Imaging by the Use of Monochromatic X-Rays Induced by Proton Beam

In this research work, commissioning of a radiography end station using proton-induced monochromatic X-rays in the Van de Graaff laboratory of Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI) is reported. An energetic proton beam with a current of hundreds of nanoamps after passing through the relevant slits in the beam path, is used to irradiate a metallic target leading to the generation of monochromatic X-rays. By altering the target, a wide variety of monochromatic X-rays with different wavelengths could be generated. The yield of characteristic proton-induced X-ray emission is measured using a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD). The generated X-rays could then pass through the window of the reaction chamber and irradiate the sample of interest. In this way, the required conditions for radiography by the “K-edge contrast imaging” could be provided. By implementing the mentioned analytical technique, using the K-edge absorption of the interest element in the sample, radiographic image contrast could be improved for different samples of cultural heritage such as manuscripts, clothes, and coins in the Van de Graaff lab of NSTRI.