Archaeology Dictionary:
electron probe microanalysis
[Te]
A physical technique for determining the chemical composition of stone, ceramics, pigments, glass, metal, and surface treatments of various kinds. A highly focused electron beam bombards a small point (typically 1mm in diameter) on a polished sample, exciting electrons which emit secondary x-rays. The wavelengths of these secondary x-rays are characteristic of the elements that emitted them, and the concentrations of elements can be calculated from the intensities of each wavelength represented in the energy spectrum.
