What does the XRF multi-channel analyzer do?

• A. Calibrate the X-ray tube automatically
• B. Electronically sort energies of characteristic xrays and process them jointly with the computer and appropriate software
• C. Measure the sample's mass
• D. Display only the energy values without processing

Answer: (B)

The multi-channel analyzer handles energy discrimination of detected photons. When the sample is irradiated, the detector outputs pulses with sizes that correspond to photon energies. The multi-channel analyzer bins these pulses into many energy channels, effectively building a spectrum that shows how many photons are detected at each energy. This energy-resolved data is then fed into the computer and XRF software to identify peaks (which indicate elements), subtract background, and quantify element concentrations using calibration information. Without this sorting and processing, you wouldn’t get a usable spectrum or reliable results. The other tasks listed aren’t what the analyzer does: automatic tube calibration isn’t its job, measuring sample mass isn’t XRF, and displaying energy values without processing wouldn’t yield interpretable results.