TY - GEN
T1 - Texture-specific elemental analysis of rocks and soils with PIXL
T2 - 2015 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2015
AU - Allwood, Abigail
AU - Clark, Ben
AU - Flannery, David
AU - Hurowitz, Joel
AU - Wade, Lawrence
AU - Elam, Tim
AU - Foote, Marc
AU - Knowles, Emily
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 IEEE.
PY - 2015/6/5
Y1 - 2015/6/5
N2 - PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence instrument for examining fine scale chemical variations in rocks and soils on planetary surfaces. Selected for flight on the science payload for the proposed Mars 2020 rover, PIXL can measure elemental chemistry of tiny features observed in rocks, such as individual sand grains, veinlets, cements, concretions and crystals, using a 100 μm-diameter, high-flux X-ray beam that can be scanned across target surfaces. At the heart of PIXL, a polycapillary X-ray focusing optic focuses the X-ray beam down to a -I00J.1m spot. The optic is coupled to a state-of-the-art miniature microfocus X-ray tube. The X-ray beam produced by the focused X-ray source yields extremely high fluorescent X-ray count rates, enabling sensitive analysis of each spot in a few seconds. In 5-10 seconds, PIXL reveals major and minor elements in a sample. In 1 to 2 minutes, sensitive trace element analysis is achieved. Different measurement strategies allow flexibility during operations to respond to scientific opportunities and resource constraints. PIXL can perform line or grid measurements on abraded or natural (unabraded) surfaces. With operational flexibility, high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, a wide range of detectable elements, rapid spectral acquisition and a raster scanning capability for chemical mapping, PIXL would enable detailed insights to past habitability and the potential for preservation of biosignatures.
AB - PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence instrument for examining fine scale chemical variations in rocks and soils on planetary surfaces. Selected for flight on the science payload for the proposed Mars 2020 rover, PIXL can measure elemental chemistry of tiny features observed in rocks, such as individual sand grains, veinlets, cements, concretions and crystals, using a 100 μm-diameter, high-flux X-ray beam that can be scanned across target surfaces. At the heart of PIXL, a polycapillary X-ray focusing optic focuses the X-ray beam down to a -I00J.1m spot. The optic is coupled to a state-of-the-art miniature microfocus X-ray tube. The X-ray beam produced by the focused X-ray source yields extremely high fluorescent X-ray count rates, enabling sensitive analysis of each spot in a few seconds. In 5-10 seconds, PIXL reveals major and minor elements in a sample. In 1 to 2 minutes, sensitive trace element analysis is achieved. Different measurement strategies allow flexibility during operations to respond to scientific opportunities and resource constraints. PIXL can perform line or grid measurements on abraded or natural (unabraded) surfaces. With operational flexibility, high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, a wide range of detectable elements, rapid spectral acquisition and a raster scanning capability for chemical mapping, PIXL would enable detailed insights to past habitability and the potential for preservation of biosignatures.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84940703023
U2 - 10.1109/AERO.2015.7119099
DO - 10.1109/AERO.2015.7119099
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84940703023
T3 - IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings
BT - 2015 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2015
PB - IEEE Computer Society
Y2 - 7 March 2015 through 14 March 2015
ER -