Materials analysis at the SNL/LLNL nuclear microprobe

Abstract A wide variety of materials have been analyzed using the nuclear microprobe in Livermore, including metals, low density foams, compound semiconductors for room temperature detectors, glasses and particulates. A brief overview of our recent work is given, in addition to a broader discussion of three specific applications. In the first application, Ion Microtomography (IMT) is used to produce three-dimensional mass density maps of low density foams being developed as targets for Z-pinch physics experiments. In the second application, we produce two-dimensional elemental maps of CdZnTe crystals being developed as room temperature radiation detectors. The maps help determine the effect of local variations in stoichiometry on detector performance. Finally, we discuss the measurement of trace elements and radial diffusion profiles in superconducting wire using micro-scale Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE).