Some Methods for analysing unresolved Proportional Counter Curves of X-ray Line Spectra

Abstract

Three different pulse analysis methods are described by which the intensities of several closely spaced spectral lines, as detected by a proportional counter, may be determined quickly and unambiguously. The techniques are applicable where each significant line occurring in the spectrum can be obtained separately for calibration procedures; X-ray emission microanalysis, for example, fulfils this condition. The two methods which have been tested gave absolute errors in the order of a few per cent in analysing various mixtures of copper and nickel. An important application of such techniques is in the analysis of characteristic X-rays having long wavelengths and low intensity, since maintenance of an adequate counting rate under these conditions is difficult if a crystal or ruled grating spectrometer is used.