AlphaparticleXrayspectrometer

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APXSisalsoanabbreviationforAPacheeXtenSiontool,anextensionforApachewebservers.
AnalphaparticleXrayspectrometer(APXS)isaspectrometerthatanalysesthe
chemicalelementcompositionofasamplefromthescatteredalphaparticles,and
fluorescentXraysafterthesampleisirradiatedwithalphaparticlesandXraysfrom
radioactivesources.[1]Thismethodofanalysingtheelementalcompositionofasampleis
mostoftenusedonspacemissions,whichrequirelowweight,smallsize,andminimal
powerconsumption.Othermethods(e.g.massspectrometry)arefaster,anddonotrequire
theuseofradioactivematerials,butrequirelargerequipmentwithlessmodestpower
requirements.AvariationisthealphaprotonXrayspectrometer,suchasonthe
Pathfindermission,whichalsodetectsprotons.
OvertheyearsseveralmodifiedversionsofthistypeofinstrumentsuchasAPS(without
Xrayspectrometer)orAPXShavebeenflown:Surveyor57,[2]MarsPathfinder,[3]Mars
96,[4]MarsExplorationRover,[5]Phobos,[6]MarsScienceLaboratoryandthePhilaecomet
lander.[7][8]APS/APXSdeviceswillbeincludedonseveralupcomingmissionsincluding
theChandrayaan2lunarrover.[9]

AlphaparticleXrayspectrometer(topleft),APXSat
thebackoftheMarsPathfinderSojournerrover
(right),MSLCuriosity'salphaparticleXray
spectrometer,witharuler(bottomleft).

Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Sources
Alphaparticles
Protons
Xray
Specificinstruments
Gallery
References
Externallinks

Sources
SeveralformsofradiationareusedinAPXS.Theyincludealphaparticles,protons,andXrays.Alphaparticles,protons,andXraysare
emittedduringtheradioactivedecayofunstableatoms.Acommonsourceofalphaparticlesiscurium244.Itemitsparticleswithanenergyof
5.8MeV.Xraysof14and18keVareemittedinthedecayofplutonium240.TheMarsExplorationRovers'Athenapayloadusescurium244
withasourcestrengthofapproximately30millicuries(1.1GBq).[10]

Alphaparticles
Someofthealphaparticlesofadefinedenergyarebackscatteredtothedetectoriftheycollidewithan
atomicnucleus.ThephysicallawsforRutherfordbackscatteringinananglecloseto180are
conservationofenergyandconservationoflinearmomentum.Thismakesitpossibletocalculatethe
massofthenucleushitbythealphaparticle.
Lightelementsabsorbmoreenergyofthealphaparticle,whilealphaparticlesarereflectedbyheavy
nucleinearlywiththesameenergy.Theenergyspectrumofthescatteredalphaparticleshowspeaks
from25%uptonearly100%oftheinitialalphaparticles.Thisspectrummakesitpossibletodetermine
thecompositionofthesample,especiallyforthelighterelements.Thelowbackscatteringratemakesit
necessaryforprolongedirradiation,approximately10hours.

SojournertakesitsAPXS
measurementoftheYogiRock.

Protons
Someofthealphaparticlesareabsorbedbytheatomicnuclei.The[alpha,proton]processproducesprotonsofadefinedenergywhichare
detected.Sodium,magnesium,silicon,aluminiumandsulfurcanbedetectedbythismethod.ThismethodwasonlyusedintheMars
PathfinderAPXS.FortheMarsExplorationRoverstheprotondetectorwasreplacedbyasecondalphaparticlesensor.

Xray
Thealphaparticlesarealsoabletoejectelectronsfromtheinnershell(KandLshell)ofanatom.Thesevacanciesarefilledbyelectrons
fromoutershells,whichresultsintheemissionofacharacteristicXray.ThisprocessistermedparticleinducedXrayemissionandis
relativelyeasytodetectandhasitsbestsensitivityandresolutionfortheheavierelements.

Specificinstruments
AlphaX,forDASlanderonPhobos1andPhobos2.[6][11]
ALPHA,forMars96landers.CollaborationbetweenGermany,Russia,andUSA.[12]
AlphaProtonXRaySpectrometer,forMarsPathfinderbytheMaxPlanckInstituteandtheUniversityofChicago.[13]

AlphaParticleXraySpectrometer,forSpirit(MERA)andOpportunity(MERB)MarsExplorationRovers.[14][15]
AlphaParticleXraySpectrometer,forCuriosity(MSL).TheprincipalinvestigatorforCuriosity'sAPXSisRalfGellert,aphysicistat
theUniversityofGuelphinOntario,Canada.ItwasdevelopedandfundedbytheCanadianSpaceAgency,withoperationsalso
supportedbyGuelphandUnitedStates'spaceadministration.[16]
AlphaParticleXraySpectrometer,forPhilae,theEuropeanSpaceAgency'slanderattachedtoRosetta,tostudythecomet
67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko.[7]

Gallery

"BonanzaKing"rock
onMarscleanedwith
"DustRemovalTool"
(August17,2014).

