Monte Carlo simulations for soft X-ray microspectroscopy using the upgraded EGS4 code system

X-ray microspectroscopy became a very common synchrotron-based method during the last decade. Soft X-ray microspectroscopy is an imaging technique based on penetration of very thin samples by a monoenergetic, parallel intense beam. The typical samples examined contain a suspension of microscopic organic bodies in emulsion. Since soft X-rays in the energy range of 100–1000eV have a very short wavelength compared to visible light, high-resolution images can be obtained with soft X-rays. In general, the field of view for most of the samples must be on the order of a few tens of microns. Usually, submicron spatial resolution is desired to obtain images of the objects. The experimental setup for soft X-ray microscopy was described in detail by Jacobsen et al. [1].