Abstract

BackgroundCommercial micro X-ray fluorescence (?XRF) systems often employ a tilted convergent beam, which can cause a misalignment between X-ray cartography and the corresponding visible images. This misalignment is typically considered a disadvantage, as it hinders the accurate spatial correlation of elemental information. However, this apparent drawback can be exploited to facilitate X-ray stereoscopy.ObjectiveTo demonstrate the use of unmodified commercial ?XRF equipment to estimate the 3D configurations of metals and voids within a low-atomic-weight matrix, specifically polymethyl methacrylate, and to explore the implications for enhancing ?XRF mapping techniques. This approach could have applications in materials science, archaeology, and other fields requiring non-destructive 3D chemical mapping.MethodsUsing unmodified commercial ?XRF equipment, we leveraged both XRF and Compton scattering effects to quantitatively reconstruct the size, position, and depth of embedded tungsten, copper, and silver objects. The study specifically examines how beam divergence affects the acutance of objects located deeper within the sample.ResultsOur findings indicate a depth estimation bias ranging from 4% to 15% for depths between 24?mm, and a size estimation bias below 3.2%. These results validate the methodology and highlight the robustness of our approach under typical operational settings, suggesting that the technique could be applied to a wide range of samples with minimal modifications to existing ?XRF systems.ConclusionsThe study confirms that the inclination-induced misalignment in ?XRF systems can be harnessed to enhance three-dimensional imaging capabilities. Our work establishes a foundation for advancing current ?XRF mapping techniques and interpretation strategies, potentially broadening the applications of ?XRF in various scientific and industrial fields.