Upgrade of Research Equipment: Refurbishing the Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer at the University of Colorado, Boulder

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0842351FarmerThis proposal seeks funding of ~$106K to refurbish a Finnigan-MAT 261 thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS). Primary amongst the needed upgrades is a modern computer system along with interface cards and software to control the instrument. The manufacturer in essence no longer supports this instrument so a third party vendor?s products will be purchased. Also requested are two replacement filament power supplies and ion source high voltage supply. Installation costs are also requested. The TIMS facility sponsors in-department and outside users and provides a level of training and sample processing assistance. The equipment acquisition and installation will allow the PIs to keep a 21 year old TIMS in service. The PIs have completed over 20,000 measurements - mostly Sr, Nd, Pb, Rb, Sr, Pb, Sm and Nd concentrations/isotopes. The department (Geological Sciences) and institute, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), support an Integrated Instrument Development Facility (IIDF) consisting of electronics, machining and repair expertise. The PI has ample EAR research funding and works on rhyolite genesis, epizonal granite formation, siliciclastic sediment provenance, and paleohydrology. The advantages of the upgrade include being able to collect data over longer periods of time, being able to analyze data electronically, the ability to run the instrument in a more automated fashion, the ability to network the data acquisition system so that ?hard? printouts and manual data entry can be avoided, and the cost savings in not having to purchase paper, diskettes and other consumables. The instrument and associated laboratory support students, CIRES, University of Colorado and outside researchers. The PI has trained numerous graduate students, employed and trained undergraduates, and developed collaborations at dozens of other universities and federal agencies. The PI currently supports three PhD students and has four other Geology graduate students working in the TIMS lab. Results are regularly published.***