"BonanzaKing"rock
onMarsdustedand
initiallydrilled
(September11,2014).

"BonanzaKing"rock
onMarsdrilling
stoppedduetoloose
rock(September11,
2014).

"BonanzaKing"rock
onMarsAPXS
analysis(Curiosity
roverSeptember11,
2014).

References
1.Economou,T.E.Turkevich,A.L.Sowinski,K.P.Patterson,J.H.
Franzgrote,E.J.(1970)."TheAlphaScatteringTechniqueofChemical
Analysis".J.GeophysicalResearch75(32):6514.
Bibcode:1970JGR....75.6514E.doi:10.1029/JB075i032p06514.
2.Patterson,J.H.Franzgrote,E.J.Turkevich,A.L.Anderson,W.A.
Economou,T.E.Griffin,H.E.Grotch,S.L.Sowinski,K.P.(1969).
"AlphascatteringexperimentonSurveyor7Comparisonwith
Surveyors5and6".J.GeophysicalResearch74(25):612048.
Bibcode:1969JGR....74.6120P.doi:10.1029/JB074i025p06120.
3.R.RiederH.WnkeT.EconomouA.Turkevich(1997).
"DeterminationofthechemicalcompositionofMartiansoiland
rocks:ThealphaprotonXrayspectrometer".J.GeophysicalResearch
102(E2):40274044.Bibcode:1997JGR...102.4027R.
doi:10.1029/96JE03918.
4.Rieder,R.Wanke,H.Economou,T.(1997)."AnAlphaProtonX
RaySpectrometerforMars96andMarsPathfinder".American
AstronomicalSociety28:1062.Bibcode:1996DPS....28.0221R.
5.R.RiederR.GellertJ.BrcknerG.KlingelhferG.DreibusA.
YenS.W.Squyres(2003)."ThenewAthenaalphaparticleXray
spectrometerfortheMarsExplorationRovers".J.Geophysical
Research108(E12):8066.Bibcode:2003JGRE..108.8066R.
doi:10.1029/2003JE002150.
6.Hovestadt,D.Andreichikov,B.Bruckner,J.Economou,T.Klecker,
B.Kunneth,E.Laeverenz,P.Mukhin,L.etal.(1988)."InSitu
MeasurementoftheSurfaceCompositionoftheMarsMoonPhobos:
TheAlphaXExperimentonthePhobosMission".Abstractsofthe
LunarandPlanetaryScienceConference19:511.
Bibcode:1988LPI....19..511H.
7.http://www.unimainz.de/,JohannesGutenbergUniversittMainz,

7.http://www.unimainz.de/,JohannesGutenbergUniversittMainz,
AlphaparticlexrayspectrometerdevelopedinMainztobeusedon
cometChuryumovGerasimenko(http://www.uni
mainz.de/presse/17491_ENG_HTML.php),10April2014
8."AlphaProtonXraySpectrometer(APXS)MissionName:Philae".
NASA.26August2014.
9."PayloadsforChandrayaan2MissionFinalised".isro.gov.in.Indian
SpaceResearchOrganisation.20100830.Retrieved20120807.
10.unknown."AlphaParticleXRaySpectrometer(APXS)(2pages)"
(PDF).
11.JPLQuickLookPhobos1,2
(http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/QuickLooks/phobosQL.html)
12.SMALLAUTONOMOUSSTATIONSMars96
(http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mars96/08_mars_e.htm#%D0%90%D0%9B%D
0%AC%D0%A4%D0%90)
13.MarsPathfinderInstrumentDescriptionsNASA
(http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/sci_desc.html)
14.ATHENACornellUniversity
(http://athena.cornell.edu/the_mission/ins_apxs.html)
15."MarsExplorationRovers:Spacecraft:SurfaceOperations:
Instruments:AlphaParticleXRaySpectrometer(APXS)".NASAJPL.
16.NASAAlphaParticleXraySpectrometer(APXS)(http://msl
scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/Instruments/APXS/)

Externallinks
H.WnkeJ.BrcknerG.DreibusR.RiederI.Ryabchikov(2001)."ChemicalCompositionof
RocksandSoilsatthePathfinderSite".SpaceScienceReviews96(1/4):317330.
doi:10.1023/A:1011961725645.
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alpha_particle_X
ray_spectrometer&oldid=709320285"

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