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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 1–5Cite as

Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy (PIXE): Applications in Archaeology

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Introduction

With the advent of nuclear-based analytical methods in the last 50 years, particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has established a role in the elemental analysis of archaeological material and cultural heritage. PIXE is a technique with a diverse array of applications in biology, geology, materials science, and others and has found valuable wide-ranging applications in archaeology and cultural heritage research. Such applications for archaeology and museum work generally fall into the categories of compositional analysis, provenance, understanding surface treatments and changes, and conservation and restoration.

Definition

The general definition of PIXE is “particle-induced X-ray emission” although this is often synonymous with “proton-induced X-ray emission,” which is a specific type of PIXE. Charged particles typically used in PIXE include both protons (p) and α-particles (He+2). Protons are produced in particle accelerators such as Van de Graff instruments, whereas...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff

Authors
  1. Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel Sarah Popelka-Filcoff .

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    E. Christian Wells

  2. School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Arleyn Simon

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Popelka-Filcoff, R.S. (2018). Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy (PIXE): Applications in Archaeology. In: Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_342-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_342-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51726-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51726-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference HistoryReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

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