Facility Support: The Arizona State University Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) Laboratories

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This grant provides support to establish a new national multi-user facility for secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) at Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU SIMS facility currently houses two single collector SIMS, a Cameca IMS 6f and IMS 3f. The IMS 6f is a state-of-the-art (vintage 1999) small-frame instrument that will be used largely for turn key, high precision light element (atomic number up to and including 17-Cl) isotopic and elemental point analyses and depth profiling of solid earth materials, experimental run products and standards. The 3f (vintage 1984) will support new technique developments and user training. NSF funds will support two full-time laboratory managers (6 mos. each) and two graduate students and participant support costs associated with an external advisory committee for the facility. The ASU SIMS facility will provide a wide range of analytical services to outside users for established user fees including but not limited to point analysis of: hydrogen contents in volcanic glasses, hydrous phases and nominally anhydrous phases; hydrogen isotope ratio measurements in hydrous phases; lithium and boron concentration and isotope ratio measurements in mantle minerals, volcanic glasses and clay minerals; carbon contents of volcanic glasses and isotope ratio measurments of carbonates; oxygen isotope ratios in a wide range of silicate and oxide minerals; flourine contents in nominally anhydrous phases; sulfur isotope ratio measurements in sulfide minerals and silicate glasses; and selected heavier elements and isotope ratios up through chlorine. The facility will also offer depth-profiling, and ion imaging analytical services. Approximately 50% of all machine time will be dedicated to supporting the analytical needs of outside users. The remaining time will be dedicated to in-house research and novel SIMS technique developments including studies of matrix effects, diffusion studies, and novel standards development (e.g., slurry deposition of standard solutions on sample thin sections). The primary intellectual merit of this request for facility support will ultimately stem from future research findings facilitated by broad access to the capability for microspatially resolved light element compositional and isotopic analysis. Investigations with relevance to climate history, understanding volcanic hazards, mantle evolution and clay and soil chemistry are likely to be supported. Broader impacts include: collaborations fostered between hosted discipline scientists and SIMS experts at ASU; the training of researchers in the subtleties of the SIMS technique both through experience gained in performing their own analyses and through a formal annual winter school to be established in 2008; support of two ASU graduate students who will be trained in SIMS analysis and laboratory operation; and development of web-based quasi-remote SIMS operational capability.