ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to summarize an experience with proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) in analyses of aerosol samples. Broad-beam PIXE analysis includes an uncertainty as to the surface heterogeneity in target thickness, and microanalysis is either nonrepresentative or too time-consuming. The first experiment with an intercomparison of the Prague PIXE set-up with other analytical devices was done at the very beginning of its routine operation. Aerosol samples are very suitable for PIXE analysis because all the techniques priorities can be employed. Experience with a number of software packages used in analytical techniques confirms that the quality of home-make graphics can hardly be compared with the flexibility and ease of graphics software that is obtainable at reasonable prices. The Prague PIXE system is compatible with the PIXE system in Ghent, Belgium, because it includes some common features of software as the format of input/output data.
