— We present Chandra and VLT observations of the X−Ray Flash XRF 040812. The X−ray analysis reveals with high precision the position of a hard, fading source. A careful analysis of our I−band VLT images taken starting 17 hours after the burst led to the discovery of the optical afterglow superimposed to a bright (I = 21.5) host galaxy. The optical afterglow is seen decaying with an index of 1.1...

Introduction: This paper describes the progress in the development and application of the AEXS instrument to determine elemental abundance by analysis of the excired XRF spectra. The AEXS is a miniature instrument based on the excitation of characteristic X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectra from samples in ambient atmosphere using a focused electron beam. Operation in ambient atmospheres with mode...

Calcium and potassium are essential for cell signaling, ion homeostasis and cell wall strength in plants. Unlike nutrients such as nitrogen and potassium, calcium is immobile in plants. Localized calcium deficiencies result in agricultural losses; particularly for fleshy horticultural crops in which elemental imbalances in fruit contribute to the development of physiological disorders such as b...

The prediction of the service life of concrete materials is difficult, mainly because of their complex heterogeneous microstructure and their random nature. Studying the presence of cracks in concrete and their effect on chloride transport and binding properties is of great interest in civil engineering. Cracks with different widths and depths will reduce the effective cover thickness and accel...

Cryogenic, high-resolution X-ray detectors have potential applications in industrial .X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. We discuss various XRF analysis techniques currently used in the semiconductor industry, problems encountered clue to limitations of current detectors and the potential benefits of using cryogen ic detectors in these applications. We give examples of demonstration experiments...

Gabbroic rocks were collected at Mount Tsukuba in Japan, and their XAFS images were studied using a projection-type X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microscope, which is a powerful new tool recently developed for extremely rapid imaging. The instrument employs a grazing-incidence arrangement in order that primary X-rays illuminate the whole sample surface, as well as parallel-beam optics and an extreme...

Although it is generally thought that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are associated with core-collapse supernovae (SNe), so far only four pairs of GRBs and SNe with firmly established connection have been found. All the four GRB-SNe are among a special class of Type Ic—called the broad-lined SNe indicative of a large explosion energy, suggesting that only a small fraction of SNe Ibc hav...

Geochemical analysis of the surface material of terrestrial type planets is of fundamental importance in understanding the geological context of the planetary environment. Consequently this analysis should be performed whenever possible and indeed this has occurred on a number of previous landers. Current techniques include X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Rutherford back-scattering of alpha partic...