electron microprobe

Instrument used to determine the relative and absolute abundances of elements at a particular point within an material (such as a mineral).

The electron microprobe shoots electrons at the sample and then measures the electrons that bounce back from the sample (backscatter electrons), the electrons emitted from the sample, and X-rays that are emitted from the sample. The number of electons that bounce back is directly related to elemental mass, and each element emits a characteristic set of X-rays of different energies. The electron microprobe allows for much more detailed chemical analyses of materials than is possible by conventional chemical techniques.