MRI: Acquisition of High Precision Laser-based CO2 Isotope Analysis System for Atmospheric and Seawater Applications

了解全球重要的大气气体（如CO2）的稳定同位素组成，有助于提供有关其来源和后续转化的有用“指纹”信息。 测量CO2同位素的最新进展集中在使用量子级联激光器（QCLS）与多程光学吸收池。这种方法已经达到了QCLS多通系统现在开始匹配或更好的传统磁扇形质谱仪的能力的地步。它们在del 13C和del 18O中表现出接近0.01每密耳的可比精度，并且在可靠性、分析成本和样品制备的容易性方面比传统系统具有相当大的优势。这些能力可能有其他尚待开发的应用程序。在这里获得的仪器将使用高精度QCLS系统对离散空气和海水样品中的CO2同位素组成进行常规分析，为该技术在关键环境应用中的更广泛应用打开大门。

Knowing the stable isotopic composition of a globally important atmospheric gas such as CO2 serves to provide useful 'fingerprint' information as to its source, and subsequent transformation. Recent progress in measuring CO2 isotopes has concentrated on using quantum-cascade lasers (QCLS) together with multi-pass optical absorption cells. Such approaches have reached a point where QCLS multi-pass systems are now starting to match or better the capabilities of traditional magnetic sector mass spectrometers. They exhibit comparable precisions approaching 0.01 per mil in del 13C and del 18O, and with considerable advantages over the traditional systems in terms of reliability, analytical cost, and ease of sample preparation. These capabilities may have additional, yet to be developed applications. The instrumentation to be acquired here will use a high precision QCLS system for routine analysis of isotopic composition of CO2 in discrete air and seawater samples, opening the door for broader application of the technology to key environmental applications.