The A. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory houses Armenia’s only energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyzer, which can be used in science, industry, culture, and other fields.

The X-ray fluorescence analyzer makes it possible to determine the chemical composition of a sample and the quantitative content of the elements present in the material. The instrument enables high-precision measurement of elements ranging from sodium to uranium.

AANL acquired the analyzer after winning an announced competitive call. A group of physicists, chemists, historians, and geologists had appealed to the President of the Republic of Armenia with a request to acquire such an instrument in Armenia. As a result, the Science Committee of the Republic of Armenia announced a competition, which was won by AANL’s Applied Physics Research Division. The Committee determined that the instrument could be operated most effectively at AANL. In 2015, AANL purchased the analyzer from the German company Thermo Fisher Scientific for AMD 60 million.

Research carried out using this instrument has enabled specialists to obtain important scientific results. The analyses have been used to study the chemical composition of minerals found in Armenia, archaeological samples, isotope-containing materials, and newly synthesized materials, as well as the purity and composition of metallic samples. These results, in turn, have served as a basis for more specialized research.

The analyzer is of significant importance to Armenia’s scientific community, as it makes it possible to study cultural heritage objects and archaeological finds without damaging or destroying them. It can be used to address important questions related to physics, chemistry, geology, history, architecture, and industry.

The instrument is a modern and efficient analytical tool capable of performing elemental analysis of a sample within a few minutes without damaging it and while ensuring a high level of accuracy. It can be used to analyze solid and powdered samples under vacuum or in air, using eight different measurement conditions that ensure highly accurate results.

Such scientific instruments are also widely used in leading museums around the world. They make it possible to determine the elemental composition and concentrations of museum objects, identify the presence of rare elements, and obtain information about the place of origin and the technologies used in their production.