Analyzing XRF with PyMca

What is PyMca?

PyMca is a software tool developed at the ESRF that provides a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) for processing energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux and can be downloaded from this link. Make sure to check the installation notes, particularly for macOS, here. Comprehensive official documentation is available here, and an additional manual can be found here.

Why use PyMca?

PyMca is a powerful tool for navigating nexus files collected on beamlines, extracting XRF data, and fitting them using robust models for peaks and background. Its unique capabilities make it an excellent choice for detailed XRF data analysis.

Like any specialized software for X-ray data treatment, PyMca requires proper configuration and initial setup. This guide is tailored to help SIRIUS users get started with the software using data acquired on the beamline.

Please cite PyMca!

The SIRIUS beamline is not involved in the development of PyMca; we are simply users, just like you. However, it is evident that a significant amount of time and effort went into creating such a powerful tool. If you use PyMca to analyze your data, please cite the following paper: [43].