Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) is an Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) technique
mainly used for the determination of light-element (Li, F, Na, Mg, Al etc.) concentrations in a thick target.
When the target is irradiated with an ion beam, several nuclear reactions may occur, yielding γ-rays in the exit channel,
which are characteristic of each excited nucleus, rendering the PIGE technique highly selective for
the detection of specific light isotopes in a complex matrix.
PIGE can be considered as a sub-category of Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA), in case where
γ-rays are detected as products of a nuclear reaction. In most cases, it is used in combination
with Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and/or Rutherford/Elastic Backscattering
Spectrometry (RBS/EBS). The typical detection limits for PIGE are of the order of 10-100 ppm.
PIGE, being an IBA technique, is also least-destructive. Moreover, as γ-rays are subject to
attenuation but not energy loss when passing through the sample unlike charged particles, information concerning
deep layers inside the target can be retrieved.