X-ray fluorescence holography with 50W low power X-ray source

Dr. P. Korecki (Jagiellonian University, Poland) and his colleagues have recently published a fairly impressive, successful 3D analysis of Cu₃Au (001) single crystal by white-beam X-ray fluorescence holograms measured using a 50W tungsten X-ray tube (50 kV, 1 mA, with 0.8mm Al filter). Primary X-ray photons at the aperture, which is placed at 340 mm from the source, are around 2×10⁸ counts/sec. The sample was positioned 610 mm from the sample, and was rotated relative to the incident beam around two axes (θ, φ). The X-ray fluorescence intensity of Cu K and Au L lines was measured by a Si drift detector (SDD) with a 25 mm² effective area, placed at a distance of 12 mm from the sample. The typical counting rate was around 10⁵ counts/sec, and the total acquisition time was ~90 h, i.e., 4 days. It was demonstrated that a 3D image of the sample was reconstructed from the recorded holograms. Readers might be surprised to know that such a non-efficient experiment can be done even with a low power source. As the authors claim at the end of this paper, the measuring time can be reasonably shortened by the use of more powerful laboratory X-ray sources. For more information, see the paper, "Element sensitive holographic imaging of atomic structures using white x rays", K. M. Da.browski et al., Phys. Rev. B87, 064111 (2013).