GeoSoilEnviroCARS: A National Resource for Earth, Planetary, Soil and Environmental Science Research at the APS

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EAR-0622171RiversGeoSoilEnviroCARS (GSECARS) is a national, multi-user facility for frontier research in the earth sciences using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. GSECARS provides earth scientists with access to the high-brilliance hard x-rays from this third-generation synchrotron light source. A proposal-based system for beamtime allocation, open to all earth scientists, has been in place for about seven years (since Fall, 1998). Eleven hundred (1,100) beamtime proposals have been received, more than 600 unique outside users have conducted experiments, and over 400 publications have resulted. Forty-five percent (46%) of these users were students. The research conducted at this facility is advancing our knowledge of the composition, structure and properties of earth materials, the processes they control, and the processes that produce them. All principal synchrotron-based analytical techniques in demand by earth scientists are being brought to bear on earth science problems: (1) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and spectroscopy using the diamond anvil cell; (2) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and imaging using the large-volume press; (3) powder, single crystal and interface diffraction; (4) inelastic x-ray scattering; (5) x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy; (6) x-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis; and (7) microtomography.This renewal project will: (1) support the continued operation of GSECARS as a national-user facility, and (2) develop and implement new experimental instrumentation to extend the capabilities of the facility. Improvements will include: (1) monochromator upgrades for more reproducible and stable operation; (2) photon shutter additions to improve beam stability; (3) detector mount upgrades to optimize CAESAR applications; (4) laser heating system upgrades to improve positional and power stability; and (5) a MAR CCD detector purchase for diffraction applications. The broader impact of the project, and our primary mission, is to provide a research environment where users receive expert assistance in planning and conducting experiments, and in analyzing data. This collaborative mode of operation, which allows the facility to be accessible to synchrotron radiation novices, requires a staff of highly qualified beamline scientists and technical personnel. GSECARS is the world's foremost synchrotron-based facility dedicated to serving the needs of the earth science community.***