XRF Element Ratio Provenance Tool

Blank/response-correct paired XRF element signals and screen a supplied source ratio band; signed numerator nondetections remain visible and a single ratio does not identify provenance.

Description

XRF element ratios require background and response corrections before comparison.

XRF element ratios require background and response corrections before comparison. A supplied ratio band can screen compatibility with a reference source without identifying provenance from one measurement alone.^[1]

Blank/response-correct paired XRF element signals and screen a supplied source ratio band; signed numerator nondetections remain visible and a single ratio does not identify provenance.

When to use XRF Element Ratio Provenance Tool

Use this tool to blank/response-correct paired XRF element signals and screen a supplied source ratio band; signed numerator nondetections remain visible and a single ratio does not identify provenance.

Prepare the artifact, site or survey measurements and any independently established calibration or model choices. Keep paired observations aligned and confirm units and coordinate conventions.

How to use XRF Element Ratio Provenance Tool and understand its results

Prepare the artifact, site or survey measurements and any independently established calibration or model choices. Keep paired observations aligned and confirm units and coordinate conventions.
Enter numeratorXrfSignals, denominatorXrfSignals, numeratorBlanks, denominatorBlanks, numeratorResponsePerConcentration, denominatorResponsePerConcentration, callerSourceRatioBounds using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read calibratedElementRatios, withinCallerSourceBandFlags. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
numeratorXrfSignals	Numerator xrf signals	list of number	Required
denominatorXrfSignals	Denominator xrf signals	list of number	Required
numeratorBlanks	Numerator blanks	list of number	Required
denominatorBlanks	Denominator blanks	list of number	Required
numeratorResponsePerConcentration	Numerator response per concentration	number	Required
denominatorResponsePerConcentration	Denominator response per concentration	number	Required
callerSourceRatioBounds	Caller source ratio bounds	list of number	Required

Pair nonnegative numerator/denominator signals and blanks; supply positive response factors and two ordered nonnegative source bounds. The corrected denominator must be positive. Compute each calibrated ratio and flag inclusive membership in the supplied band. Negative corrected numerators are retained as signed ratios and fail a nonnegative source band.

Paired lists must be nonempty and have equal lengths.

ratio = [(numerator−blankN)/responseN] / [(denominator−blankD)/responseD]

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
calibratedElementRatios	Calibrated element ratios	list of number
withinCallerSourceBandFlags	Within caller source band flags	list of number

json

{
  "input": {
    "numeratorXrfSignals": [
      10,
      20
    ],
    "denominatorXrfSignals": [
      5,
      5
    ],
    "numeratorBlanks": [
      0,
      5
    ],
    "denominatorBlanks": [
      0,
      0
    ],
    "numeratorResponsePerConcentration": 2,
    "denominatorResponsePerConcentration": 1,
    "callerSourceRatioBounds": [
      1,
      1.2
    ]
  },
  "output": {
    "calibratedElementRatios": [
      1,
      1.5
    ],
    "withinCallerSourceBandFlags": [
      1,
      0
    ]
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

Matrix effects, detection limits and calibration uncertainty are not modeled. A single compatible ratio does not uniquely identify a source, while a negative corrected numerator should not be read as negative physical concentration.

Numeric inputs must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Numeric lists are limited to 100,000 entries; the rules above may require smaller limits. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Strontium Isotope Provenance Ratio Tool: Compare measured strontium ratio to all caller source baselines with independent sigma, retaining overlap and no matches; no ratio aliases, geographic identification or forced provenance. For a complementary task, use Lead Isotope Ratio Source Tool: Screen all caller lead-source multivariate baselines using reused Mahalanobis distance and combined covariance; retains ambiguous/no matches, without simple ratio aliases or source identification.

References

XRF Element Ratio Provenance Tool — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Strontium Isotope Provenance Ratio Tool
Compare measured strontium ratio to all caller source baselines with independent sigma, retaining overlap and no matches; no ratio aliases, geographic identification or forced provenance.
Lead Isotope Ratio Source Tool
Screen all caller lead-source multivariate baselines using reused Mahalanobis distance and combined covariance; retains ambiguous/no matches, without simple ratio aliases or source identification.