Prototype magnetic deflector system for light element particle induced X-ray emission analysis

The improvements made to ultra-thin windows for X-ray detectors in recent years have allowed for the detection of elements as light as lithium. However, their use with particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) spectroscopy typically requires the addition of an absorber thick enough to prevent backscattered ions from reaching the detector. This also prevents lower energy (< 1 keV) X-rays from reaching the detector. By using a magnetic field to deflect backscattered ions away, the absorber can be eliminated, allowing for the detection of ultra-low energy X-rays. At the Ion Beam Laboratory of the University of North Texas, a prototype PIXE system using a magnetic deflector has been developed to allow for the detection and measurement of X-rays from light elements using a silicon drift X-ray detector with a ultra-thin window. With an average magnetic flux density of 0.88 T along the center, backscattered protons of an energy up to 1.22 MeV were successfully deflected away from the X-ray detector. Light element PIXE was performed with a 1 MeV proton beam on manganese oxide, sodium chloride and a Hibiscus rosa-sinenesis leaf. Elements of 5 ≤ Z ≤ 30 were successfully detected.