X-ray Absorption

Spectroscopy
What are X-rays??

Synchrotron radiation is used for experiments typically over this region

and...Spectroscopy??
Spectroscopy means that some aspect of the interaction changes as a
function of photon energy.
How are they produced?
There are two (THREE?) principal mechanisms by which x-rays are produced.
● Involves the rapid deceleration of a high speed
electron as it enters the electrical field of a

01 Bremsstrahlung ●
nucleus
During this process the electron is deflected and
emits a photon of x-radiation.

Produced through transitions of electron between

Characteristic ●

02 X-rays
●
atomic orbits.
Transitions involve movement of electrons from
outer orbits to vacancies in inner orbits

Emitted by charged particles traveling on a curved path.

03 Synchrotron emission
This is an example electromagnetic radiation produced by
centripetal acceleration (as opposed to bremsstrahlung, which
is produced by tangential acceleration).
 Selection rules
Laporte – allowed transitions involve ∆l=±1
‘s ↔ p’, ‘p ↔ d’, ‘d ↔ f’ etc allowed (Δl = ±1)
‘s ↔ d’, ‘p ↔ f’ etc forbidden (Δl = ±2)
‘s ↔ s’, ‘p ↔ p’ , ‘d ↔ d’, ‘f ↔ f’ etc forbidden (Δl = 0)

Spin selection rule

ΔS = 0
Characteristic lines
Why synchrotron radiation??
● Wide energy spectrum: SR is
emitted with a wide range of
energies
● High brightness:
SR is extremely intense
(hundreds of thousands of
times higher than conventional
x-ray tubes)
● Highly polarized and short
pulses:
SR is emitted in very short
pulses, typically less that a
nano-second (a billionth of a
second)
Synchroton facilities in India
 X-ray absorption
spectroscopy
Inner shell spectroscopy : an x-ray
interacts primarily with a deep-core
electron rather than with a valence
electron.
 The basic XAS
experiment
The basic process..
How does XAS work??
An incident x-ray of energy E is absorbed, destroying a core electron of
binding energy E0 and emitting a photo-electron with kinetic energy
(E − E0). The core state is eventually filled, ejecting a fluorescent x-ray
or an Auger electron.
Applications!!
● Characterization of semiconductor materials
● In Environmental & Biological Sciences:

Chemical form affects the element’s properties, e.g.

– Solubility and mobility in groundwater
– Bioavailability to organisms
– Toxicity to higher organisms including humans
• Samples are often heterogeneous, e.g.
– Organisms, tissues, cells
– Soil, sediment, mine tailings
• Need to know the chemical form of a potentially toxic
element in a complex matrix
– X-ray absorption spectroscopy can do this
XAS probes the local chemical form of any element
– Atomic property so no confusion over which element
• Due to properties of X-rays, XAS can be measured in
almost any matrix
– e.g. biological tissues, sediments, etc.
• Analyzes all forms of the element with no “hidden”
phases, e.g.
– Crystalline or amorphous phases, aqueous solutions,
adsorbed species, even gases
• In situ probe - little pretreatment is needed
• Information on mixtures of chemical species
• Spatial information from fluorescence mapping
THANK YOU!