclusion dating by coupled PIXE-RBS will be presented.

Mots clés: Micro-inclusion; RBS; PIXE; Microprobe; Monazite

Domaines: Géophysique [physics.geo-ph]

David Strivay, Claire Ramboz, J.P. Gallien, D. Grambole, Kalin Kouzmanov. Micro-crystalline inclusions analysis by PIXE and RBS. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2008, 266 (10), pp.2375-2378. ⟨10.1016/j.nimb.2008.03.068⟩. ⟨insu-00286641⟩