Particle-beam spectroscopy is a class of analytical methods in which a focused beam of charged or neutral particles (e.g., electrons, ions, neutrons) is directed at a target to probe its electronic, structural, or compositional properties via energy- and angle-resolved detection of scattered or emitted particles or photons. Techniques such as electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), ion-beam analysis (IBA), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and neutron spectroscopy fall under this umbrella. These methods exploit particle–matter interaction cross-sections, energy transfer, and momentum exchange to yield quantitative information on elemental composition, depth profiles, bonding environments, excitations, and lattice dynamics at micro- to nanoscale spatial resolution.
It seems like every day a new study finds tiny plastic particles called microplastics where they should not be: in our bodies and our food, water and air.
Environment
Mar 26, 2026
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24
Exotic nuclei near and beyond the proton drip line exhibit a range of unique decay processes, including β-delayed proton emission, α decay, and direct proton radioactivity. Spectroscopic studies utilizing high-efficiency, ...
General Physics
Apr 29, 2025
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43
In a collaboration with EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich and the University of Southern California researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have used X-rays to look inside a microchip with higher precision than ever before. ...
Nanophysics
Aug 6, 2024
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256
Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) is an incredibly useful technique for probing material samples—but current assumptions about the process ignore some of the key time-dependent effects it involves. So far, this has resulted ...
General Physics
Feb 15, 2024
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75
The interface between gases and liquids is found throughout nature. It is also important to many industrial processes. To improve understanding of the gas-liquid interface, researchers have developed an apparatus to study ...
Nanophysics
Jul 26, 2022
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589
Polycrystals are solid materials that are made up of lots of small crystals. The points where the crystals meet are known as grain boundaries (GBs). GBs are important because they can affect the way the solid behaves. However, ...
Nanomaterials
Dec 2, 2021
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123
The structure adopted by lead sulfide nanoparticles changes surprisingly often as they assemble to form ordered superlattices. This is revealed by an experimental study that has been conducted at DESY's X-ray source PETRA ...
Nanophysics
Aug 9, 2021
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