Emulating the Mars APXS with Accelerator-Based PIXE

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dc.contributor.advisorCampbell, John L. (Iain)
dc.contributor.advisorO'Meara, Joanne
dc.contributor.authorFlannigan, Erin Lynn
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-04T15:17:50Z
dc.date.available2017-05-04T15:17:50Z
dc.date.copyright2017-05
dc.date.created2017-04-27
dc.date.issued2017-05-04
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Physicsen_US
dc.degree.grantorUniversity of Guelphen_US
dc.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen_US
dc.degree.programmePhysicsen_US
dc.description.abstractA broad beam proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) system was designed in order to emulate and extend the calibration of Curiosity’s Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). For calibration of the PIXE system, twenty pure element standards were used to determine the instrumental constant over a range of X-ray energies. The issue of the choice between theoretical mass attenuation coefficient databases, XCOM and FFAST, was addressed. Deviations of light element (sodium, magnesium, aluminum) concentrations previously seen in the APXS were also seen in the accelerator-based PIXE measurements. These deviations arise from the rock structure’s violation of the assumption of sample homogeneity on the atomic scale. Systematically low iron concentrations, which appear unlikely to arise due to the homogeneity assumption, are more likely due to the grain size distribution of iron-bearing minerals in the powdered standards. Corrections for the deviations were determined and extended to Martian analog samples including basaltic trachyandesites, trachyandesites and trachytes.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada - Discovery grant to Dr. J.L. Campbell and a CSA grant to Dr. R. Gellert
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10214/10350
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Guelphen_US
dc.rights.licenseAll items in the Atrium are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
dc.subjectAPXSen_US
dc.subjectPIXEen_US
dc.subjectX-rayen_US
dc.subjectemissionen_US
dc.subjectdetectoren_US
dc.subjectlight elementen_US
dc.subjectFFASTen_US
dc.subjectXCOMen_US
dc.subjectmass attenuation coefficienten_US
dc.subjectfundamental parametersen_US
dc.subjectmineral phase effectsen_US
dc.subjectmatrix heterogeneityen_US
dc.subjectgrain sizeen_US
dc.titleEmulating the Mars APXS with Accelerator-Based PIXEen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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