Abstract
A new excitation source has been developed for x-ray emission analysis of high atomic number elements. A mixture of the sample and a small amount of boron-10 is irradiated in a thermal neutron beam and the resultant × radiation is recorded using a Ge(Li) semiconductor detector and a multichannel analyzer. The boron-10 undergoes neutron capture (<sup>10</sup>B(<i>n,</i>α)<sup>7</sup>Li, σ=3840<i>b</i>) producing a single excited state of lithium-7 in 92.5% of the captures. Lithium-7<i>m</i> decays with a half-life of about 5x10<sup>−14</sup> sec emitting a monoenergic 477 keV gamma ray. These gamma rays are in excellent geometry to the sample and are sufficiently energetic to excite the <i>K</i> × radiation of the highest atomic number elements known. The <i>K</i> x-ray spectra of several elements are presented along with a discussion of sample preparation and apparatus optimization.
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